Honey exraction

[Barbara99]

Having just spent very sticky afternoon uncapping capped frames I wondered if anyone has used a heated knife sold specially for this purpose and are they any good, what does everyone else use? Thank you

 

[taurus]

I tried the heated knife option and didn't like it. The honey stuck to the hot knife and it was a messy procedure. I've reverted to using a heat gun which works brilliantly. Just get it hot enough to melt the cappings and it's a much less fiddly and messy way to do it.

 

[drex]

I just use a serrated meat carving knife. No problems.

 

[Hedgerow Honey]

I do not know how many hives you have as your profile says none, but the brush uncapper I had from Fritz is awesome and can easily keep up with two twenty frame extractors, filter between the two box's takes out the majority of wax capping's the rest goes in api-melter.

 

[Griffo]

I'm quite happy with my uncapping comb thing but I've only uncapped 20 frames so far this year, with maybe another 10 to come.

 

[Swift Nick]

Serrated thin carving knife works for us,

 

[Beefriendly]

filter between the two box's takes out the majority of wax capping's

I'm all ears... Even with steam uncapping knife that has speeded things up enormously it's still a bottleneck for me. Could you possibly explain the filtering between boxes bit please.
If I understand it right the brush uncapper sits on the apimelter? and frames straight into extractor after uncapping...At which point, for my own set up, I filter as it comes out of the extractor. And the cappings drain through the apimelter "filter".

Own set up to answer OP is steam knife from Abelo and uncapping fork, not the thin tyned ones but the better quality thicker ones. When this was all I had I used an uncapping tray with spike to place frame edge on. I personally found knifes to be fiddly and you still needed the uncapping fork to uncap all those "hollows" that the knife didn't reach.

 

[Murox]

Having just spent very sticky afternoon uncapping capped frames I wondered if anyone has used a heated knife sold specially for this purpose and are they any good, what does everyone else use? Thank you

I don't think there is a non sticky way really. I always used a sharp serrated bread saw (knife) and a jug of hot water to dip it into if it became too sticky.
I tried an electric heated knife once and promptly sold it on, not a lot of good, they may have improved the design by now of course.

 

[Levitt53]

I’ve found the uncapping fork works best. I’ve done extractions 4 times now and have just got round to making notes of ny definitive best way, do’s and don’ts etc. But to a certain extent you can’t avoid getting a bit sticky.

 

[enrico]

There is a bit of an art to it
This is how I use a knife
Dont leave it on or the honey will burn, switch it on to get it hot and use the on off switch to regulate the heat. The latest ones seem to have better heat regulation then the early ones
Get a piece of wood and put a nail through the middle so that the point sticks upwards. Get a large tray and fasten the wood with the nail sticking upwards across the corner. Take a frame and balance one end of the top bar on the nail with the top bar towards you and presuming you are right handed tilt the frame forwards. With the hot knife start at the bottom and with a slight sawing action, using the top bar as a guide, move the knife upwards, the cappings will come off in a big sheet and because you have tilted the frame they will hang clear of it u til you reach the top at which point the whole lot drops into your tray. Change the frame so the other end of the top bar is on the nail and repeat for the other side. Turn the knife off while preparing the next frame or the honey left on it will burn.
If you are using a heat gun, a paint stripper gun will work although I use one intended for making models, or buy a pucker one, then use the same set up with the nail. This time you need to swing the nozel of the gun from side to side starting at the top. Dont leave it pointing in one direction or you will melt a hole the whole way through. The cappings will start to pop open unless they are soaked in honey in which case a hot gun will not work. The reason for starting at the top is that you follow the melting cappings down the frame rather than them sealing up the cells you have just opened. There will be no sticky honey or cappings. They just pop open. The cells will look a bit thick on the outside when you have finished but the bees sort them out when they get them the following year. You need paper down as the popping wax can go on your floor!
I always use a hot air gun now. It is so much easier than a knife but the knife does work and does give you nice wax cappings for using.
Hope this is helpful, others will have other methods but this is the way I do it!!
E

 

[Barbara99]

Thanks for all the comments

 

[Newbeeneil]

There is a bit of an art to it
This is how I use a knife
Dont leave it on or the honey will burn, switch it on to get it hot and use the on off switch to regulate the heat. The latest ones seem to have better heat regulation then the early ones
Get a piece of wood and put a nail through the middle so that the point sticks upwards. Get a large tray and fasten the wood with the nail sticking upwards across the corner. Take a frame and balance one end of the top bar on the nail with the top bar towards you and presuming you are right handed tilt the frame forwards. With the hot knife start at the bottom and with a slight sawing action, using the top bar as a guide, move the knife upwards, the cappings will come off in a big sheet and because you have tilted the frame they will hang clear of it u til you reach the top at which point the whole lot drops into your tray. Change the frame so the other end of the top bar is on the nail and repeat for the other side. Turn the knife off while preparing the next frame or the honey left on it will burn.
If you are using a heat gun, a paint stripper gun will work although I use one intended for making models, or buy a pucker one, then use the same set up with the nail. This time you need to swing the nozel of the gun from side to side starting at the top. Dont leave it pointing in one direction or you will melt a hole the whole way through. The cappings will start to pop open unless they are soaked in honey in which case a hot gun will not work. The reason for starting at the top is that you follow the melting cappings down the frame rather than them sealing up the cells you have just opened. There will be no sticky honey or cappings. They just pop open. The cells will look a bit thick on the outside when you have finished but the bees sort them out when they get them the following year. You need paper down as the popping wax can go on your floor!
I always use a hot air gun now. It is so much easier than a knife but the knife does work and does give you nice wax cappings for using.
Hope this is helpful, others will have other methods but this is the way I do it!!
E

I used a heat gut for the first time tonight. Once I got the hang of it it was quick and I didn't get sticky! Well not as sticky as any other method I have tried........ it's putting the frames in the extractor that I got stickiest doing......

 

[For want of a better word]

Whatever you do... do not do it communally !!!