Shop-Made Corn Stripper Wows Customers

Shop-Made Corn Stripper Wows Customers Pat Mitchell of Templeton, Calif., builds and sells a custom-designed corn stripper that uses compressed air to efficiently process 6 to 10 ears of corn—raw or blanched—per minute. “After years of struggling to cut sweet corn off the cob, I thought there just had to be a better way,” Mitchell says. “So, in the winter of 2021, I went into my farm shop to work on a machine that would do the work and spare me sore hands, arms and wrists.” Mitchell’s initial challenge was figuring out a power source. “Would it be electric, hydraulic or pneumatic? I concluded that pneumatics, using a pneumatic cylinder, would be quickest and cleanest.” Next, he considered whether the machine should operate on a vertical or horizontal axis. “I chose vertical so that the machine could stand on its own and not be dependent on a table, or even worse, a table with a hole cut in it. This also makes the machine extremely portable and easy to use.” He also needed to make sure it was possible to control the air cylinder’s speed to achieve high-quality cuts. “I incorporated a directional control valve to accomplish this. The machine’s built to operate at eye level while you’re comfortably seated.” Mitchell tested several cutters before selecting thin, stainless-steel ones that minimize damage to the kernels during removal. “I had to commission a special pan that captures the corn while fitting my design.” The result is a durable, farm-built machine with welded steel construction that’s ready to use straight out of the box. All that’s needed is a small amount of compressed air at 80 psi. “There were no other machines out there at the time,” Mitchell says. “All machines since are copycat versions of my machine. I have the only patented machine on the market.” Mitchell currently holds more than 30 patents in the fields of food, beverage and machinery. The Corn Stripper costs $342, plus $55 for shipping. Each purchase includes The Corn Stripper, a corn collection pan, two standard cutters, one large cutter, tongs and a quick-connect air fitting. Although Mitchell has mastered the process, making The Corn Stripper requires a significant amount of time. “From the time we start with bare metal in the shop until a machine is ready to ship out our shop door, it’s a four to five-week cycle,” he says. “We’ve had a very happy customer base over the last four seasons.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Pat Mitchell, The Corn Stripper, P.O. Box 1569, Templeton, Calif. 93465 (ph 209-969-6043; needhelp@thecornstripper.com; www.thecornstripper.com).

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