Labelling jars

[Barbie bee]

As a group of novices we are thinking about getting a labelling machine. It needs to do tamper labels and jar labels from a roll.
Does anyone have any recommendations or words of wisdom they can share with us

 

[pargyle]

As a group of novices we are thinking about getting a labelling machine. It needs to do tamper labels and jar labels from a roll.
Does anyone have any recommendations or words of wisdom they can share with us

A wife and two kids works well for a lot of beekeepers ... probably more expensive than a machine in the long run but cheap start up costs and can be adjusted for other beekeeping tasks ...

 

[Newbeeneil]

I agree with Pargyle about slave labour of family members, my grandchildren love doing my labels for a pittance

If you are a group of novices I wouldn't have thought your output warranted the investment in a machine but maybe you produce a tonne of honey between you?
I will sell approximately 1000 jars this year and have no problem labelling by hand. It takes me about 2 hours to stick 3 labels a jar on a 70-80 jar batch of honey. I'm normally listening to the radio or even watching TV at my kitchen table.

 

[madasafish]

Mi wife labels 300-400 jars a year by hand Usually while watching Australian soaps.
Earache is the major cost

I have made an automated labeller but my woodwork is not very good so it is not satisfactory,
Paying £200 for an automated one is uneconomic...

 

[Apple]

Purchased a "LabelRoo" machine on ebay for less than a third than cost... bought from a beekeeper which may tell you something!
Fantastic on round jars... but make sure the company who makes your labels prints them the correct way around for the machine.

We use it to label about 2000 bottles of pasturised apple juice which we market for our local orchard co opperative, and for the round jars that we market our own 3 fruit honey marmalade.

The Label Roo machine is fiddly for hex jars..... have made a copy of the Sweinty machine for hex jars, but our trusty crew of "label sticker onners" who get through 4000 + labels a year....seem to use it rarely!

Have looked at the bigger automatic machines, but unless packaging 1000+ jars per hour ( day?) beyond sensible finances!

Trust that helps
Chons da

 

[Curly green finger's]

I agree with Pargyle about slave labour of family members, my grandchildren love doing my labels for a pittance

If you are a group of novices I wouldn't have thought your output warranted the investment in a machine but maybe you produce a tonne of honey between you?
I will sell approximately 1000 jars this year and have no problem labelling by hand. It takes me about 2 hours to stick 3 labels a jar on a 70-80 jar batch of honey. I'm normally listening to the radio or even watching TV at my kitchen table.

I agree.. I get my small football team to help with mine, its quality control I struggle with.. But what do you expect from a 19,13,7,6 years and 8 months old little Mitchelin man.
All rejects are in the dresser!

As above really unless your jarring thousands I wouldn't bother.
I've sold out of honey at just over 500 jars, and don't use a machine.

 

[Swarm]

I believe some people also have electric extractors .....

 

[Newbeeneil]

I believe some people also have electric extractors .....

WHAT? When you have a fit ten year old grandchild to turn a handle after they clean the soot off themselves.
What is the world coming to?

 

[North End Bees]

I believe some people also have electric extractors .....

The novice co-op may already be ahead of you on that one. But with all this shared equipment how easy is it going to be to work in Covid times? Have to disinfect all the apparatus between users?

 

[pargyle]

I believe some people also have electric extractors .....

That will be ME then from this season ... but my exscuse is it was a bargain ... and extraction is a task best carried out when the queen of the kitchen is NOT in residence so family handle turner is not an option ...

I think with a few hives an electric extractor goes from being a nice to have to being a must have .. so much quicker.

Back to the original post ... My experience of cooperatives is that, unless you are very lucky, they are generally UNCOOPERATIVE ...

 

[Curly green finger's]

I believe some people also have electric extractors .....

I do have an electric extractor, I thought we were talking about labelling?

 

[Curly green finger's]

WHAT? When you have a fit ten year old grandchild to turn a handle after they clean the soot off themselves.
What is the world coming to?



 

[nantmoel]

I design labels to be machine applied and I recommend a 'labelroo' www.labelroo.com - very effective machine plenty of adjustment to get the labels spot on.

 

[Apple]

I design labels to be machine applied and I recommend a 'labelroo' www.labelroo.com - very effective machine plenty of adjustment to get the labels spot on.

See my post#5
Double check labels on the roll are printed in correct orientation for the labelroo... definitely a recommendation for round jars and bottles

 

[Rob H]

I design labels to be machine applied and I recommend a 'labelroo' www.labelroo.com - very effective machine plenty of adjustment to get the labels spot on.

Would the labelroo cope with Hexagonal jars, or is that a step too far? Thanks

 

[Jimmy]

Would the labelroo cope with Hexagonal jars, or is that a step too far? Thanks

Labelroo much prefers round jars, I have one and I don't think it would work with hexagonal jars.
If you're handy you could make a label dispenser - Swienty make a stainless one (surprisingly £££££ though) you could use as a starting point.

 

[Hedgerow Honey]

Labelroo for us, one for each size as it wastes too much time switching over.
Never bothered with hex jars, rounds only.

 

[Jimmy]

https://en.swienty.com/pi/Manual-la....aspx?CountryID=17&LanguageId=2&CurrencyId=11
I think I have seen homemade versions of these, possibly Hivemaker on here in the distant past. The description claims it works with hex jars.

 

[Garry R]

Labelroo much prefers round jars, I have one and I don't think it would work with hexagonal jars.
If you're handy you could make a label dispenser - Swienty make a stainless one (surprisingly £££££ though) you could use as a starting point.

Remember the orientation of the label on the roll is vital. The Thornes' label roll orientation will not work with the Swienty labeller so (I did ask before with no response) who makes the end on end honey labels or do you have to use blanks and design and print your own.

 

[nantmoel]

Remember the orientation of the label on the roll is vital. The Thornes' label roll orientation will not work with the Swienty labeller so (I did ask before with no response) who makes the end on end honey labels or do you have to use blanks and design and print your own.

Garry
I design and then get professionally printed labels, if you are interested let me know, they will be the correct orientation for machine application.