Frederick L. Hollen wrote: > > According to Marc Sevigny:> > > 4. Any good ideas for embedding the wax foundations into the wire? I don't > > have an electric gizmo, and dont have an embedding wheel. What do-it-yourself > > methods are practical from things found around a typical house? > > > > That's it for now. I'm excited and looking forward to this list's advice. > > > > Marc Sevigny > > Harvard, Mass > > > I use a homemade battery charger of about 5 amp output. It is about right for brood frames with 4 cross wires. About 5 or 6 secounds heats the wire about right. For super frames of 2 or 3 cross wires I put a length of wire in series with the battery charger about the length of the 2 0r 3 missing cross wires. Lay the foundation over the cross wires but not flat on the cross wires. Let the hooks ride up slightly on the top bar to take the weight of the foundation off the cross wires. The reason for this is that when the cross wires start to heat up they can melt into the verticle wires and short out. This can cause the wires to burn through the foundation. Use a piece of masonite or plywood about 1 inch smaller than the foundation all the way around to press the foundation into the cross wires. Turn off the battery charger and press the foundation down at the same time. Nail a small block of wood to the center of masonite as a handhold to make it easier to use. My charger has an ammeter on it and by watching it you can tell if you are getting a short with the verticle wires and when the wires are hot. The amp reading will start at about 4 amps and taper to about 2 amps when the wires are hot. You can use a larger charger and use a longer wire in series with it. A simple low voltage transformer will work instead of the battery charger. A simple wiring baord can be made using a piece of 3/4 inch plywood. Nail a board across the top about the same dimensions as the top bar. Nail and glue 4 small pieces to set against the top and bottom of the the side bars to hold the frame securely square. Drive 3 nails from the bottom side to place 3 thread spools (wooden ones if you can find some) to run the wires around the ends. Use the same board to hold the frame while embedding the wires. I have wired thousands of frames using this method and it works for me. Vic