Uncapping Knives

beek4018 · August 30, 2010, 04:31:27 PM

Looking at various catalogs it seems thatmost uncappping knives are just good offset serted knives.

Is that true, and if so, is there any reason not to use the one I already have in my kitchen?

If I heat it in boiling water and don't run it over the woden frames too much is there any reason why it would tear up my ( okay my wife's) good kitchen knife?

I guess qhat I'm asking is:
Is it a particularly harsh process on the knife for reasons that aren't clear until you've done it?

If so I'll spring for the $25 uncapping knife, but if not I'll just use my kitchen knife this year and spring for the real deal next year when I have more than one hive.

Thanks.

mathew · August 30, 2010, 05:34:09 PM

You will save lots of time using an electric uncapping knife. I found dipping the knife in hot water agonizing, the uncapping is very slow and you tend to destroy the precious combs. When the combs get damaged, you can't extract the honey tat well either.

beek4018 · August 30, 2010, 05:41:56 PM

Yes, but a $100 knife for one hive.

hardwood · August 30, 2010, 05:45:29 PM

Hobbyist beekeepers are notorious for spending way too much on every little gadget. You can get by with a $4 capping scratcher just fine.

Scott

WALTC · August 30, 2010, 05:49:05 PM

I agree, $100 for one hive is not worth the money. I paid the $25 for the unheated knife for this year, and then if my apiary grows, maybe then I'll spring for the electric.

Just buying a two frame extractor and some buckets with gates was enough to limit my net income here.

But future years promise to be much more profitable. ;)

Hethen57 · August 30, 2010, 05:51:36 PM

Dipping a knife in hot water is not very effective. It works for the first few inches, then the knife cools and it just drags accross the comb...I found that out this weekend. If you don't go heated, I had much better luck with a capping scratcher...not scratching, but skimming. Did about 12 supers that way over the weekend (my heated knife is on backorder). It is by far the most tedious part of the harvest.

bailey · August 30, 2010, 11:22:39 PM

i have one i would give away but i wont set you up that way!
get an electric fillet knife, take the blade that has the hole in it on the tip section, add a handle of some sort and uncap away, i have 60 hives and use this type of knife only.
even made a nice deer horn handle for it. i like the way it looks and it works great.
just make sure you use a constant sawing motion, i dont even dip it in water.
i just wipe it off on the uncaping tank cross bar if it gets a bit gummy.
i know it sounds just too simple but it works faster than the electric uncapper that i have and dont use.

bailey

AllenF · August 31, 2010, 08:29:22 PM

I am just glad that years ago I "inherited" my electric capping knife.

JP · August 31, 2010, 10:32:58 PM

If anyone is going to shell out $100.00 for an uncapping knife they should really consider the uncapping planer for $25.00 more. I have one and highly recommend them.

http://www.maxantindustries.com/uncapping.html

...JP

Kathyp · August 31, 2010, 10:40:42 PM

i got a hot knife in a bulk deal. it was a happy surprise in the bottom of a box :-D it's great, especially if you have no grip.

Creamhorses · August 31, 2010, 10:46:49 PM

Quote from: bailey on August 30, 2010, 11:22:39 PM
i have one i would give away but i wont set you up that way!
get an electric fillet knife, take the blade that has the hole in it on the tip section, add a handle of some sort and uncap away, i have 60 hives and use this type of knife only.
even made a nice deer horn handle for it. i like the way it looks and it works great.
just make sure you use a constant sawing motion, i dont even dip it in water.
i just wipe it off on the uncaping tank cross bar if it gets a bit gummy.
i know it sounds just too simple but it works faster than the electric uncapper that i have and dont use.

bailey

Well this has peaked my interest as I've been using a very sharp large knife and an uncapping fork for clean up,

Why don't you use the motor on this electric knife? TIA

Dave

Irwin · August 31, 2010, 11:11:23 PM

Quote from: hardwood on August 30, 2010, 05:45:29 PM
Hobbyist beekeepers are notorious for spending way too much on every little gadget. You can get by with a $4 capping scratcher just fine.

Scott

Nail on the head ;)

hankdog1 · August 31, 2010, 11:30:17 PM

Seems to me like i saw them somewhere for 85 bucks without the thermostat. Walter T. Kelly maybe? Anyways i inherited mine too with most of my beekeeping stuff. So can't beat free when it comes to bee stuff just hate that i didn't get back into bees before my grandpa passed away and the stuff was given to me. We had alot of fun times doing it together when i was smaller.

skflyfish · September 01, 2010, 12:09:36 AM

I bought some Chicago Cutlery close-outs a few years ago for $3.00 each. It is a RB10S for carving roast beef and it works great for uncapping. I use it cold. I would think their serrated bread knife, BT10P would work well also. You can find them cheap on eBay.

Jay

bailey · September 01, 2010, 01:53:28 AM

well, the reason why i dont use the entire electric knife to uncap is that it will burn the knife up after about 3 or 4 frames. it works really nice till then but it wont last!
i killed 2 top end electric fillet knives doing that! :-X
bailey.

Creamhorses · September 01, 2010, 06:21:47 AM

baily
Thnx
good to know about the burn out.....so the trick to this blade's success is the serraded edge and the sawing motion to cut without crushing the cells.

Does this work well on deep frames as well as med's shalls? Is the blade long enough?

Dave

tecumseh · September 01, 2010, 08:12:43 AM

Bailey writes:
well, the reason why i dont use the entire electric knife to uncap is that it will burn the knife up after about 3 or 4 frames.

tecumseh:
I don't know the brand or manufacturer of the electric uncapping knife you are using, but some have a heat set screw (allen headed screw) in the handle... others were designed to be operated thru a rheostat for making them run hotter or colder.

Scadsobees · September 01, 2010, 09:08:35 AM

forget the special knife and stick with the kitchen knife.

Been using the serrated kitchen knives for 6 years now, 6 hives. And where as the cheap knife is a little bent, the more expensive one is still working great. Sure, it tears a little comb occasionally, that has never been a problem.

Especially for just one hive....NOT worth a special knife, electric or not, IMO......

Rick

Creamhorses · September 01, 2010, 09:44:41 AM

I'd like to make the kitchen knife work better, but my experience has been that it takes 3-4 passes with a cleaning inbetween to do this. And that's just the frames that are drawn out textbook even. There are lots of frames that vary and don't allow for a clean sweep.

If a serrated knife allows for a one pass uncapping @ last most of the times, I'd leave the smooth knife in the drawer. It's this uncapping portion of the proccess that is the most time consuming and makes the most mess for me.

bailey · September 01, 2010, 10:29:17 AM

its the serrations that cause this to work. thats why i sais use a constant sawing motion.
my knife will only do mediums and shallows, i could do a deep but it would be sort of free hand using the top or bottom bar as a guide.

tecumseh , i was talking about an electric fillet knife / kitchen knife. not an electric uncaping knife.

bailey.