Nov. 3, 1904. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



743 



similar to that used in making rollers. Rubber compounds, 

 and hardened plasters and cements, are also used to a great 

 extent, being cheaper than metal. 



ADVANTAGES OF THE PRESS. 



Why is it that so many European bee-keepers use such 

 presses and make their own foundation instead of buying 

 it ? Several reasons are given. 



l)ne is that the foundation sold by the large establish- 

 ments is sometimes adulterated. The extent of this adul- 

 teration has been considerably exaggerated, and there are 

 plenty of concerns selling pure wax foundation. 



Another reason is the fear of introducing foul trood. 

 Everj' now and then somebody reports that foul brood 

 appeared in his apiary and no cause could be assigned to it, 

 except that it was brought in with the foundation used. 

 For my part, I do not see how the spores of foul brood, or 

 any other living being, could survive the foundation-mak- 

 ing process, yet I do not know positively. Furthermore, it 

 is evidently best to be on the safe side. 



SAVING HALF THE COST. 



But the chief reason is, undoubtedly, the cheapness of 

 the home-made foundation. The cost of foundation in 

 Europe is about twice the price of the beeswax used. The 

 cost of making it at home is insignificant. Almost every 

 bee-keeper can make his foundation in a few winter even- 

 ings, when nothing else can be done. The process is very 

 simple and very rapid. Open the press, pour in the wax, 

 shut the press for a few seconds, then open it and take out 

 the sheet of foundation. That's all. A lubricant should be 

 applied now and then to prevent the wax from sticking. 



The economy would be as great, or rather greater, here 

 than there. The wholesale merchants here pay for the 



"pwa^ ■" 



The Rietsche Press. 



beeswax 23 cents per pound. I could get 28 cents in Cin- 

 cinnati, but from this the freight and commission would 

 have to be deducted. The foundation for sections costs 

 from 55 to 60 cents a pound, according to the quantity 

 wanted, to which the freight must be added. The railroads 

 do not accept a package for less than the 100-pound rate ; 

 that is, if I buy say 10 pounds of foundation I have to pay 

 as much for freight as if it were 100 pounds. Some of the 

 northern lines, however, put the limit at 50 pounds instead 

 of 100. 



. If I am caught by an unexpected honey-flow, and have 

 to order by express, it is still worse. The express rates are 

 simply exorbitant. 



ARTIFICIAL STONE. 



For several years I have been studying the question 

 and experimenting. The first point in making the press 

 is to determine what material to use. Metal is too costly ; 

 besides, the process of making would require some expen- 

 sive machinery. On the whole, I do not think that a press 

 made of metal could be sold for less than $12. Plaster is 

 an entirely too weak material, and had to be abandoned 

 entirely. Portland cement is perfect in every respect but 

 one. Even the be.st brands contain some free magnesia. 

 This dissolves in the water used as a lubricant, or part of 

 the lubricant attacks the wax and forms with it a soapy 

 compound which eventually makes a coat on the press to 

 which the wax is liable to adhere in spite of any lubricant 

 used. 



After many trials, I finally found that a mixture of 

 cement and other substances constituting one of the arti- 

 ficial stones recently introduced in the building business, 

 gave much better results. A coat of special paint com- 

 pletes the protection against the magnesia. This press 



makes sheets 17x8'< inches. DilTerent sizes can be made 

 as well if preferred. 



STRENGTH OF THE PRESS. 



The foundation made on the press is usually rather 

 brittle. This, however, can be remedied in a large meas- 

 ure, and entirely satisfactory results obtained. It must be 

 remembered that wax shrinks considerably in cooling. If 



The Artificial- Stone Press. 



the sheet of foundation is left to cool in the press, the im- 

 prints of the press hold the sheet and prevent it from shrink- 

 ing or contracting as a whole. So the contraction will take 

 place everywhere, and cause innumerable very fine cracks. 

 It is the presence of these cracks that renders the sheet so 

 brittle. They can be seen by holding the sheet up to the 

 light. 



If the sheet is taken up when quite soft, the contraction 

 will take place freely, and instead of cracking the sheet will 

 contract as a whole. If the apiarist will put such founda- 

 tion in the sections or brood-frames only in warm weather, 

 or in a warm room, he will not be troubled by any excess of 

 brittleness at all. 



In order to meet these conditions it is necessary to make 

 the foundation in a room quite warm. The warmer it is 

 the better the foundation will be — 90 degrees, or even 100 

 degrees, if the operator is willing to stand it. Of course, 

 he is not expected to wear winter clothing. 



THICKNESS OF PRESS FOUNDATION. 



Another difficulty I met, was that the sheets were too 

 thick for use in the sections. They would do very well for 

 extracting and brood-nest combs, but that was all. Every- 

 thing, every process that I could think of to make thin 

 sheets was investigated, but found wanting until quite re- 

 cently, when the idea struck me to put the press in an in- 

 clined position, so as to allow the surplus of wax to run off 

 before the solidification takes place. Very simple thing, 

 indeed. That is, after one has thought of it. It is like 

 Columbus' egg. 



It is necessary that the room where the sheeting is 

 done, and the press itself, should be very warm, otherwise 

 a thin sheet would solidify before the press could be closed. 



Manner oj Operating tlie Press. 



Needless to say that the operator must be quick in pouring 

 the wax in the press and closing it. 



PROCESS OK .MAKING. 



In the above figure P is the press represented open. S 

 a frame to support it. B a shallow box to catch the surplus 

 wax and hold the press. T the table on which the whole is 

 placed. 



