Extractor purchase

[REDWOOD]

I don't like the internal gearing.

 

[JWF]

The man who uses a 14x12 deep brood chamber as a honey super has such a physique that he can make any extractor fit any frame size he wants.

Jean Claude Van Damme uses 14*12s as supers!

 

[cinnamon]

lol @ alfazer

I guess the only thing that kept me from buying the plastic ones right away is that they look a bit flimsy. That German one looks decent. Note the seller name Dr. Marco Is that supposed to give assurance? Maybe the name is real just thought it was funny to include the Dr bit in your business name... Anyway, I digress (easily)...
Again having zero experience with honey extracting, seeing comments here gives me a better idea. Many thanks for all your comments and advice.

 

[pargyle]

One of the reviews says:

Perhaps you could enlighten the rest as to how it will take a 14x12?

The cage is big enough to taken two 14 x 12 frames tangentially but the four bars that go from the central spindle to the outer part of the cage need to be cut and re-welded at a slightly wider spacing. This would allow frame to sit in the outer part of the basket. You would only get two 14 x 12 frames in there, one on each side of the basket.

I got a quote from a local welder to modify mine and he was going to charge me £1 a weld - £8 in total. It won't affect the ability of the cage to take shallows and I think you could still fit national brood frames in there.

I've not done mine as I don't extract from my Long Deep Hive - I just use any surplus in there as food for the bees.

The phote might show you what I mean - that's a 14 x 12 frame I'm holding, you can see where the radial support bars are in the way of the width of the frame.

 

[Eyeman]

The man who uses a 14x12 deep brood chamber as a honey super has such a physique that he can make any extractor fit any frame size he wants.

Nothing to do with 14x12's as supers.
All to do with generating drawn comb when the 14x12 starts to get congested.
By extracting stores from deep nationals and 14x12's gives me 500+lbs of honey come the end of the season.

 

[pargyle]

That German one looks decent. Note the seller name Dr. Marco Is that supposed to give assurance? Maybe the name is real just thought it was funny to include the Dr bit in your business name... .

The Company name is Dubois and Linke .... Marco Linke is one of the owners, perhaps he's proud of his PhD ? I know a few people who like to brandish their educational qualifications !

For what it cost me the convenience of having my own extractor that can, with a bit of careful placing, take 8 shallows is well worth it. It's not the most robust drum and I had to replace the honey gate as the original leaked, there's a bit of surface rust on the centre spindle and a couple of the basket welds but it comes off with a scotchbrite pad. Incredible value when I got mine for under £100 !!

 

[cinnamon]

I don't mean to belittle anybody's qualifications. I have a PhD (Computer Science) but I don't sign my emails with it. I know a few in the corporate world (that I work in) who do. I just find it funny that people feel the need to advertise their education to add credibility to their statements.

I will definitely buy an extractor. Like with everything else, I research it to death.

I had to replace the honey gate as the original leaked,

Are the valves or honey gates standard size? Are the spares readily available?

 

[pargyle]

Are the valves or honey gates standard size? Are the spares readily available?

Yes ... nearly all the same - I bought the replacement from Simon the Beekeeper on ebay ... straight swap. The original was poorly formed and when you closed it the damn thing pushed the rubber sealing ring out of its slot and honey dribbled out. Simons was much better.

The clever thing to do is test the gate with water before you spin out any honey .... speaking from personal experience ... lot easier cleaning water up from the floor than honey !!!

 

[pargyle]

I don't mean to belittle anybody's qualifications. I have a PhD (Computer Science) but I don't sign my emails with it. I know a few in the corporate world (that I work in) who do. I just find it funny that people feel the need to advertise their education to add credibility to their statements.

The world is full of badge collecting, 'look at my qualifications', pompous gits ...

Usually the ones who boast about them most have the least actual ability !

 

[cinnamon]

The clever thing to do is test the gate with water before you spin out any honey .... speaking from personal experience ... lot easier cleaning water up from the floor than honey !!!

I will do when I'm cleaning it prior to first use

I can't bear wasting any honey, especially my first harvest!

 

[alfazer]

lol @ alfazer

I guess the only thing that kept me from buying the plastic ones right away is that they look a bit flimsy. That German one looks decent. Note the seller name Dr. Marco Is that supposed to give assurance? Maybe the name is real just thought it was funny to include the Dr bit in your business name... Anyway, I digress (easily)...
Again having zero experience with honey extracting, seeing comments here gives me a better idea. Many thanks for all your comments and advice.

I think in Germany a chartered engineer gains the title of Doctor, and they are referred to by the title in the same way that we would address a medical doctor in this country. So it adds a little more clout when marketing an engineered product
Says something about how important society in Germany regard engineering too.

 

[Millet]

Here is the one i bought and a picture of it modified to take 8 shallow frames and it will take 4 deep frames, imo it is advisable to buy a small bag of catapult ammo as the ball bearings are spot on and i will change the bearing in the bottom cage holder every time the extractor is cleaned.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Stainless...238933?hash=item5664f92c95:g:viQAAOSw3xJVeATe

 

[cinnamon]

So the modification was to fasten them top and bottom and place them in a radial formation? The original one suggests 4 on each side.

I think this German one is the one I'll go for but probably in the late spring next year.

As an update, because I didn't want to wait any longer and it was only 1 super to extract, I extracted with back of the spoon. It took no time. I had 2 frames with no wires intentionally in the middle so I could have cut-comb honey. Rest of the frames I scraped into a large sieve. It's now draining nicely.

The brood box was pack full of honey and all capped, which is highly surprising because only 2 weeks ago the brood box was all empty, presumably because all the bees had hatched and they haven't had a chance to fill. 3 weeks prior to that the brood box was all full of larvae. So they seem to have packed their brood box with loads of honey in 2 weeks... I'm amazed every time I do an inspection... I removed the super, put an empty super and rapid feeder with 2:1 strong syrup but not sure where they'll store that as the brood box is full and there's no super to store any more. Should I be adding the super back on and have brood and a half set up?

All in all, very happy to even have honey this year as I got them as a nuc late July!

 

[Millet]

So the modification was to fasten them top and bottom and place them in a radial formation? The original one suggests 4 on each side.

I think this German one is the one I'll go for but probably in the late spring next year.

As an update, because I didn't want to wait any longer and it was only 1 super to extract, I extracted with back of the spoon. It took no time. I had 2 frames with no wires intentionally in the middle so I could have cut-comb honey. Rest of the frames I scraped into a large sieve. It's now draining nicely.

The brood box was pack full of honey and all capped, which is highly surprising because only 2 weeks ago the brood box was all empty, presumably because all the bees had hatched and they haven't had a chance to fill. 3 weeks prior to that the brood box was all full of larvae. So they seem to have packed their brood box with loads of honey in 2 weeks... I'm amazed every time I do an inspection... I removed the super, put an empty super and rapid feeder with 2:1 strong syrup but not sure where they'll store that as the brood box is full and there's no super to store any more. Should I be adding the super back on and have brood and a half set up?

All in all, very happy to even have honey this year as I got them as a nuc late July!

The modification i did was basically just fasten 8 stainless steel lugs to hold the top end of the top bars, the bottom part of the cage holds the frames ok without changing anything.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Here is the one i bought and a picture of it modified

That's very clever

 

[pargyle]

The modification i did was basically just fasten 8 stainless steel lugs to hold the top end of the top bars, the bottom part of the cage holds the frames ok without changing anything.

Yes ...that's the option I usually use - I just used cable ties with a loop the size to hold the lugs - yours is a much more elegant and permanent solution. You can see clearly from your photo how relocating the radial bars will allow 2 14 x 12 frames to fit tangentially in the cage.

It's a really versatile extractor for the money .... sometimes you need to spin the frames tangentially and it will take 8 shallows as intended by the manufacturer.

 

[Millet]

Yes ...that's the option I usually use - I just used cable ties with a loop the size to hold the lugs - yours is a much more elegant and permanent solution. You can see clearly from your photo how relocating the radial bars will allow 2 14 x 12 frames to fit tangentially in the cage.

It's a really versatile extractor for the money .... sometimes you need to spin the frames tangentially and it will take 8 shallows as intended by the manufacturer.

I have tried spinning them with eight in how they are supposed to go and they fell over when i tried it as they do not fit properly as it is supposed to be a four frame extractor until tampered with.

 

[pargyle]

I have tried spinning them with eight in how they are supposed to go and they fell over when i tried it as they do not fit properly as it is supposed to be a four frame extractor until tampered with.

Put the two frames together tangentially with the top bars next to each other in the midde. Cable tie ... looped around the top lugs and and another one going through it to the cage .. keeps them in place.

You will be able to do it with some more of your creative stainless steel work but cheapo me ... cable ties !

 

[Millet]

Put the two frames together tangentially with the top bars next to each other in the midde. Cable tie ... looped around the top lugs and and another one going through it to the cage .. keeps them in place.

You will be able to do it with some more of your creative stainless steel work but cheapo me ... cable ties !

I will give that a try next time but with my free stainless Tig welding wire ( i have a friend who is a welder )

 

[pargyle]

I will give that a try next time but with my free stainless Tig welding wire ( i have a friend who is a welder )

I'll be off to my friendly welder with a jar of honey soon - much more professional !