Cheapest way to harvest cappings

[BMAC]

If you are talking high enough temperatures to melt the wax, won't that also burn the honey?

so essentially it will alter the honey. It doesnt burn it. It carmelizes it. Its still honey and its still edible. I was just pointing out an absolute cheap and effective way to seperate the honey from wax.

[jwbee]

I don't really get any cappings because I use a heat gun for uncapping , I don't like dealing with the cappings.

I do however , get some blown out combs when I get a little too enthusiastic on the hand powered extractor.

So far I have just been draining it in a colander inside a larger bowl , then let the bees clean the rest.

I bought a cheap salad spinner from our local second hand store , and will try that next year , I figure if you break it up and situate it evenly around the basket , it should spin out fairly well , has anyone tried it?

IT SHOULD WORK.

[odfrank]

I dont doubt they work. Im wondering how effective they are for folks that produce alot of cappings? I guess I was asking for first hand experience of the actual capabilities of solar wax melters.

I solar melt about ten five gallon buckets of cappings a year or more. On a hot day they melt is so fast the honey is no where near caramelized, just over heated. Fine for cooking. This year I melted both last years cappings and this years. My melter can fit 5 gallons plus.
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[Bubbles]

Maybe you could use this method also?

http://www.biobees.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11272

[buzz abbott]

I built my first solar heater this summer. Since I was having problems getting the wax out of the pan after it cooled I started putting water in with wax. That let me cut around the wax to get most of it from the pan. Thanks for the advice OD, I just never thought of the honey replacing the water. It looks like your melters are liquid tight, and that it drains into a separate 'chamber' is that right?
I thought there is very little honey left over after I crush and strain, but next batch I will give it a go and see how much there really is.
I was just given a solar collector melter that someone made from a satellite dish. I haven;t had a chance to play with it yet, but think it will have the advantage of being able to access while still in use without losing all the heat.
I have a meat thermometer in my solar melter and on a sunny warm day I have read temps of 170.

[Moon]

No offense bubbles but that looks like a huge pita

[Bubbles]

No offense taken, Moon. At least it is the cheapest and maybe even fastest way to harvest honey and beeswax. :-)

[Robbo]

depends what cheap is, but a second hand grape crusher might be the go. This saves me ehaps of time

IMG-20121013-00515.jpgIMG-20121013-00516.jpg

[Bubbles]

To Robbo,

Nice set-up. If I ever raise bees on 5 hives or more, I think I'll get one like yours. How much did it cost you second hand?

[Cedar Hill]

I fill my one gallon pickle jar feeders with the honey/cappings, add just a little water, and shake them well. Then overturn them to feed the honey mix to my bees. Works very well, I then put the cappings in my solar wax melter where they melt down quickly. OMTCW

[libhart]

a second hand grape crusher might be the go.

Had that same idea this year but all the presses I could find were really pricey so I said heck w/it and just rinsed my caps in the sink. Gotta go yard sale-ing in the spring I guess. Good to know it really works though. Thanks.