150 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE, 



Mar. 



something like A. It would seem that she 

 uses a round punch in making the walls. 

 This is much easier to do than to use one 

 producing ahexagonal wall ; and a mechanic 

 incnpable of making a pair of rolls like 13 

 might easily make one like A. Isn't it fun- 

 ny y A comparatively rude machine, pro- 

 ducing an unnatural cell, seems, at the 

 present date, to be really better for our pur- 

 pose tlian the laborious" ones we have been 

 all these years working at I No disrespect 

 intended to our friend Mrs. Dunham here, 

 but, on the contrary, we owe her a vote of 

 thanks, not only for the excellent mills and 

 fdn. she has given to tlie world, but for 

 showing, too, that women are capable of 

 ranking side by side with the benefactors of 

 our race in the mechanical world. There is 

 one thing, however, against which 1 would 

 like to protest a little. It is the following- 

 note, from her new circular : — 



CAUTION. 

 Havinpf obtained letters patent No. 2ifi,00!1 for Dunham Foun- 

 dation Machine, making comb foundiitinu witli liase of cells of 

 natural shape .and siile walls brought U|i to foiin an even sur- 

 face, also on the foundation made on said machine, 1 hereby 

 give notice to all parties infringing my riglits either by manu- 

 facturing said machines or found.atiori, as well as to all parties 

 purchasing machines as above other than those of my manu- 

 laeturc, th.at I am prepared to protect my rights, and shall 

 prosecute all infringements to the full extent of the law. 



In regard to the round cells: "WhenPer- 

 rine took our first mill away, he said the 

 man he had hired, Weiss, had made a small 

 mill with rolls of bniss, and that the cells 

 were first drilled with a hollow drill. He 

 tried to get a patent on this, and failed. 



The Given press is a very rapid means of 

 putting fdn. in wired frames, but it can not 

 at present be very well worked on metal- 

 cornered frames, if I am correct, and there- 

 fore we do not use it. I am inclined to 

 think, too, that it is difficult to make the 

 sheets of fdn. as thin as we do with our rolls, 

 and to have it go clear up to the wood of the 

 frames as we use it. The fdn. is much like 

 the Dunham, and may be made exactly like 

 it. The rubber plates work nicely now, but 

 we do not get as full a wall with them as by 

 the rolls, neither can we get as thin a base ; 

 but the bees Avork the sott wax more readily 

 than any rolled fdn. Samples of the fdn. 

 made by them will be sent free on applica- 

 tion* The rubber plates are mounted by 

 placing them in frames like an ordinary 

 slate-frame. Small screws are put part way 

 into the rubber, at intervals of perhaps two 

 Indies. The whole is then backed with plas- 

 ter of Paris, being carefnl, of course, that 

 the plates are in contact at every cell. When 

 dry and firm, they are hinged together and 

 worked like the plaster plates. To make 

 starters, pour on so little wax that, when the 

 plates are closed, it does not come to the 

 outside ; then pile up a lot of these irregular 

 sheets, and cut up in the usual way. To 

 make whole sheets, you must cover the en- 

 tire lower plate, and close quickly. Trim 

 off the surplus wax around the edges, and 

 your sheet is ready to lift out. Of course, 

 the plates are dipped in water to cool them. 

 The water must be warm, or the sheet will 

 break. The time occupied in trimming off 

 the surplus is the great drawback. If some 

 way coula be devised for pouring in just 

 enough wax for the sheet, and no more, and 

 having it quickly distributed over the plate, 



it would then be the most rapid process 

 known, and there would be no hindrance in 

 making it right in wired frames. We can 

 furnish a machine for starters, just right to 

 fill a 1-lb. section, for :?2.00; and if it does 

 not please, you can return it for what it cost. 



PRESENT PRICES OF FDN. MACHINES. 



Below are the prices of the different ma- 

 chines now in the market : — 



It will be seen from the above, that friend 

 Olm is the only one who has enterprise 

 enough to dare make a fdn. mill for SiO.UO. 

 We have samples of the fdn. his mills make, 

 and they are very nice, having a side wall 

 that comes clear up level. Below we pre- 

 sent an engraving of one of his mills. 



THE OLM FOUNDATION-MILL. 



We have ordered one of the $10.00 mills, 

 and also one of Mrs. Dunham's 12-inch nick- 

 el rolls. I presume they are only nickel- 

 plated for only ?10.00 additional, although 

 her price list does not say so. 



Now, friends, we will furnish either the 

 Dunham mills or Olm mills at their prices, 

 or we will furnish you our own. To show 

 you that we do not "mean our own mills shall 

 be behind any in the world, we will send 

 samples of all "kinds of fdn., free to any ad- 

 di'ess. 



Here are some seasonable hints in regard 

 to dipping plain sheets, that we take from 

 the Feb. No. of the Bee-Keepers'^ Magemne: 



DIRECTIONS FOR DIPPING. 



Make your dipping tank 4.\13 inches nnd 3 feet 

 deep; .«et it into a larger one with water between 

 to regulate the temperature. Melt your wax in an- 

 other boiler (a corriMion wash boiler will do), have 

 water in to prevent burning the wax, dip into the 

 de«'p tank as fast as the wax is melted. 



Make 4 or 5 thin boards of seasoned basswood the 

 e.vaot width when dry, you want your sheets. Nail 

 cleats on top to prevent warping, and make a handle. 

 Flavethera thoroughl.y water-soaked before using; 

 the boards will swell as much as the sheets will 

 shrink. Wet the boards before dipping, but shake 

 off all the water you can. Put the board in the wax 

 as deep as the length you want your sheet, repeat 

 as soon as the wax stoi)s dropping, dip 3 times for 

 brood foundation and once for boxes, hold the board 

 pcrfectU) jjluml) while cooling; as soon as the wax 

 stops dropping alter the last dip, set it one side and 

 take another board. By the time you have dipped 

 four th<i first will be ready to peel off. If the boards 

 are smooth and edges perfectly square, your sheets 

 will need no trimming. When the wax begins to 

 scum around the edges of the tank the temperature 



