Doc5000,
if you have not already fond it, you should check out Michael Bush's website on foundationless frames:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfoundationless.htm
Also ,if you have not seen them yet, Kelley's just introduced a new foundationless frame (that they designed with Michael):
https://products.kelleybees.com/wtkprod/detail.aspx?item=1182
I was in the same boat as you - lot's of difficulty getting my bees to draw on plastic foundation or wax foundation. Since I have gone foundationless, the bees draw out a frame in a matter of a few days.
I had the bees on HSC plastic drawn comb which they like but it limits their freedom especially in makeing drone comb, etc... I have been drawing one frames of foundationless at a time by placing a new frame in the middle of the broodnest sandwiched in between two frames of HSC. I am slowly replacing the HSC with these foundationless frames.
I am not planning to use the foundationless frames in the honey supers (I will use the HSC for that) but as you will see on Michael's website, as long as you let the wax fully harden and it is connected to he frame on all 4 sides, you should be able to successfully extract a foundationless frame without resorting to excessive reinforcement,
Best of luck and let us know how it goes.
-fafrd
if you have not already fond it, you should check out Michael Bush's website on foundationless frames:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfoundationless.htm
Also ,if you have not seen them yet, Kelley's just introduced a new foundationless frame (that they designed with Michael):
https://products.kelleybees.com/wtkprod/detail.aspx?item=1182
I was in the same boat as you - lot's of difficulty getting my bees to draw on plastic foundation or wax foundation. Since I have gone foundationless, the bees draw out a frame in a matter of a few days.
I had the bees on HSC plastic drawn comb which they like but it limits their freedom especially in makeing drone comb, etc... I have been drawing one frames of foundationless at a time by placing a new frame in the middle of the broodnest sandwiched in between two frames of HSC. I am slowly replacing the HSC with these foundationless frames.
I am not planning to use the foundationless frames in the honey supers (I will use the HSC for that) but as you will see on Michael's website, as long as you let the wax fully harden and it is connected to he frame on all 4 sides, you should be able to successfully extract a foundationless frame without resorting to excessive reinforcement,
Best of luck and let us know how it goes.
-fafrd