Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: hardwood on September 13, 2010, 05:38:32 PM

Title: dipping foundation
Post by: hardwood on September 13, 2010, 05:38:32 PM
Dipping 2500 pcs of plasticel foundation for medium honey supers.

dipping foundation.wmv (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dac0XjujHHc#)
We've streamlined it a good bit now...two sheets at once and no pliers ;)

Scott
Title: Re: dipping foundation
Post by: AllenF on September 13, 2010, 07:41:33 PM
2500?   How long even at 2 at a time?
Title: Re: dipping foundation
Post by: bud1 on September 13, 2010, 09:11:43 PM
sho easer than my presure washing my plastic frames and then putting on a coat with a brush; but done got me a big good brush and done sped up
Title: Re: dipping foundation
Post by: hardwood on September 13, 2010, 09:37:33 PM
We've been helping our good friend Jesse (S&S Apiaries) getting his honey supers geared up for the brazillian pepper flow. So far I think Peggy has worked at it for 8hrs or so over several days and is a little more than half way done. They weren't exactly hard workin' hrs though...lots of jokin' around and talking etc. I was even making little taper candles at one point :-D

Scott
Title: Re: dipping foundation
Post by: beee farmer on September 13, 2010, 09:51:56 PM
I use the same shrimp boilin pot for dippin.  I half fill it with water so I aint gotta melt so much wax... but I never dip that many sheets at a time.
Title: Re: dipping foundation
Post by: tecumseh on September 13, 2010, 10:16:59 PM
have you calculated how much wax it takes per sheet (they look like mediums?)?
Title: Re: dipping foundation
Post by: hardwood on September 13, 2010, 10:35:03 PM
Tec,
We're not finished yet so it's a little difficult to tell the actual amount yet. So far we've melted 50lbs and there's maybe 20lbs or so still in the pot. I have another 125lbs on standby. Once we finish the foundations we have 2 pallets of supers (120 boxes I think) that have older frames w/plasticel or peirco frames that need a good dippin' as well. I'm sure those will really eat up the wax supply. I plan to take a rough count of consumption before we get into those for future reference and will let you know.

Yes, these are all mediums.

Scott
Title: Re: dipping foundation
Post by: tecumseh on September 13, 2010, 10:41:36 PM
once you get a good estimate (nothing exact mind you) maybe you could post back the number here.  I would certainly like to know.

looks like your are havin' some hot weather there? 

I take it the lady is tapping off the excess in the plastic bucket?
Title: Re: dipping foundation
Post by: hardwood on September 13, 2010, 11:01:11 PM
Yepp, still hotter than blue blazes down here...mid 90s daily with high humidity. And yes, she's knocking off the excess in the bucket so it may be reclaimed later. We're trying to achieve a very thin coat as to not plug up the cell pattern. I'll be happy to post our results once finished.

Scott
Title: Re: dipping foundation
Post by: ronwhite3030 on September 14, 2010, 12:47:12 AM
with that much wax wouldnt it be easier to just press out your own wax foundation?
Title: Re: dipping foundation
Post by: JP on September 14, 2010, 12:50:59 AM
That's not really a parasol, well, maybe King Kong's!  :-D


...JP