Wiring foundation - what power source?

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This is my wiring board cut for National Brood and Super and also Langstroths the same.

The board was screwed to a bench as was the wire spool which was as per photo on my right as I am right handed.

The rebates are roughly 18mm or so and were cut with a router.

Hope this may inspire.

PH
 

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Planning to make wired foundation next year. What do you use to heat the wire to embed it?



Thornes have a 10V 13A transformer. Would a car battery work?



Thanks . . . . Ben



Yes but will require an in-line fuse ! There’s a lot of amperage available!


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Bought an 8A battery charger. First impressions is it seems to work. Tricky to get the wire into the middle of the wax and not be visible in the bottom of the cells. Have to push wires down using a flat screwdriver.

Need to keep the tension on until it cools otherwise the wire springs out again.

Cam clamps are a pair of mountain bike axle skewers.

(black smudges are my camera)
 

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What's the advantage of wiring your own foundation ??
Just curious is it to cut costs?
 
Made the foundation with my own wax using a silicon mould from Thornes so i know what's in it.

Been trying to work out when this actually pays off with trading in wax given my time is worth nothing and i'm not trying to make a profit. My best sheets of wax are a good bit heavier than you'd buy.

The bees will probably take one look at it and go who the f*** did this!


8 amps does the job but I'd like to try a bit more power.
 
Last edited:
This is my wiring board cut for National Brood and Super and also Langstroths the same.



The board was screwed to a bench as was the wire spool which was as per photo on my right as I am right handed.



The rebates are roughly 18mm or so and were cut with a router.



Hope this may inspire.



PH



Is the wire stainless steel. .?
If not how do you control the temp with a simple battery charger as the power source ?


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it's only on for a few seconds.



We’ll give it a spin with an 8amp jobbie.
Elements are made with either tungsten , ni-chrome or stainless steel . Also the length dictates the resistance.
There’s been a dearth of foundation . I managed to get hold of some unwired 14x12 .
There maybe other uses but I wouldn’t fancy humping a 14x12 full super . Neither would I feel comfortable inspecting a brood frame on a hot day ? :)


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Absolutely DON'T make wired foundation.

I see a couple of other people have posted a similar message against doing that. In case there is any doubt:

Wire your frames. Your comb will be infinitely more secure, even if they make a hash of building it, chew round the edges etc. Wired foundation has always been a very bad compromise, especially on larger frames.

Once a frame is wired, the wire will serve for many years. Old comb can be cut/melted off, the frame boiled/sanitised, the wire re-tensioned (takes a couple of seconds), new foundation put on and wires melted in with a nice cheap battery charger, and off you go again.

I'd never go back to wired foundation. I'm now Dadant/Langstroth, but have 40 or so 14x12 national hives and associated supers that I can't quite bring myself to stop using....any frames going into these are now wired before use.

You won't regret it....except perhaps for the inevitable tiny puncture wounds in the ends of your fingers.

Good luck!
 
Just found this again and yes the wire is stainless. The frames were wired not the wax and why? simple.

Strength for heather to withstand the needling sojilis machine.

PH
 
Just found this again and yes the wire is stainless. The frames were wired not the wax and why? simple.



Strength for heather to withstand the needling sojilis machine.



PH



Horizontal wiring Pete ?


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