Never used an uncapping fork.

[colin]

uncapping

We used a gratton surrated bladed knive most of beekeeping life worked well for us.We only used an uncapping fork when we could not get the comb uncapped with the knive.

 

[Cazza]

Thank you all for your input. I guess Rab has the answer. I need to try it and I will. Perhaps it will be useful for uneven combs and I may use both.

Don't fancy the idea of the trying the air gun as it would end in me melting worktops or setting fire to the kitchen.(I know my limitations!)

Thanks again.
Cazza

 

[Swarm]

It's what I use, very easy and with new frames it's almost possible to lift just the cappings off. The air gun is brilliant and mess free but with wet cappings you spend far too much time going over the frame with a fork anyway. So I went back to using just the fork.

 

[rockdoc]

Only tried a knife once and went on to the scratcher. Not sure why there should be a problem with wax bits in the honey. I double sieve below the extractor and then leave to settle (ripen). I might try the air gun this year, but have reservations about any form of direct heat on my honey as Finman says.

 

[victor meldrew]

But it burns surface and give an awfull aroma to combs.Just awfull! When I tried it, I bought two electrict knives.

You obviously lack finnesse finman ,my. Honey is gin clear with no off flavours/odours . You don't have to melt back to the midrib
VM
(I only wanted you to blow the bloody doors off,,, )

 

[Hombre]

I think Victor, that Finman might be using the same hot air gun that he uses on his hive bodies in the spring . . .

Each to their own.

 

[Finman]

he uses on his hive bodies in the spring . . .

Each to their own.

I use prophane flame. I think...

.

 

[Finman]

You obviously lack finnesse finman ,my. Honey is gin clear with no off flavours/odours . You don't have to melt back to the midrib
VM
(I only wanted you to blow the bloody doors off,,, )

What ever. I have used 45 years electrict knife. When combs are preheated to 35C temp, knife works quickly.

When the knife went brokwen, I tried heat gun according this forum. It was a mistake.

.

 

[Winker]

What ever. I have used 45 years electrict knife. When combs are preheated to 35C temp, knife works quickly.

When the knife went brokwen, I tried heat gun according this forum. It was a mistake.

.

Same knife for 45 years?

 

[Finman]

Same knife for 45 years?

lillin lillin lieru
winkeriltä pääsi pieru
keskellä kirkon mäkeä
siitä tuli suuri häpeä

.

 

[REDWOOD]

lillin lillin lieru
winkeriltä pääsi pieru
keskellä kirkon mäkeä
siitä tuli suuri häpeä

.

something about church, shame and a fart ?????

 

[Winker]

lillin lillin lieru
winkeriltä pääsi pieru
keskellä kirkon mäkeä
siitä tuli suuri häpeä

.

No need to be rude old chap, i was just asking if the Knife lasted 45 years

 

[BeeJayBee]

Only tried a knife once and went on to the scratcher.

Other way round here, but maybe I wasn't using the fork properly. Is there a knack to it?

 

[Finman]

No need to be rude old chap, i was just asking if the Knife lasted 45 years

First knife lasted 35 years.

 

[Cazza]

Other way round here, but maybe I wasn't using the fork properly. Is there a knack to it?

That is a good question. Is there a knack, any tips?
C

 

[Swarm]

Personally I slide the tines beneath the cappings, pressure slightly upward as I 'wiggle' the fork forward. Depending on the state of the frame, the cappings break away whole and there is very little honey loss. Older, uneven frames with wet cappings will take a little longer but still not much mess. I use the cranked type fork and uncap in a tray/bowl and then into the extractor. Any clinging wax can be scraped off into the bowl.
If you have frames with beautiful, white cappings, you'll find the fork is great.

 

[Into the lions den]

Its a scratching tool, literally a good firm single pass across the capped area only, and into th e extractor with it. Scratch deeper if the comb is too fat. Its literally no more than 5 seconds a side (and even then that would be an undulating Lang deep). We only use it to do the low bits left after the uncapping machine, though the staff in the extracting room often do those combs that are only partially sealed with it, or very new combs that might suffer in the machine. Their discretion.

However...................as other posters mentioned, including RAB, this does mean most of the capping wax is in the honey after the extractor. It does rise to the surface very quickly though and can be easily skimmed off and drained through fine mesh and is then virtually dry. Then filter the skimmed honey from the bucket and the drainages from the cappings together.

Never done show bench honey or wax in my life so this aspect, also mentioned, is of no relevance to me. However I do not see how the resulting wax cake after melting should be any worse than if uncapped by knife. As regards the honey? We never have any that is purely knife or forked method, as it all goes throught he flail uncapper, and the amount of fine particulate wax and micro air bubble in that method is quite high. Filters out just fine though.

 

[Swarm]

as other posters mentioned, including RAB, this does mean most of the capping wax is in the honey after the extractor.

Don't you have a filter in your extractor?

 

[Into the lions den]

Don't you have a filter in your extractor?

No. The entire output of our extractor, together with the honey output of the cappings/chop outs press go into a sump tank. This has baffles in it and gentle heat. Once, or maybe twice, a day we skim the floating brash from the 'dirty' end of the tank back into the cappings press.

After the sump the honey goes through a very slow spinner to remove the worst of what is left, but it takes all day for that to clog up with wax ( crystals are an altogether more pesky beast) then into barrels. This honey would best be described as semi-filtered.

However, its what the packers need and pay top buck for. Hmf close to nil and no high heat in the process, and all the serious work on the honey done in their premises under their quality system. They will pay less for immaculate honey you have lovingly filtered and turned out perfect, as you have workd the honey before them, and they need to melt it all out again and put it through the system anyway. They just cannot simply accept your honey is perfect, the due diligence system does not allow for that. Its not a pretty way to sell the product, but its the way its wanted.

The bit about allowing it to settle and then skim it before filtering was a way we used to do it maybe 30 years ago.

 

[Ely]

Many beekeepers arent too fussed about a little debris in their honey. It is a natural product after all. I blame the supermarkets for warping peoples attitudes towards food. Most people think meat naturally comes wrapped in plastic and don't have the slightest idea what real veg looks and tastes like.