Question for Old-School Beeks

Midwest WI · April 20, 2011, 08:39:52 PM

I was offered a piece of beekeeping equipment. I'm not sure what it is used for exactly. I think it is either to make comb pattern foundation, but then thought that maybe it is just used to run honey-filled comb through, kind of like a crush and strain process machine, if there ever was such a thing. I'm leaning more towards it being for making foundation but I've never seen one like this exactly so maybe that is not it.

I'll describe it as best I can. Basically it has two steel cylinders roughly a foot long that appear to have the honey comb pattern on them. They sit on top of each other lengthwise with very little space between them. They both have a gear on one end. The gears mesh together and there is a hand-crank. You turn the crank and the cylinders spin.

The cylinders with the pattern appear to be in good shape with no rust, but the steel frame they are mounted to is rusty.

So help me out, what exactly is this and would it have any value? If it is for making foundation, that is something I've wanted to tinker with maybe someday just for fun.

I've been offered this thing for free, but would like to give these folks something for it if it has serious value. I've seen the prices on some of the new foundation machines so that is why I would give them something for it if it would work.

njoylife10 · April 20, 2011, 08:43:48 PM

Oh my goodness those things cost an arm and a leg and can be very hard to come by. If you are interested in making your own foundation, it would definitely something to have. What an amazing gift. Why can't I ever stumble across stuff like that?

congrats,
njoylife

Midwest WI · April 20, 2011, 08:54:29 PM

After doing some searches on the net I'm pretty sure it is a really old foundation mill. I found one that is similar on an antique site.

AllenF · April 20, 2011, 08:59:26 PM

A foundation mill is a neat find. What are you going to do with it now?

Tommyt · April 20, 2011, 09:29:56 PM

They are Hazardous
Ship it too me and I'll properly dispose of it :-D
I will even send you some foundation and frames
for the trouble

You got a good friend that made you that offer
Hang on too it or If you are going to sell
I know I'm interested and would bet many here on BM are too
Look up the Fatbeeman I think he has a Youtube using his
He also will make foundation with your wax I think he takes half
by weight of what you send him

Tommyt

AllenF · April 20, 2011, 09:33:09 PM

I was thinking about that crush and strain mill you got. Put in capped honey comb and get new foundation out the side and honey all over the place. Just funny to me I guess.

Midwest WI · April 20, 2011, 10:31:16 PM

Quote from: AllenF on April 20, 2011, 09:33:09 PM
I was thinking about that crush and strain mill you got. Put in capped honey comb and get new foundation out the side and honey all over the place. Just funny to me I guess.

This was one of those weird deals. My uncle who lives about a half hour away said that a co-worker's dad got a bunch of free beekeeping equipment when he started this year and that there was a bunch of stuff that he didn't want so he gave it to the co-worker. They didn't know what it was and were going to throw it away so my uncle told them if any of it is usable that I might give them something for it. I made them an offer on it based on the picture. So, I don't officially have this mill yet. My fingers are crossed.

Here is another question. I have some cousins a couple hours drive away. My cousin just bought a house in a rural area. Right next to their lot line there was an old shed about 20' x 30' in size. It is half falling down, they were out looking at their new land and saw that there were a couple of old hives sitting on an old foundation outside of the shed. Those hives must have been sitting there for decades from what they described. Anyway, they took a peek in the shed window and it is plumb full of hive bodies with frames. The only thing is it appears that they were all just thrown inside the shed and not stacked up or anything. They are going to ask the landowner about the equipment. So I guess my question is, why would someone just throw a whole shed full of equipment in a pile like that. The only thing I can think of is that maybe a beek at one time was throwing his diseased equipment in that shed. Would this stuff be worth checking out? I'm betting that it is probably fairly well damaged by rodents and wax moths at the least.

njoylife10 · April 20, 2011, 10:41:13 PM

Just because they were tossed in the shed and left doesn't necessarily mean anything. It would definitely be worth a look see. Sounds like you have stumbled yourself onto a find.

njoylife10

CapnChkn · April 21, 2011, 03:20:58 AM

http://www.volcanoislandhoney.com/articles/MakingOrganicWaxFoundation.pdf

Requires a Portable Document Format reader such as the Adobe Acrobat Reader.

They also have a YouTube channel. There's a tour where the lady dips, presses, and cuts a sheet of foundation.

http://www.youtube.com/VolcanoIslandHoney#p/a

BjornBee · April 21, 2011, 07:43:13 AM

On Ebay, I've seen those old wax moth marked frames go for more than new....... :-D

sterling · April 21, 2011, 01:36:21 PM

Be careful with that stored woodenware. Last year here in middle TN a widow sold her husbands old woodenware that had been stored in a barn to three different bee keepers and it had AFB in it and the people who bought it had to burn some of their hives. I was told this by the state inspector. He said eighty something hives had to be burned. :'(

AllenF · April 21, 2011, 09:48:45 PM

I have old hive boxes and maybe some old frames that are maybe older than I that I have found. All's good, except for some deep hive bodies built with 1 1/2 thick wood, very heavy and didn't match anything.