has anyone made there own honey extractor

[Dye29]

hello there im in the process of purchasing a honey spinner but as i like tinkering i was wondering if anyone has made there own if so any ideas and pics please .

 

[enrico]

When I first started beekeeping in the 1980' s I used an old single tub spin dryer. It was two cylinders, the middle one had holes in and spun at high speed. I crushed all my honey and wax in a mesh bag and put it in the spinner. The trouble was I had to take the whole thing to bits to clean it. Only ever used it once before I decided a decent, clean, new hand extractor was worth the money!
Don't bother reinventing the wheel!
E

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

hello there im in the process of purchasing a honey spinner but as i like tinkering i was wondering if anyone has made there own if so any ideas and pics please .

Yes Redwood on here has - I had obtained plans on the interweb which he adapted, he's still using it ten years later - PM him, I'm sure he'll share his knowledge

 

[pargyle]

hello there im in the process of purchasing a honey spinner but as i like tinkering i was wondering if anyone has made there own if so any ideas and pics please .

Finding (or making) a suitable stainless steel drum is the hardest bit ..unless you go for a food grade plastic drum. The gearings for the winder are available very cheaply from China on ebay ..

But .. it's a lot of work and when you can buy a perfectly serviceable one on ebay for around £130 - for the amount of use it will get in the early years - it's hardly worth the effort.

If you are a budding bee farmer with stainless steel welding skills, access to a machine shop and intend building a really big electric powered extractor .. then it might be worthwhile as they cost thousands ..

 

[MartinL]

It must be about as easy as making your own bicycle wheels, great until you try to use it/compare against shop bought!


I'm a very ambitious, mostly competent D.I.Y. enthusiast.
However, I know when I'm beaten.

 

[pargyle]

It must be about as easy as making your own bicycle wheels, great until you try to use it/compare against shop bought!


I'm a very ambitious, mostly competent D.I.Y. enthusiast.
However, I know when I'm beaten.

Yeh that ... I find it better to quit when I'm behind rather than persist and find that I end up somewhere up my own exhaust !

 

[Mrsteve]

As a new beekeeper, buying equipment last year but waiting until last week to get my first nuc, I thought over the winter while I am waiting I will try and make an extractor.
After buying a food safe housed bearing and a few bits of stainless flat bar, I gave up and realised that I would end up spending nearly as much money as buying a new ready made one.
I was lucky enough to find an old but unused E H Taylor 10 frame stainless extractor on Ebay for £95.
So I personally wouldn't bother trying to make your own.

 

[manek]

Finding (or making) a suitable stainless steel drum is the hardest bit ..unless you go for a food grade plastic drum. The gearings for the winder are available very cheaply from China on ebay ..

But .. it's a lot of work and when you can buy a perfectly serviceable one on ebay for around £130 - for the amount of use it will get in the early years - it's hardly worth the effort.

If you are a budding bee farmer with stainless steel welding skills, access to a machine shop and intend building a really big electric powered extractor .. then it might be worthwhile as they cost thousands ..

Don't buy one of those 'perfectly serviceable' £130 extractors on eBay.

I broke my rule of never buying cheap because it's almost always a false economy. It's got horrid sharp edges to all the internal parts which cut my fingers to pieces - don't fancy blood-flavoured honey, thank you very much. And the edges to the honey gate hole are also very sharp and cut the gaskets.

Yes, you can use a file to smooth the edges but cleaning up afterwards to retrieve every single metal filing would be a nightmare.

So I'm going to have to buy a proper one this year. What a waste of money that was.

 

[Finman]

.
I made my first extractor. From that I noticed that do not ventilate aroma away from the honey when you extract. Keep tap shut and the cap tightly closed.

The extractor is an important tool when you are prosessing your product.
Second is uncapper. Do not use hot air gun.

Avoid to use smoker when you take honey off. Honey takes from smoke tar an aroma of chimney. The smoke is tar, and it condensates onto the frames.

 

[pargyle]

Don't buy one of those 'perfectly serviceable' £130 extractors on eBay.

I broke my rule of never buying cheap because it's almost always a false economy. It's got horrid sharp edges to all the internal parts which cut my fingers to pieces - don't fancy blood-flavoured honey, thank you very much. And the edges to the honey gate hole are also very sharp and cut the gaskets.

Yes, you can use a file to smooth the edges but cleaning up afterwards to retrieve every single metal filing would be a nightmare.

So I'm going to have to buy a proper one this year. What a waste of money that was.

I don't know where you got yours from .. mine came from a company in Germany ... I've had none of the problems you mention ? Had it three years now and apart from breaking the perspex lid (my fault to some extent) when it fell into the spinning extractor it has been fine.

There's a few people on here have them and I've not heard any other complaints...

I wouldn't buy one direct from China but as long as there is some EU quality control you should be alright.

If you have five or six hundred quid in your bin to spend on a quality extractor in your first few years ... fine and dandy but not many have. Beekeeping can be an expensive hobby in the early years .. sell a few jars and then reinvest the profits in later years. A £130 extractor will still be worth £60-£70 or more in three years time.