Best made plans!!

Nigel2 · Jul 3, 2011

OK

So it's time to carry out my first ever full honey extraction. Everything is ready the borrowed extractor is ready in the kitchen along with a clean tub to collect my first full super of honey.
On returning with a very heavy super I carefully de-cap and place the first frame into the extractor...... and the frames don't fit!! (My hives here in France are Dadant the extractor that I borrowed came from England not sure of his hive type)
So I now have 9 full super frames and no mechanical means of extracting the honey.
After a nice cup of tea and a good coat of looking, I decide that the only course of action is to scrape the frames and pass it through sieves.

So the moral of the story is always check that borrowed equipment is the correct size.
My next plan for extracting in September is to Buy a new extractor.

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/images/smilies/BEE-SMILLIE.gif

viridens · Jul 3, 2011

That's a pain.
Which is the problem dimension. Are your Dadant frames too wide or too tall for your extractor?

Nigel2 · Jul 3, 2011

The frames are to tall, I did think about cutting of the lugs and buying new frames) but they would still be too long.

As they say you live and learn

Foxylad · Jul 3, 2011

What about placing it into tubs and selling it as cut comb?

viridens · Jul 3, 2011

Nigel2 said:
The frames are to tall, I did think about cutting of the lugs and buying new frames) but they would still be too long.

As they say you live and learn

I'm guessing that they are so tall that they would clout the cross beam which has the spinning mechanism. This hopefully all lifts out.

If you are not frightened of some experimental DIY, you could source a deeper container (it doesn't HAVE to be round). A new bottom bearing for the shaft can be made using a length of timber batten with a 1/2 hole (about 13mm) drilled half way through it, either screwed in place from the sides of the container, or wedged in across it.

You may also need lengths of batten wired tightly along the sides of the top beam if your container is wider than the original.
A hot-melt glue gun can be useful for this type of cowboy work...

Crude, but when needs must.

Good luck.