First Time Extraction - What a Mess!

[BeeJuice]

I had five frames of capped honey - partly because I'm impatient and partly because it is derived from OSR, I decided to get on and try some honey extraction.

My extractor was from eBay and is old, but it's electric, stainless steel and will take 12 frames.

I tried de-capping with a hot air gun. As far as I can tell some of the wax ran down the comb but a lot of it just solidified once I took the heat off. There must be a trick to getting this right? Has anyone fathomed it out?

Next I tried a de-capping fork which seemed to work quite well.

And then I tried a knife - seemed to work well but a lot of wax and honey ended up in the de-capping tray.

I positioned the five frames in the extractor as evenly as I could. Turned on the power and one immediately fell to pieces - followed by two more where half the honey comb came out.

I've now got an extractor full of wax and honey. I'm slowly running it through a filter into a bucket. I'm hoping patience and gravity will in time work their magic.

So please... any advice on de-capping, forking and heating? There must be something I've done wrong to end up with such a mess or is this normal?

 

[Teebeeaitch]

On such a small amount I would not bother messing around trying to extract. Two bucket method, crush and strain, why not just keep it simple. Looks like you will now be getting the chance to try crush and strain.

 

[BeeJuice]

Looks like you will now be getting the chance to try crush and strain.

Yes - too right. That's now my method until I perfect another.

 

[pargyle]

Personally .. I use a decapping knife .. never liked the hot air method as you 'lose' some wonderful white wax from the cappings. Just slope the frame and run the knife down the frame just below the caps ... turn the frame do the other side and straight into the extractor.

It sounds to me like you have just whacked the extractor on full pelt to start with -you need to build up the revs slowly otherwise the weight of honey will distort the comb, if you start slowly and let some of the honey come out at slow revs and then build up to speed there is less chance of the comb breaking free of the frame. If it is new comb then you really do need to be very gently spinning it ..

Is the extractor a tangential or radial one - it's unusual for comb to break out of radial ones - more usual in tangential if you are too enthusiastic.

You can crush and strain (and I have) but with rape honey you might find that it's a bit too thick to strain quickly - warming it slightly will help if you have a warming cabinet - another project ? Never ending this beekeeping lark - is it ?

 

[B+.]

It sounds to me like you have just whacked the extractor on full pelt to start with -you need to build up the revs slowly otherwise the weight of honey will distort the comb, if you start slowly and let some of the honey come out at slow revs and then build up to speed there is less chance of the comb breaking free of the frame. If it is new comb then you really do need to be very gently spinning it ..

The only thing I would add is to spin a little in one direction, then a little in the opposite direction to reduce the weight in the comb. Then build up the speed.
As PARGYLE says; you have to go very carefully with new combs.

 

[enrico]

The hot air gun will only work if the cappings are dry. If you have leant combs together then the capping will have been pressed onto the honey and you will never melt it! If the cappings are dry then just run the hot air gun over the face of the frame and the cappings simply pop open. It takes seven or eight seconds to do one side of a frame.
The cappings will never melt if they have soaked up honey and you will end up with a disaster!
As far as the spinning goes, I presume you put them in the spinner with the top of the frames towards the outside? You need to start oh so gently and work the speed up oh so gradually! If the whole thing gets a wobble then it will encourage the frames to break up
E

 

[pargyle]

Alll such good advice ... and it's not the stuff you get in the books !!

I remember (as a very young man) breaking the half shaft in my Austin Healey - the Haynes manual said, undo the bolts and withdraw the half shaft ... what it didn't add was that you needed a 15lb slide hammer, the axle anchoring firmly and the car solidly sitting on blocks so it could not move ... oh - and three strapping teenagers taking it in turns for about 2 hours slamming the slide hammer until the blasted thing finally came free ... leaving the broken end inside the differential - which is a whole new story !!

So ... it's not a disaster - you still have the honey and some wax - it's a lesson learned and next time it will be better ... no substitute for experience if you want to learn !!

 

[BeeJayBee]

I uncap using a knife and let the cappings fall onto some muslin (or net curtain) tied across the top of a large honey bucket. The frames go straight into the extractor, the cappings are covered with a lid and then left for a couple of days to drain.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Alll such good advice ... and it's not the stuff you get in the books !!

I remember (as a very young man) breaking the half shaft in my Austin Healey

So always wanted one.
I had a Frogeye and that was the love of my life when I was at uni.

 

[user 6228]

the hot air gun needs an air gap between the honey and the cap i.e. the cap should be white. The air insulates the wax enough for it retain the heat to soften and creates pressure as it warms to blow the softened wax open.
Takes practice to get right

 

[BeeJuice]

I had the white capping and the hot air method did work... To a point. But the extracted frames look a mess.

I started the spinner (with frame top bar against the side wall) at full speed. It seems that was my main mistake. Thanks for the tips.

I have strained 5kgs of honey from the five frames - and I have a big ball of wax. So happy. But having spent a very long time cleaning up I will won't be extracting five frames at a time again.

Ordered a hot knife for next time....

 

[MuswellMetro]

But having spent a very long time cleaning up I will won't be extracting five frames at a time again.

O...

you haven't made a real mess until you suddenly feel your shoes are sticking to the floor........and you find that you have left the honey gate valve open and 30lbs of honey is spread across the the kitchen floor and seeping under the hall carpet

 

[pargyle]

you haven't made a real mess until you suddenly feel your shoes are sticking to the floor........and you find that you have left the honey gate valve open and 30lbs of honey is spread across the the kitchen floor and seeping under the hall carpet

It's bad enough when you get a drip from a leaking honey gate ... a drop of honey seems to spread to a square metre ...

 

[Cussword]

So always wanted one.
I had a Frogeye and that was the love of my life when I was at uni.

I had a spitfire, it was so easy to get to the engine. Happy days.

 

[Poly Hive]

Not all bees will leave said gap under the cappings.

Your two best friends in the extracting lark are warmth and centrifugal force. I do wish that someone would produce a spinner adapted for cappings and filtering in general as it works so very well.

PH

 

[For want of a better word]

Alll such good advice ... and it's not the stuff you get in the books !!

I remember (as a very young man) breaking the half shaft in my Austin Healey - the Haynes manual said, undo the bolts and withdraw the half shaft ... what it didn't add was that you needed a 15lb slide hammer, the axle anchoring firmly and the car solidly sitting on blocks so it could not move ... oh - and three strapping teenagers taking it in turns for about 2 hours slamming the slide hammer until the blasted thing finally came free ... leaving the broken end inside the differential - which is a whole new story !!

So ... it's not a disaster - you still have the honey and some wax - it's a lesson learned and next time it will be better ... no substitute for experience if you want to learn !!

Nos da