Cleaning frames

[Moobee]

I have accumulated about a dozen frames that need clearing of old black wax and cleaning up to add fresh foundation. I don't have access to a tea urn/water boiler though. Is this the only method or is there another way to do it? Or do people just sling them? Thanks....

 

[ericbeaumont]

If you have 200 it would be worth boiling in washing soda, but with a dozen, use as kindling.

If you do clean them and washing soda leaves deposits, rinse frames in vinegar/water or hang in the rain for a few days.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Kindling

 

[enrico]

I take it you mean is it worth keeping the wax....the answer is no
But if you mean is it worth cleaning the frames to reuse..... the answer is yes!
Take the wax out. Takes a couple of seconds if cold.
Takes a minute or two to scrape the wax off the frame and remove the fixing top bar and the bottom bar opposite it.
It is as quick as making a new frame up!
It is ready for new wax when you need it. Slot the wax in, fix the two removed bars and you are there. I have frames that have been reused loads of times!
I apologise if you were just talking about the wax

 

[The Poot]

With Enrico, scraping the flat surfaces and dragging a screwdriver along the groove cleans the old wax out quickly enough.

 

[simonwig]

Kindling

Why would you burn £10 (approx) of frames when 10 minutes with a blade and blowtorch can clean them?

Simon

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Why would you burn £10 (approx) of frames when 10 minutes with a blade and blowtorch can clean them?

Simon

why would anyone pay a pound apiece for frames in the first instance?

 

[simonwig]

why would anyone pay a pound apiece for frames in the first instance?

Well 83p if there are a dozen frames, and given that Moobee only has three hives I reckon that's not far off what she probably paid, she's unlikely to be buying vast numbers in sales (of course I might be wrong), but even at a fiver seems a waste, unless she literally has money to burn.....

Simon

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

IMHO anyone who doesn't buy second quality frames in packs of 50 at the sales needs their head read

 

[enrico]

IMHO anyone who doesn't buy second quality frames in packs of 50 at the sales needs their head read

I can think of a cheaper way to buy kindling!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I tend not to spend that much energy and time recycling manky old frames to put back into a hive

 

[enrico]

If you are one of these people that reuses frames you will find it better to attach your bottom bars with a pin in the bottom upwards ( so to speak!!!) That way you can easily remove them. If you put the pin in from the side through both bottom bars they are practically impossible to get out!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

If you are one of these people that reuses frames you will find it better to attach your bottom bars with a pin in the bottom upwards

The correct way to do it you mean?

 

[Ian123]

When I started the old boy up the road who I helped had frame making down to an art, albeit a painful one. All nail holes had to be pre drilled. Heads got left proud so you could remove the nails and each nail was dipped in vasaline!! He was an ex Vickers engineer so that may explain it. He was a character who had some real nasty french AMM that quite frankly put AHB to shame. Buy seconds frames and if ever you are lucky enough to come across one of these cheap I suggest people buy it!! Makita DFN350Z 18V Cordless 18 Gauge 15-35mm LXT Brad Nailer Body Only » Dvs Power Tools

 

[Newbeeneil]

Why would you burn £10 (approx) of frames when 10 minutes with a blade and blowtorch can clean them?

Simon

I pay 50p/per frame (sale seconds) and it takes me 1 minute to make them up. Labour at say £12/hour that works out at 20p per frame. So total of 70p for a pristine new frame.
At 10 mins with a blade and blowtorch it works out at £2 just in labour......... and you have to go and buy some kindling!!!!!

 

[pargyle]

I have accumulated about a dozen frames that need clearing of old black wax and cleaning up to add fresh foundation. I don't have access to a tea urn/water boiler though. Is this the only method or is there another way to do it? Or do people just sling them? Thanks....

Well ...it's probably too late and too far to make it worthwhile (you are about 25 miles from me) but you could have borrowed my old Burco boiler I use to clean my frames. But .... my frames are foundationless and I nail and glue them so they are worth cleaning and re-using. I just scrape the wax off and they then get washed in a hot solution of washing soda, takes a few seconds a frame. I replace the horizontal wires as they usually come away with the comb. I'm not cheap but I can't see a reason to burn perfectly good frames if they can be re-used. If I was having to dismantle them to replace foundation I'd probably not bother and go for new.

I bought my old Burco for a tenner off ebay .. not the prettiest looking boiler but it does the job - if you expand and have more frames to clean it's worth keeping an eye open for a cheap one - washing soda costs next to nothing and a bit of electricity ... clean 50 frames and it's paid for itself.

 

[Curly green finger's]

If you are one of these people that reuses frames you will find it better to attach your bottom bars with a pin in the bottom upwards ( so to speak!!!) That way you can easily remove them. If you put the pin in from the side through both bottom bars they are practically impossible to get out!

Yeah someone on here was making them like that

 

[rolande]

I just scrape the wax off and they then get washed in a hot solution of washing soda, takes a few seconds a frame. I replace the horizontal wires as they usually come away with the comb. I'm not cheap but I can't see a reason to burn perfectly good frames if they can be re-used.

Are you using fishing line for wiring? I know a lot do. Stainless gives countless opportunities to clean and reuse without any need to rewire and is well worth the tiny investment involved.

 

[enrico]

I pay 50p/per frame (sale seconds) and it takes me 1 minute to make them up. Labour at say £12/hour that works out at 20p per frame. So total of 70p for a pristine new frame.
At 10 mins with a blade and blowtorch it works out at £2 just in labour......... and you have to go and buy some kindling!!!!!

But to be fair we are not all in it for the money. I actually enjoy cleaning frames. I actually enjoy looking after my kit. I actually enjoy not burning money. I would never be able to factor in labour costs. I would have gone into liquidation 39 years ago. I understand some of you do it as a business but some of us just do it for the fun of it

 

[Mint Bee]

Anyone who attended Murrays talk last night would have seen the frames he uses. First grade lime wood (no knots), fully made up and wired for around 90p each. Can be supplied in any size but 2000 min order (frames I think, not £). Foundation is then cheaper if not wired as well. Think I will be winding down my stock of pine seconds and looking at these in future.