Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => EQUIPMENT USAGE, EXPERIMENTATION, HIVE PLANS, CONSTRUCTION TIPS AND TOOLS => Topic started by: Robo on May 21, 2007, 09:08:36 PM

Title: Hot wire knife for cut outs
Post by: Robo on May 21, 2007, 09:08:36 PM
Here is a real simple tool that comes in real handy when doing cutout and sizing the wax to fit inside frames.

It is just a piece of wire twisted between two pieces of wood.   I attach the wire to the transformer of my wire embedder and have a rotatory switch to turn it on/off.  It cuts thru the wax almost as good as a hot knife thru butter.  I seem to be able to do less damage with this than with a serrated knife.

(http://img509.imageshack.us/img509/3280/wireknifeew9.th.jpg) (http://img509.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wireknifeew9.jpg)
Title: Re: Hot wire knife for cut outs
Post by: Jerrymac on May 21, 2007, 09:17:53 PM
Is it hot enough to burn bees? What distance between the gap to straddle the comb?
Title: Re: Hot wire knife for cut outs
Post by: Robo on May 21, 2007, 09:27:41 PM
Yes it can burn the bees.   It's about 2 inches or so wide.  Nothing critical with the dimensions,  I just made sure it was deep enough for a medium frame.