Making up frames - pins sizes please?

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Alabamaeee

Field Bee
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Oct 19, 2010
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Location
Wiltshire
Hive Type
14x12
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Can anyone tell me the correct size of pins for making up SN1 frames?

T****es sell 3/8 and 3/4 length.

I am assuming 3/8 ?

Also when I was making up my first brood frames (Nat or commercial) that came supplied with 3/4 pins, I found they were so long that it was difficult when doing the wedge not to put them through the top bar, even with nailing at an angle.

Do you experienced beeks use the 3/8 for nailing wedges on brood frames?
 
I use 3/4" - just finished making up ten frames. Putting the pins at an angle on the top bar is a bit of a pain - I haven't bothered this time, just put them straight in from the side, through the wax between two of the wires. Tat's what everyone in our BKA does saves a lot of hassle and fiddle
 
20mm (a tad over 3/4")

I use them everywhere.

Putting them in at an agle on the top bar makes it possible to remove them if ever you need to.
 
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The long ones are really for Manley frames, the shorther ones for pretty much everything else.

PH
 
Hmmm.

Now I am more confused, probably due to my less than clear question :confused:

Brood frames

I used 3/4 everywhere -that was what I was supplied with.

What size for bottom bars?
What size for wedge - I can't see how 3/4 would work without angling them as I did?

SN1 Super Frames (not Manley or Hoffman)

Thinking 3/4 could only be done at an angle through top bars in same way as hoffman angled sidebar is done on the brood frames. If used straight then two pins in each top bar might hit each other.

3/8 or 3/4 in SN1 top bars?

I want to make sure the super frames are "super" strong so they don't collapse in the extractor ;)
 
I use 16mm brads for bottom bars and wedges. Depends on the frame size what I use in the side bars. Shallows are good enough with 16mm; 14 x 12s are not always, so I have changed to 20mm and am also trying a couple of 25mm, on the tosh, through the top bar as well on some. I shall only know if it is not enough after a frame failure with any of my recent frames. 14 x 12s full of stores are those most at risk.

Re-used frames do get longer brads in the bottom bars if I feel they are needed. I have some shallows that have been made up using 14mm staples and not found any problem yet, but I would not use them on 14 x 12s.

So all sorts of sizes will do, but I don't use 10mm or 12mm for anything (nail gun is for 16mm up).

Regards, RAB
 
The last super ones i made up i used a staple gun with 15mm pins
They seam to be holding up but will have to wait for extraction time to be sure
 
Putting then straight doesn't stop you removing them either.

:iagree:

Lay the frames down flat on the benchand put the pin straight in vertically downwards through wedge then wax then top bar - 3/4" pins won't come out the other side really easy even for numb fingers like me
rather than put the top bar down on the bench with the sides pointing up then angling the pin through the wedge through the wire then into the top bar fiddly little bit more time consuming and invariably the pins stick out through the top.
Either way the wedge will come out just as easy:D
 

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