> From: Greg Kovacs
>  Since I come from the birthplace of Rodale Farms and Press,I am sorta
> blessed with an odd amout of plans. I have 1 set that uses a barrel for
> the container. Actually the other set calls for using a barrel as well.
> Now that i've been keeping my girls for 3 years and have extracted for 2
> seasons and since I am a control electrician, it should be pretty easy to
> fabricate something like this.

One thing to keep in mind is that only plastic (food grade) or stainless
steel should be used for the extractor (and misc parts). Honey will react
with many metals (such as the galvanized materials used in years past, which
require annual painting with a food grade paint -- even if food grade paint
does sound a little unappetizing). The cost of putting together a stainless
unit on your own will probably exceed the cost of picking up a used one (or
even a smaller new one, since they start at $102 for plastic and $209 for
stainless at one vendor).

Of course, there are many cheap plans out there (example, take a food grade
plstic container big enough to hold a frame, cut off cappings and put frame
in container, cover with lid that has rope tied in it, swing over head until
all honey is extracted, repeat as necessary), but not all are practical or
cost effective (or even work very well).

You'll find the cheaper extractors on the market require you to turn the
frames over to extract both sides (and if you are in too big a hurry, you'll
probably blow the wax out on the first side), while for a slightly larger
investment you can have both a motor and reversible drive, eliminating a
large amount of work 9and saving more of your wax in the frames for use next
year).

Karen

> If you want to make a
> decapping tank, one of those small plastic sinks with legs would work.
> You put a screen in the bottom

Make sure the screen is stainless, will stand up off the bottom and hold the
weight of the cappings you dump in it.  I assume the sink it food grade (?),
but a commercial version of a plastic uncapping tank can also be used as
your holding/filling tank (strain honey into buckets, clean out decapping
tank, put honey back in and use gate on it to fill your jars).  This will be
a little hard to do with a sink.

> Buy the 5 gallon buckets with the lids and drill out
> for a gate valve and install your own.

Also worthwile, but again, use food grade buckets that haven't had odorous
food in them (unless you really like pickle flavored honey?). I can get used
honey buckets from a local food manufacturer (free) and don't have to worry
about flavoring, but frosting buckets from bakeries work well (except the
strongly colored and flavored frostings).

Karen

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