Analyzing particle size effects in nanocrystalline materials requires a technique in which one can adjust the particle size. In this application note, various nano-crystalline materials were produced using a ball mill (8000M Mixer/Mill®, SPEX SamplePrep; equipped with alumina ball and zirconia ball vials). Ball milling is particularly suitable for this task as it is easy to use and allows the grinding of a relatively large amount of material as well as a large variety of different materials.