EXTRACTOR. 



188 



EXTRACTOR. 



following. Bring the fingers as close to the 

 blade as possible, bnt not far enough to in- 

 terfere with the cutting of the cappings. 

 The comb should be placed upon some sort 

 of a projection, a nail point supported over 

 the uncapping-box or can. It then should 

 be leaned forward when the knife by a saw- 

 ing movement begins cutting at the bottom 

 edge. When particles of wax and honey 



cling to the blade so as to interfere with the 

 work, it should be scraped on a wooden edge 

 of some sort. See illustration on preceeding 

 pages, showing Dadant's uncapping- can in 

 use. 



Some prefer to work witli hot knives, and 

 where the honey is very thick there is no 

 question but that they will do faster and 

 nicer work with less strain on the wrist. For 

 this purjiose it is customary to use two 

 knives. A sort of bread-pan is made or pro- 

 vided, having a wooden cro'-s-pnrtition as 



sliown in the accompanying sketch. This 

 is filled with water and placed on a single- 

 wick kerosene-stove. The whole outfit 

 should then be placed within easy reach of 

 the uncapping-box, so that the operator can 

 use one knife and then the other as fast as 

 either cools. 



There are some who claim that there is no 

 advantage in using hot knives, l)ut onr ex- 

 perience leads us to believe that Avhen hon- 

 ey is very thick, as it often is in some locali- 



ties, it is economy, both in labor and time, 

 to use them. Indeed, if the combs are new 

 a hot blade is indispensable. 



In Europe, and to some extent in this coun- 

 try, uncapping-knives have been kept con- 

 tinuously hot by the use of electricity or 

 of steam. As the former will not be avail- 

 able to most bee-keepers located on their 

 ranches, steam has the preference. A thin 

 sheet of copper is soldered on the top side of 

 the blade of an ordinary uncapping-knife in 

 such a way as to make a chamber over the 

 entire top surface of the knife. This cham- 

 ber should have a small hole at the end for 

 the exit of steam, and a tube at the other to 

 which is attached a quarter-inch rubber hose, 

 three or four feet in length. This is secured 

 to the spout of an ordinary small tin tea-ket- 

 tle by winding bicycle-tire tape around the 

 tube and the spout until a tight connection 

 is made. A common rag, after the kettle is 

 filled with water, is placed over the opening 

 of the kettle when the cover is crow^ded into 

 place. This makes almost a tight steam 

 joint, or tight enough for the purpose for 

 which we wish to use it. The kettle is next 

 placed upon a kerosene or gasoline stove ; 

 and when the water boils, the knife is ready 

 for use. 



In operation a small jet of steam will be 

 forced out from the small orifice at the end 

 of the blade. If a good circulation of steam 

 is provided the knife can be kejit continu- 

 ously hot, and, while hot, it is to a great ex- 

 tent self-cleaning, as the honey and the caj)- 

 pings will melt off from it about as fast as 

 they accumulate. 



Some have tried these steam-heated knives, 

 and say that there is no advantage in using 

 them, as they would prefer to work with a 

 cold keen-edged blade rather than a hot 

 knife with all its attendant heat. The al- 

 tachmentof the tubing somewhat interferes, 

 of course, with the free action of the knife; 

 but for all these objections there are others 

 who feel that a steam-heated uncapping- 

 knife is a long way ahead of the cold one. 



While it is customary with any knife to 

 use the upward stroke, there are some few 

 who prefer the down stroke. Experience 

 will have to determine which is the better 

 for the individual user. 



SHALL THE COMHS BE SPACED WIDE Oi: 

 CLOSE FOR UNCAPPING V 



The majority of extracted-lioney produc- 

 ers space the combs H inches, or 11 inches 

 from center to center. Hoffman frames can 

 be spaced as wide as this as well as any. The 

 thick combs have more honey to the comb. 



