Heated uncapping knife

[thorn]

I'll need to speed up my uncapping this year. To date I've been using a fork, but have recently watched a couple of videos on Facebook showing a knife being used. The heated knife was particularly impressive. Is it an extra £100 better than an unseated one?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Anything's better than a fork - you'll see a big difference even with a cold serrated knife.
I bought a heated knife years ago but still prefer the serrated cold knife.
The biggest issue I found was that if you put the knife down for a few seconds to put the newly decapped frame into the extractor, it soon starts overheating and caramelising the honey.
Maybe this year I'll remind myself to try it as it will probably be beneficial if you can just zip through twenty frames quickly chucked on a rack, then turn off the knife whilst loading the extractor from the rack - you can then decap the next batch as you spin the frames.

 

[enrico]

You won't get much quicker than a hot air gun this is a video of me using one! Not a good video but it will give you an idea
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1L1nCsMRWPEetxjc6WAreOySwkvykiqnV/view?usp=drivesdk

 

[Wilco]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stainless-...ocphy=1006596&hvtargid=pla-660910534537&psc=1
Recommend one of these, not necessarily from Amazon.

 

[Finman]

American electric knife is best.
Forget the heating gun.

You need to straighten honey frames sometimes cutting the fat parts off. Then you need hot knife.

With knife you get valuable uncapping wax, what you can change to foundations.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stainless-...ocphy=1006596&hvtargid=pla-660910534537&psc=1
Recommend one of these, not necessarily from Amazon.

Just chucked mine into the 'box of crap I've bought over the years to gather dust and regrets'

 

[mbc]

Anything's better than a fork - you'll see a big difference even with a cold serrated knife.
I bought a heated knife years ago but still prefer the serrated cold knife.
The biggest issue I found was that if you put the knife down for a few seconds to put the newly decapped frame into the extractor, it soon starts overheating and caramelising the honey.
Maybe this year I'll remind myself to try it as it will probably be beneficial if you can just zip through twenty frames quickly chucked on a rack, then turn off the knife whilst loading the extractor from the rack - you can then decap the next batch as you spin the frames.

Good ones have thermostats that avoid scorching the honey, worth paying for a good one imho, I payed about £150 from paynes if I recall correctly.

 

[pete darbyshire]

You won't get much quicker than a hot air gun this is a video of me using one! Not a good video but it will give you an idea
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1L1nCsMRWPEetxjc6WAreOySwkvykiqnV/view?usp=drivesdk

I agree with Enrico...with practice a LOT quicker than the video. B&Q £20. No you don't get the cappings, but you don't get excess honey mixed in with them that needs washing out either. The empty frames are reprocessed by the bees if put back on the hives, or they go in the steamer to reclaim the wax for exchange.

 

[manek]

I bought a heated knife. Waste of money: I can uncap just as well with a serrated bread knife.

 

[Finman]

I bought a heated knife. Waste of money: I can uncap just as well with a serrated bread knife.

I have a warmed extracting room. Its working temperature is 25C. Room's walls and roof are insulated with polyboards.

When I heat the combs to 35C for extracting, electrict knife works fine. If the temp of combs is 25C, knife works poorly. It does not cut the wax. It crasps the combs after itself.

That is true, if the knife does not melt the wax, it works like a bread knife.

I runned my first electrict knife too hot. It roasted honey and wax and gove some burned aroma to the uncapping honey. It was 50 years ago. The knife worked 25 years.

I cannot regulate my recent knife thermostate, but it works fine when extracting room has certain temp values.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

I bought a heated knife. Waste of money: I can uncap just as well with a serrated bread knife.

I bought my bread saw at the local car boot for 50 pence

 

[Antipodes]

I have a warmed extracting room. Its working temperature is 25C. Room's walls and roof are insulated with polyboards.

When I heat the combs to 35C for extracting, electrict knife works fine. If the temp of combs is 25C, knife works poorly. It does not cut the wax. It crasps the combs after itself.

That is true, if the knife does not melt the wax, it works like a bread knife.

I runned my first electrict knife too hot. It roasted honey and wax and gove some burned aroma to the uncapping honey. It was 50 years ago. The knife worked 25 years.

I cannot regulate my recent knife thermostate, but it works fine when extracting room has certain temp values.

Do you ever get capped areas on the frame that are too low for the knife to get at and if so, do you just angle the tip to get at them?
I saw a video where they were using a heated uncapping knife but where the knife missed the low points, they quickly ran a roller uncapper on those areas. It looked like a good system, particularly with two people.

 

[Finman]

Do you ever get capped areas on the frame that are too low for the knife to get at and if so, do you just angle the tip to get at them?
I saw a video where they were using a heated uncapping knife but where the knife missed the low points, they quickly ran a roller uncapper on those areas. It looked like a good system, particularly with two people.

Electric knife has a tip, and I can uncap all cells from the frame. And so I do. No rollers, not with two people. I have used electric knife 50 years. Nothing new in it. I have my habits, right or wrong.

 

[pargyle]

Has anyone tried one of these ?

https://www.aliexpress.com/i/4001056695656.html


Under £40 from AliExpress ....

 

[Erichalfbee]

That looks neat. Pity there is no thermostat.
I'm pretty ashamed of my frames. I uncap with a fork and the drawn wax is pretty untidy. I must bite the bullet this season and even them all out

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Do you ever get capped areas on the frame that are too low for the knife to get at and if so, do you just angle the tip to get at them?
I saw a video where they were using a heated uncapping knife but where the knife missed the low points, they quickly ran a roller uncapper on those areas. It looked like a good system, particularly with two people.

I simply use the tip of the serrated blade to scrape the cappings off the sunken bits. T'aint rocket science

 

[enrico]

Has anyone tried one of these ?

https://www.aliexpress.com/i/4001056695656.html


Under £40 from AliExpress ....

I would have that all over the floor! Not for me!

 

[Antipodes]

I simply use the tip of the serrated blade to scrape the cappings off the sunken bits. T'aint rocket science

Yes, of course. In fact that's the only way to get at the sunken bits if the knife is your only tool at your disposal...other than your fingernails

 

[enrico]

My first heated capping knife had no thermostat. You have to regulate it with the on off switch but I am pretty sure modern ones do. The tip is usually bent to get in the sunken comb. I keep one handy as hot air guns will not work on wet comb and sometimes the knife is useful for straightening wonky comb!

 

[Finman]

Yes, of course. In fact that's the only way to get at the sunken bits if the knife is your only tool at your disposal...other than your fingernails

You can use even a wooden stick, if you need.
Uncap the honey comb is not rocket science. Proplem is only, how much time it takes . It is not funny work at all.