Frameless comb

[JamezF]

Last weekend I was shown a package of what appeared to be perfectly-drawn super comb containing no honey (nor any obvious signs bees had actually been anywhere near it). Ten combs, all nicely rectangular, with perfectly smooth uncapped faces. I've never seen anything like it before. It looked as though the combs had been very cleanly uncapped to leave the surfaces smooth and parallel, perhaps then extracted and given back to the bees to clean up, and then cut from the frames.

The person to whom these combs originally belonged is sadly no longer available to ask, so does anyone have any idea why someone might do this? I was so surprised to see it that it didn't even occur to me to take a photo

James

 

[Sutty]

3D printed???

 

[JamezF]

3D printed???

Now there's an idea. I wonder if it could be made to work? Actually, I'm sure it could be made to work; the question is whether I might have the engineering skill to make it work... Probably not.

James

 

[Sutty]

Now there's an idea. I wonder if it could be made to work? Actually, I'm sure it could be made to work; the question is whether I might have the engineering skill to make it work... Probably not.

James

Actively cooled print chamber, and appropriate temperature nozzles, maybe fed with molten wax via small heated hoses.

 

[JamezF]

Actively cooled print chamber, and appropriate temperature nozzles, maybe fed with molten wax via small heated hoses.

Yeah, but you'd presumably need to be able to do stuff that's possible with filament such as withdrawing the feed material too. Might be possible if you fed the molten wax to the print head using a piston, but then the piston chamber would have to be heated and how would you manage continuity of feed when the chamber was being refilled? Or would you need to start with a big enough chamber to hold all the wax required for the print run?

James

 

[JamezF]

Alternatively, perhaps the wax could be extruded as a filament and treated in some way that would make it pliable, in which case it could perhaps be managed exactly the same as, say, PLA, but with a much lower print head temperature.

James

 

[Antipodes]

Last weekend I was shown a package of what appeared to be perfectly-drawn super comb containing no honey (nor any obvious signs bees had actually been anywhere near it). Ten combs, all nicely rectangular, with perfectly smooth uncapped faces. I've never seen anything like it before. It looked as though the combs had been very cleanly uncapped to leave the surfaces smooth and parallel, perhaps then extracted and given back to the bees to clean up, and then cut from the frames.

The person to whom these combs originally belonged is sadly no longer available to ask, so does anyone have any idea why someone might do this? I was so surprised to see it that it didn't even occur to me to take a photo

James

Where are they now -as in the combs, not the person?

 

[Sutty]

I'm sure it's all possible, or you could get bees to do it!
I think someone is manufacturing "drawn comb" but I'm not sure how.

 

[JamezF]

Where are they now -as in the combs, not the person?

Just in a package in the shed of another beekeeper.

James

 

[Sutty]

Not actually beeswax so I'd avoid it like the plague & I guess wax exchange companies would be v unhappy!

https://www.betterbee.com/foundatio...b is a completely drawn,drawn out by the bees.

 

[JamezF]

Not actually beeswax so I'd avoid it like the plague & I guess wax exchange companies would be v unhappy!

https://www.betterbee.com/foundation/bcombd10-bettercomb-drawn-comb.asp#:~:text=BetterComb is a completely drawn,drawn out by the bees.

Well! It never occurred to me that it might be something available commercially.

James

 

[Erichalfbee]

Heavens! Whatever next?
I have some beautifully drawn comb too but mine its filled with honey