How to Build a Ball Mill for Grinding Solids Into Fine Powders

A ball mill is used to grind solid materials into powders. It's commonly used to make paints and ceramics. It rotates on a horizontal axis and uses iron or stainless steel balls to crush materials into powder. With a container and a power drill, you can quickly make your own ball mill.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Container
• Drill
• Two bolts, 3 to 4 inches long
• Two nuts to fit the bolts
• Epoxy
• Box, same size as container
• Steel or stainless-steel balls

1. Drill a hole into the top and bottom of your bottle to fit the two bolts.
2. Slip the two bolts into the holes you made in the container so that the threaded end of the nut sticks out of the container. Use the two nuts to tighten them into place.
3. Use the epoxy to seal the holes where the two bolts are. You want to make sure to get enough on the areas so that no material will slip through these two holes. Make sure that you don't seal the top of the container. You want to be able to open and shut it securely.
4. Take your box and cut two notches in two sides to allow for the bottle and the two bolts. This is where the bolts on each end of the bottle are going to sit on the box while the mill is in motion so it is important that the box is almost the same size as--or only slightly bigger than--the container.
5. Place your materials and the iron or stainless-steel balls into the container. Set the whole thing on the box.
6. Attach the drill to the bolt at the bottom end of the container. Use the drill to rotate the container. The ends of the bolts will rotate in the notches you made earlier. You know have a ball mill.

Tips & Warnings

• Plastic or metal containers are perfect for a ball mill. Vitamin bottles or other heavy plastic bottles are perfect for this ball mill.
• Stainless-steel balls are recommended to use with materials for ceramics because there is less contamination with the materials that you are grinding, but they still have a high density.