Honey uncapper

[Acebird]

Watch the movie.  It appears the rollers cut into the comb 1/4 in deep and they get covered in honey.  The second link shows a much shallower depth but it doesn't get all the cappings.  In the real world frames are not so perfect so the depth has to be set to get the shallowest frame.  Then the next frame might be a think one.  I am absolutely positive those rollers will get covered in honey.  When you uncap with a knife your frames end up pretty close to the same thickness which helps with balance in the extractor.  Some people use a comb to remove cappings and that too causes imbalance.

[BeeMaster2]

Most decapping machines are set up so that the drippings are caught and added to the honey supply. That means the honey is in contact with a very large surface area, each cutting disc and there are a lot of them on this machine, for a long time. The acid in honey does etch the surface of aluminum.
Jim

[eltalia]

IF leaching of any quanity/magnitude in a commercial honeyhouse was a
recognised problem, like product failure under food grade margins, I would
be more concerned with immersion contact in process line equipment
as valve fittings/screens/pumps/warmers.
I cannot argue for honey production lines but I do know raw milk, and
those lines are exclusively stainless steel and aluminium where structural
integrity is the benchmark for carriage of the milk.

Bill

[max2]

Bamboo - you got what I was thinking 
Each frame runs through the machine in SECONDS. The blades slice the wax - very little contact with the honey.

When you are finished with your 40 or 400 frames - hose the uncapper down and , voila, no damage done

[Russ]

Aluminium has a property where the surface produces its own micro layer of oxidatadive protection, hard, durable and largely inert. Abrasion can be an issue but wax is not abrasive. I am peronally informed from a large industry partner that the biggest cause of contamination by far, is from the drop kicks that use house paint on the inside of bee hives, and the second, is beekeekpers that place their hives in proximity to environmental contaminants (mines, comercial agricultiure and cities) and the third is the beekeepers that directly expose there hives to chemical treatments that have been proven to reduce hive health and drone fertility. Fipronil is king. Under the B Qual assurance, the extraction line has to be approved, that is on the planet where I live, and any issues adressed. If there was a contamination issue with these upcappers, it would have been identified long ago.
All in my opinion to learn and advance beekeeping knowledge of others. 

[Bamboo]

Bamboo - you got what I was thinking 
Each frame runs through the machine in SECONDS. The blades slice the wax - very little contact with the honey.

When you are finished with your 40 or 400 frames - hose the uncapper down and , voila, no damage done

Yep My thoughts exactly.

[Acebird]

Aluminium has a property where the surface produces its own micro layer of oxidatadive protection, hard, durable and largely inert.

So does steel it is called rust.  And iron is good for you and aluminum is not.

[chux]

I bought one of these "uncappers" late last year. Very pleasant customer service. I harvested several hundred pounds of honey from last year's crop, and all my spring honey this year, using the uncapper. I have not noticed any pitting in the blades, or a change in honey flavor. Most frames go through smoothly. Harder combs take a couple of slow angled passes, giving the blades (which are not really sharp at all) time to cut down into the cells. Low places on the frame need to be hit with an uncapping fork or roller punch. I have used it successfully with Deep plastic foundation and wax foundation frames. I also used it successfully with older medium foundationless frames.

Overall, I am pleased with the product. It gives me an alternative that saves a little bit of time, doesn't leave me a pile of wax to deal with when I don't want to, and helps me avoid hot knives. It's simple to use, and works as advertised.

Two cautions...1) Don't go too fast. If you push the comb too fast through the process, it will not cut deep enough on harder wax, and you could crush more than slice. 2) If you see any buildup of wax on the roller, keep a plastic comb nearby to clean the blades between frames. Wax can sometimes stick to the roller. When it comes around and mashes into the comb again, it can crush in and then pull comb off of the foundation (as seen in the advertisement video). This is not a problem as long as you are taking care and not rushing like a mad man to make it look like the best thing in the world!!!