Foundation Roller

[Mosquito]

Does anyone make there own Foundation?
And do you use a Foundation Roller?
I have been talking to a few beekeepers and we where thinking of buying a Foundation Roller between us.
Thorne seems to be the only place to buy them.
But don't tell us how they work and how thick the wax will end up?

 

[Poly Hive]

How many friends are involved and how many hives?

If you buy a roller where do you produce the wax rolls to feed it?

If you want to produce some nice foundation that the bees will love for a reasonable price then this might be the way to go?

Silicone foundation press.

At Craibstone I had the usage of an aluminium one which worked a treat, and with one pouring and one cutting, and a decent heat source with a capacious wax pot, a quite surprising out put can be achieved.

PH

 

[BKF Admin]

Linky thing PH ?

 

[hedgerow pete]

i have looked into making my own sheets of foundation, so i was going down the ply wood dipped into hot wax and then roller through a mangle in between a pair of fibre glass sheets from home made fibre glass imprints and just using a old mangle to as pressure

 

[Poly Hive]

No linky thing as its a drop down window on Thornes catalogue.

anyway thats too techie for me, I canna do the fancy "here" thingy that techies do.

PH

 

[Poly Hive]

There is no need for pressure provided the frames are wired with four lengths and well embedded.. After a season they are up to being extracted for heather.

Yes I extracted from the Brood Boxes. Sugar was 60p and Heather was £4-50. Hmm.... should I extract it?

PH

 

[BKF Admin]

This is a start click HERE

 

[East Yorks New Bee]

This is a start click HERE

That is a very interesting "click HERE" Admin,we just need pete to do a bee shed production of it now.

 

[victor meldrew]

Used to be a guy (Peter Hewit) from Howarth West Yorkshire who did a presentation on producing quality foundation.
He was a dab hand , he demonstrated the difference between moulded and rolled foundation (the rolled being superior) .
He had a curved board which he used to pick up a coating of wax off the top of his wax reservoir slip it between his hinged pattern and put through an old pair of wringers . The resulting foundation was pliable ,unlike the moulded stuff which was too brittle !.

John Wilklinson

 

[Poly Hive]

I agree John that the moulded sheets are brittle and that you cannot beat the pliability of wax that has been through rollers.

However, the bees dinna care and will draw out the moulded wax faster than normal foundation, and the end product, combs, provided as I posted earlier are well wired are as good as any shop bought foundation based.

PH

 

[Hivemaker.]

John,that was the same way i used to make foundation,in another life when i had the time and inclination.
Would say it was far superior to any mass produced foundation,could make around 100 sheets of bs brood in a good evening,and very pliable,also could make it very thin for cut comb. still have the equipment,but with the amount required these days, not the time or inclination.

 

[Mosquito]

Just 3 of us.
We were thinking of doing something like this.

Link = http://www.ehow.com/how_4897718_make-beeswax-sheets.html

To make the wax.

 

[mikethebee]

DADENT??? WAX embossed ROLLS GEAR CHANGE MOTOR!
Elect dadent wax rolls! includes soap drip bath
£1000 can use continually once set up,
if you got the wax’s and the time and know how to set it up it will do foundation none stop.

all the best mike.

 

[Mosquito]

Doe's it look something like this??

 

[hedgerow pete]

after i win the lottery i will need one of those is the new larger version of the bee shed/barn, i did look at buying a roller set just to run the flat sheets through but way out of my price range so i will stick to my pieces of ply wood dipped in hot wat and run through a mangle, the differance between moulded and rolled sheets is only relivent when fixing the sheets in position but not after wards when it is drawn out, we did have a thread about cell sixes and revision, and many people were on about just using starter strips or halh frames etc and i tried that and got massive amounts of brace comb so i will stick with the foundation in full sheets

 

[MJBee]

Hi All
Have a look at this:- http://www.scienceinafrica.co.za/2006/february/beeswaxmould.htm
I have made the silicone moulds but have not yet had a go at actually producing foundation.
Mike
Keep your words soft and sweet as you may have to eat them

 

[Mosquito]

Hi All
Have a look at this:- http://www.scienceinafrica.co.za/2006/february/beeswaxmould.htm
I have made the silicone moulds but have not yet had a go at actually producing foundation.
Mike
Keep your words soft and sweet as you may have to eat them

I am going to have a go at making this.

But do I need 2 lots of this??

600ml of Wacker Elastosil M4514 RTV-2 catalyst hardened silicone rubber.
Elastocil T21 Catalyst (40grams)

 

[Mosquito]

Been looking on the net and it looks like you can't buy Wacker Elastosil.
So Order 2 sheets of plastic foundation.
See if that works.

 

[marcros]

DADENT??? WAX embossed ROLLS GEAR CHANGE MOTOR!
Elect dadent wax rolls! includes soap drip bath
£1000 can use continually once set up,
if you got the wax’s and the time and know how to set it up it will do foundation none stop.

all the best mike.

Could you post some pictures and details mike?

 

[mikethebee]

See the web site.
All the best mike