Making your own foundation supports(pins)?

[MrGreenThumb]

Hello

Has anyone made their own foundation pins to support the foundations? I know there must be a REALLY easy to make 'something' in order to support the foundations other then buying the metal support pins.

Reason asking is I need around 50 foundation supports, of some kind I can make, and do not want to spend $20.00 in gas to go pick up so few. Now do I want to spent the cost of shipping if ordering them...would cost three times the amount of the pins themselves!

Any suggestions?

thx

[Romahawk]

Use the wifes Bobby pins.......... :o

[BEES4U]

I have used cotter pins.:)
Ernie Lucas Apiaries

[magnet-man]

Use twigs. They are free and are organic. :)

[BigDaddyDS]

Bobby (hair) Pins.

Wal-Mart style, although K-mart brand "MAY" work also.

:p

DS

[Grant]

I used "bobby" pins for hair. Dollar General has about 100 for $1 (but it was some time ago. I bought a bunch of them at the time so I would not run out).

Grant
Jackson, MO

[Swobee]

Those things must be a bee keeping secret. Meaning I have yet to find a manufacturer, manufacturer rep, or other wholesale source for them. I swear to high heaven we have searched the internet and other sources looking for bifurcated rivets a.k.a. split rivets, their proper term with the needed dimensions. I have yet to find them from a supplier I've questioned, yet these things have been used for umpteen years in the bee industry.

My guess they were originally found from a leather harness or other leather good worker shop and Mr. Dadant or Langstroth or another bee pioneer found them useful for supporting foundation. So, a wholesale or direct source is still a mystery. By the way, I have a brother who owns a hardware store and we were sure one of the suppliers could come up with them, but not in the dimensions we wanted. So, either I use something else or pay full retail and I just don't like to do that if I don't have to.:D

[Beaver Dam]

Yea, same holds true for #5 hardware cloth. Would like to buy about 3' long piece.

[MollySue'sHoney]

Generations have used bobby pins. They are cheap and they work. Nothing beats a good wiring though for support.

[wayacoyote]

AND...

The next time you extract from well-seasoned comb or are just looking at some brood comb, use your hive tool to pull out the ones you've already used. Once the comb is seasoned, they aren't needed.