hot air gun for uncapping

[VEG]

then you used it wrong I have used it many times and there was no difference in taste to using a knife, a lot of people rubbish certain things may be it just didnt work for them. All I can say it worked perfectly well for me. I now uncap using a knife simply because I want the wax. If I didnt want the wax I would go back to the heat gun. Give it a go on a few frames.

 

[Swarm]

Works perfectly well with no mess. We are not stripping paint, careful direction of the heat (on a low setting) will melt only the cappings and there is no spoiling of the honey.

 

[stephenpug]

Think I will go and get one I think lidle have got a special on heat guns at the moment

 

[Dilligaf]

I have just used the heat gun to uncap my first 6 frames.
When the bees give me the time, I build & fly model aircraft, this is why I have aheat gun in my toyroom, as previously mentioned, it is used to apply heat shrink covering film.
If used too hot, too close & too slowly, the film is burnt, just like wax & honey. Always turn the thing on away from the frame & go closer until the cappings start to melt. Keep the gun moving & use it as little as possible to unseal the frame.
Do not put it right next to the face of the comb & then turn it on.
Mine works best about 9" from the frame & moved fairly quickly, it only takes seconds to unseal a frame.

 

[MandF]

then you used it wrong I have used it many times and there was no difference in taste to using a knife, a lot of people rubbish certain things may be it just didnt work for them. All I can say it worked perfectly well for me. I now uncap using a knife simply because I want the wax. If I didnt want the wax I would go back to the heat gun. Give it a go on a few frames.

I agree. I haven't used a heat gun, but I am tempted to suffer lidl to pick one up and try it next time I have a crop.

Of course wax/honey is going to burn if too much heat is applied or left too long in one spot. Of course wax droplets are going to fly everywhere if the blower is too high.

The proper questions are;

1) At what temperature does wax melt, and does this temperature burn/taint honey?
2) Can you simply/effectively control the temperature of the heat from a heat gun on a surface?

The answer to 2 is yes, by adjusting the distance/angle you hold it from the surface, and also by moving it continually - just as you are meant to do when stripping paint!

So, as long as wax melts before honey is tainted (which is does), you can control the heat being applied to the frame surface (which you can) a heat gun is a viable alternative to forking/knife/HEATED knife.

Instead of scare stories, what should be said is that using a heat gun CAN burn the honey, CAN blow wax droplets around etc, so continually move it and start further away from the surface and slowly move towards it until it starts melting.

After a bit of practice you will learn the optimum distance, how much you need to move the gun around etc.

Just like when paint stripping, shrinking plastic wrap, caramelising a creme brulee, or toasting a marshmallow on an open fire

 

[MandF]

If used too hot, too close & too slowly, the film is burnt, just like wax & honey. Always turn the thing on away from the frame & go closer until the cappings start to melt. Keep the gun moving & use it as little as possible to unseal the frame.
Do not put it right next to the face of the comb & then turn it on.
Mine works best about 9" from the frame & moved fairly quickly, it only takes seconds to unseal a frame.

Exactly, plus a good point about how different heat guns will be slightly different, so the optimum distance/speed/angle might be different.

 

[RoseCottage]

For the last two years I have used a heat gun and become quite a dab hand at honey removal without wax capping and/or mess. The first year we spun our honey the breakfast room became a hermetically sealed and protected environment but last year a kitchen tray and the extractor in a clean environment was all that was needed.

However, his year I went back to using a fork to remove/break the cappings. I.noticed that as the wax melted it ran down the frame and on fully capped frames often resealed the surface reducing the honey that was effectively extracted. Sometimes the seal was quite thin, almost invisible, and I then wasn't getting all the honey out.

This year my filter clogged with cappings and so which way is better I'm not sure for me and as for you...no idea. Try them both a decide what you prefer,

All the best,
Sam

 

[Rosti]

Having tried various methods I am an advocate of the hot air gun and have used it exclusively for the last 3 years, without re-gurgitating all the for and againsts above, my observations would be:

It is contact time not heat that causes problems
It is the potential for uneven treatment that causes problems
I have an expensive heat gun, I run it as hot as it will go and at a distance of about 10-12cm from the face, you get consistent controllable capping melt.
Develop your technique, move evenly and swiftly, dont revisit, contact time with any one part of the frame is well under 1/10 sec with the method I use.

No mess
No honey yield loss
No change in honey flavour
Post extraction filtration improved both in speed and quality

Oh and if certain posters really have managed to cremate honey in the comb with a hot air gun then a bad workman may possibly be blaming their tools?

Edit add: comments on the fact that an air gun doesn't pull comb back are of course valid, but you can melt back to an even depth post extraction very easily if you need to, doesn't remove the raw material of course but does give them some home improvement distraction and allows you to even up comb depth quickly

 

[Swarm]

However, his year I went back to using a fork to remove/break the cappings. I.noticed that as the wax melted it ran down the frame and on fully capped frames often resealed the surface reducing the honey that was effectively extracted. Sometimes the seal was quite thin, almost invisible, and I then wasn't getting all the honey out.

Can be avoided by holding the frame upside down and working from side to side and downwards from bottom bars to the top bar.

I reckon the comb would probably blow before the honey would get tainted.

 

[Finman]

.
If hot gun is good in uncapping NO ONE woudl bye expencive electrict knife and NO ONE would use uncapping fork.

If you valuate a bit the taste of honey, throw to the duc with yout heat guns.

BUT fried potatoe, fried eggs, toast, fried bacon, fried sausages and above all fried honey!!!
.

 

[Jeff Buzz]

.
If hot gun is good in uncapping NO ONE woudl bye expencive electrict knife and NO ONE would use uncapping fork.

If you valuate a bit the taste of honey, throw to the duc with yout heat guns.

BUT fried potatoe, fried eggs, toast, fried bacon, fried sausages and above all fried honey!!!
.

Hi Finman try running a heat-gun over the plastic cover of your Danish bacon for 3 seconds.

I think you will find that it doesn't quite have the same taste as that which has been fried for 5mins in a pan.

Also why do Swienty sell capping heat guns if they fry the honey??

What time is breakfast around your house sounds a lot better than my musilie

 

[Finman]

.
I used heat gun a while. Terrible .
I use mirco wave oven in American bacon heating.