Hot knife trick

[Loubylou]

Extracting honey today and found a neat trick. I don't have a special knife for uncapping the honey so I just use an old bread knife. I was trying to think of a way of heating it up to make the job easier. The obvious answer is hot water, but how to keep it constantly hot without the bother of reboiling the kettle continuously. I filled a thermos....perfect as the whole blade is immersed and the water keeps hot for ages. Go on tell me to shut-up as that's an old trick from way back.

Ps. Always ensure honey container taps are shut off otherwise you will end up with a large sticky pool on your floor.......as I also found out today!

 

[DorsetB]

shut-up as that's an old trick from way back. Been doing it for years.

However, well done for finding it out by yourself. If you don't do so already, a serrated knife is heaps better.

 

[Loubylou]

I knew that!!
Perhaps you can tell me if there is an official name for the 'gludge' (honey and wax mix) left after extraction. Any advice as to what to do with it, last time I put it in a feeder and gave it back to the bees.

 

[DorsetB]

Well, I either give it back to the bees.... or spread it on hot buttered toast.

Sacriledge I know as cappings ar the most delicate and purest wax. (but yummy also).

 

[Finman]

.
Electrict knife with thermostat.

 

[Finman]

I knew that!!
Perhaps you can tell me if there is an official name for the 'gludge' (honey and wax mix) left after extraction. Any advice as to what to do with it, last time I put it in a feeder and gave it back to the bees.

Good habit to spread diseases.

Cappings has really much honey. Crush them and let them drill on sieve in warm one 24 hours.

 

[itma]

Cappings has really much honey. Crush them and let them drill on sieve in warm one 24 hours.

A (jam-making) jelly bag makes an excellent strainer.

However, even after 24 hours the wax will still be sticky.

I rather fancy the idea suggested on here a few weeks ago of mixing the strained sticky wax with the cheapest supermarket own-brand booze, before straining again to give a honeyed spirit and cleaner cappings.

Wash the wax a few times with cold (soft, boiled or rain) water to clean it, before it goes for wax-processing. For example, you can make candles, polishes, creams or trade it in against foundation.
Cappings wax is the cleanest and probably what you should choose for making skin cream, lip salve, or whatever "cosmetic product" for yourself (selling involves ghastly regulations - forget that for a LONG time!)


// And when uncapping, one skill is removing the caps with the minimum of cell walls - and honey!

 

[enrico]

Buy a hot air gun, no cappings at all and no mess!
E

 

[Finman]

Buy a hot air gun, no cappings at all and no mess!
E

Ruin your honey!

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Buy a hot air gun, no cappings at all and no mess!
E

Finman: Ruin your honey!



Do we have any evidence/guidance on this from them what judge honey?

Dusty

 

[Finman]

Finman: Ruin your honey!



Do we have any evidence/guidance on this from them what judge honey?

Dusty

My mouth, when I did it. Awfull stuff. I need not other evidencies.

.

 

[itma]

Finman: Ruin your honey!



Do we have any evidence/guidance on this from them what judge honey?

Dusty

Using a hot air gun need not ruin the honey.
But a careless or imprudent user easily could.

As explained on another thread a week or so ago, air-gap cell cappings pop off with minimal heating of the honey.
However, where the cappings are wetted by the honey (no air-gap), the hot air gun works badly and the honey gets heated a lot.
YouTube videos were linked demonstrating this.
Don't use the hot air gun on anything other than dry white cappings!

 

[enrico]

I guarantee you will not Taste the difference. It is all in your mind not your mouth ( except for your foot)
E

 

[Finman]

I guarantee you will not Taste the difference. It is all in your mind not your mouth ( except for your foot)
E

I have my mouth and you have your mouth.

Mind? What do you understand about mind?

 

[VEG]

Didn't have a problem when I used a hot air gun and also won our association honey show that year as well a few years ago.

 

[BeeNice]

Extracting honey today and found a neat trick. I don't have a special knife for uncapping the honey so I just use an old bread knife. I was trying to think of a way of heating it up to make the job easier. The obvious answer is hot water, but how to keep it constantly hot without the bother of reboiling the kettle continuously. I filled a thermos....perfect as the whole blade is immersed and the water keeps hot for ages. Go on tell me to shut-up as that's an old trick from way back.

Ps. Always ensure honey container taps are shut off otherwise you will end up with a large sticky pool on your floor.......as I also found out today!

Be careful it you are using a glass flask, they can break if you drop you knife into them to hard. A tip have 2 knifes then one gets hot while you use the other.

 

[Loubylou]

2 knives.....what an excellent idea, thanks for that

 

[beesknee]

hot air gun

Ruin your honey!

rubbish Finman,used this method for over 20 years no differance in taste from heat gun or uncapping, the heat is just flashed over cappings has no time to heat honey and make it taste

 

[hedgehog66]

how messy is it using a hot air gun

this is my first year and i have 5 supers to extract

i have an uncapping knife but also watched videos with air gun, so also got one of those, it looks a lot easier, but is it as messy ?

what happens to the cappings when they "pop" - where do they go ????

 

[VEG]

Very very little mess they just melt back and don't pop as such. It works well as long as there is an air gap between the honey and the capping