[crofter]

I bought a cheap 2 frame extractor that worked fine once I cleaned it up and got the gears working right. The biggest pain was pouring the honey out of the extractor because there's no valve on it. I've thought about welding a valve on it but I'm not sure.

Unless you are extremely skilled I believe a cheap extractor will be too thin of guage to weld in a fitting. I would suggest going to Tractor Supply or similar outlet and look at what they have for bulkhead fittings made for installing outlets on poly tanks. They are similar sandwich inner and outer makeup to a honey gate but will get you to a standard pipe thread and unlimited options from there.

 

[Bmcq]

I bought a cheap 2 frame extractor that worked fine once I cleaned it up and got the gears working right. The biggest pain was pouring the honey out of the extractor because there's no valve on it. I've thought about welding a valve on it but I'm not sure.

I would buy a honey gate, they are cheap 6-9 bucks, make a hole in the extrackerer screw it on and you good to go.

 

[snl]

I would buy a honey gate, they are cheap 6-9 bucks, make a hole in the extrackerer screw it on and you good to go.

:thumbsup:
Easiest solution!

 

[Fivej]

Agree with the above. Buy the gate valve first, then buy or borrow the right sized hole saw. Be sure you get one with fine teeth for metal. A valve is going to make your life much, much easier. Go slow, but steady with even pressure. Its a little tricky drilling a large hole on a curved surface and you only get one shot. J

 

[Oldtimer]

A proper hole saw has a centering bit in the middle that goes in first to hold the rest of it in the right place, just go slow and carefully.

Plan would be to take the honey gate to your hardware store to ensure you get the right holesaw.

 

[Woodstove]

Keep in mind that the honey gate has a flat mating surface, and you'll be mounting it to the rounded surface of the side of the drum. When you crank down on it to obtain a seal, the surface of the drum will deform slightly to conform to the flat mating surface of the honey gate. If your hole is drilled too close to the bottom seam where the sidewall meets the floor of the extractor, it may not be able to deform enough to create a proper seal.

 

[crofter]

Keep in mind that the honey gate has a flat mating surface, and you'll be mounting it to the rounded surface of the side of the drum. When you crank down on it to obtain a seal, the surface of the drum will deform slightly to conform to the flat mating surface of the honey gate. If your hole is drilled too close to the bottom seam where the sidewall meets the floor of the extractor, it may not be able to deform enough to create a proper seal.

Avoiding this problem could require too high a position on the sidewall and interfere with the basket rotation. Going through the bottom may be better and I suppose a honey gate could still serve in that position.

 

[Fivej]

Good points raised about locating the honey gate to be sure it does not interfere with the basket. Mine is a cheapo stainless steel one from China and the walls are thin enough to flex for a nylon gate. On mine, the hole was pre-drilled but I had to install the honey gate. Heat with a heat gun or even a hair dryer will make it a little more malleable. If you buy the honey gate from a bee supply co, they usually tell you what sized hole to drill. J

 

[Bdfarmer555]

Buy a cheap 5 gallon bucket. Drill and install the honey gate. This way if the hole size is wrong, or if you find that you were too close to the bottom, you lost a cheap bucket. You can move over and try again and again. Once everything fits, then drill the extractor.

 

[Woodstove]

Avoiding this problem could require too high a position on the sidewall and interfere with the basket rotation. Going through the bottom may be better and I suppose a honey gate could still serve in that position.

Very good point. It would be wise to stick a tape measure down inside of the drum to see just how much space there is along the sidewall below the basket.

 

[DanielD]

Punch a hole at the bottom and let it drain out in a 5 gallon bucket as you spin. You don't necessarily need a gate or valve on it. A gate would allow it to be used as a bottling tank after you are all finished extracting though.

 

[crofter]

Does it have a stand or just designed to sit on its bottom? Was it designed with no option other than tipping to pour off extracted honey? Maybe we should have had more details before we started solving the problem.

 

[crofter]

So far DanielD has the simplest solution!:thumbsup:

 

[herb]

Extractors for sale with horribly dangerous sharp parts.

Here is another issue. CHEAP products getting dangerous to use.

First extraction using a new Extractor - and all went well UNTIL ...


I bent down to tilt the extractor to drain. The legs were not ground down and were razor sharp. Managed to slice open two of my fingers quite seriously. Nothing like finishing an extraction and trying to filter the honey by adding blood.
A friend came over with a few extra jars just as I was scurrying to the barn for band-aids. He too was amazed. I REALLY mean razor sharp, only wish my lawnmower blades were the same.

Jeesh, the extractor worked well enough and I got some 20 pounds of honey but with cheapness of manufacturing check everything out first. I will grind down the back of these legs and insert some wood thicker than the metal legs.

Gave it a review - only to find it is no longer in production. Go figure.

 

[GregB]

I bought a cheap 2 frame extractor that worked fine once I cleaned it up and got the gears working right. The biggest pain was pouring the honey out of the extractor because there's no valve on it. I've thought about welding a valve on it but I'm not sure.

Since I am thinking of building a "cheap 2 frame extractor" of my own from common, food-grade plastic buckets and PVC pipes and electric drill for the power, I propose this:
- check IF your "cheap 2 frame extractor" is closely compatible by diameter to those food-grade plastic buckets from the closest hardware store;
- IF - yes, consider just drilling few holes directly into the bottom of your "cheap 2 frame extractor";
- the idea will be that as you extract your 2-frame batches, the honey will just drop directly into a bucket placed under the extractor
- the bucket maybe used as a temp stand for the extractor itself (though some rig-up from wood would be more stable and a better way)
- of course, you want the honey going through a mesh (mesh to be placed between the bucket and the extractor)

These are all untested ideas that I want to try out.
2-frame extractor is great that way - it is light and flexible and small - many things are possible - pouring out of it is not necessary, just let the honey drop through and be done.

 

[GregB]

Punch a hole at the bottom and let it drain out in a 5 gallon bucket as you spin. You don't necessarily need a gate or valve on it. A gate would allow it to be used as a bottling tank after you are all finished extracting though.

Exactly.
Just now saw your proposal and what want to do myself too.
But I want a DYI extractor powered by a drill AND also use-able for C&S too (one thing - two different usages).