Foundation form?

[Matt NY]

Does anyone know of anyone that sells molds to make your own foundation? I've seen plans to make them, but I haven't seen them in any catalogs. I'm not ready to shell out the money for a mill, but I like the idea of using my own wax and not spending all that money on store bought sheets. Especially the latter!

[Dave W]

Why not go "foundationless"?

[Michael Bush]

Try a search on here. Also look in the supplies section of the main page. Also look for presses in the bee magazines and the bee supply catalogs. There are presses but they cost a lot. You can make a mold and pour them, but foundationless is much easier. Contrary to popular belief bees have known how to build comb for a very long time with no help at all. smile.gif

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfoundationless.htm

[wayacoyote]

Matt,
I don't know of a place to purchase one, but have 2 resources for how to make your own:

http://www.scienceinafrica.co.za/2006/february/beeswaxmould.htm

The other is in a book I picked up at the library: Keeping Bees by John Vivian, ppg 131-141. VERY good details and photos.

Someone here also posted their step-by-step methods and Dee Lusby also has prescribed a method which is very similar to those given above.

Waya

[Matt NY]

I just returned the John Vivian book to the library and found it very interesting. I have been reading quite a bit about foundationless and find it makes a lot of sense. I'm trying to develop a common sense attitude about bee keeping because there is just so much, of what seems to be, conflicting information.

Thanks

[wayacoyote]

to chide you, Matt: there is no "common sense" when there's so much conflict ;) I do know what you mean. I often wonder why we reinvent the wheel so regularly. I've decided that it is because we forget what techniques we had before the "wheel" that worked and didn't work, so we have to retry them; we forget How we invented the wheel, and have to rejustify our approach; and as we as humanity have shown to be our way, we simply can't seem to learn from history, so we keep repeating it.

So go for it. Perhaps you'll end up writting a book about your endevors that will join the library of books that were best sellers for decades and then faded away. No matter, 100's of years from now, someone else with repeat the same process. Besides, I think experience is one dandy teacher.
Waya
PS, liked that book, too, huh?