1879 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



47 



COMMON SENSE APIARY. 



A HOME MADE FOUNDATION MACHINE, AND HOW TO 

 MAKE ONE. 



^^OU have written nothing- that has struck me 



M so forcibly of late, as your timely remarks in 

 ^ a recent No. of Gleanings, upon the necessi- 

 ty of rig-id economy on the part of us bee-keepers, if 

 we would succeed. As you have truly said, every 

 drop of honey or scrap of wax, and all the odds and 

 ends, must be saved and made to tell on the profit 

 side of the apiarian's account. So true is this in 

 these times, "the times that try men's souls," that I 

 hold it as a principle, that he who can, out of his 

 own study or experience, aid others by his inven- 

 tive g-enius, in saving- dim"* where psnee only have 

 been saved, is a public benefactor. 



The stern log-ic of necessity, coupled with the 

 above ideas, has compelled me to invent; and now, 

 in response to repeated requests from your subscri- 

 bers in different portions of the country, I g-ive the 

 result of various experiments in constructing- a 

 cheap comb fdn. machine. Mr success was based 

 on getting perfect plaster of Paris plates to work 

 under pressure, while a thin sheet of wax inter- 

 vened. Success can only be obtained by securing 

 perfect plates, anil arranging- them to close together 

 accurately. 



To mould in plaster and wax requires familiarity 

 with their working properties. The practice of 

 dentistry, particularly the mechanical department, 

 has made me familiar with their use. Take a piece 

 of new comb an inch larger each way than you de- 

 sire your plates, and shave it down with a very keen 

 knife to within 1-lti of an inch of the cell bottom, on 

 each side. As plaster will readily follow moisture, 

 it is quite essential that the bottom of each cell 

 should be moistened in some way. I used an atom- 

 izer, thus sending a tine spray down to the bottom 

 of each cell. 



Soaking the comb in water might possibly answer. 

 Placing the comb on a perfectly level surface, you 

 pour on your plaster, previously mixed in a small 

 quantity and very thin, and commencing at one side 

 you will work it clear to the bottom of each individ- 

 ual cell, with a broad case knife. Several "batches" 

 of plaster may be necessary, ere you cover the 

 whole surface of the comb. 



Great care is necessary not to ra;i;h down the cell 

 walls, and of course due rapidity of movementmust 

 be observed, else the plaster sets before fully ma- 

 nipulated. A layer of plaster should now cover the 

 wax about fcj of an inch in thickness, which can be 

 iucreased to 2 inches, by the addition of plaster in 

 large quantities, nicely smoothed off. 



AVhen it sets, trim the edges and turn the wax side 

 up. At each extreme corner sink a cone shaped 

 hole, base upwards. These hol^s act as guides (we 

 dentists call them "key holes") for bringing the op- 

 posite plate into exact position, until they are per- 

 manently arranged in the pi - ess. 



After oiling the guide holes slightly, pour the plas- 

 ter on this side as before described, taking care that 

 the above named key holes are duly tilled as com- 

 pletely as each cell.* When the plaster has "set," 

 separate the plates by carefully inserting a knife 

 under one side or corner. 



To remove the wax will be found the most difficult 

 thing for the uninitiated. It is done effectually by 

 the use of hot water. Boiling will not do alone, but 

 the water must afterwards be poured from a tea 

 kettle spout at a height of at least 3 feet. This 

 cleans the wax completely from all the interstices. 

 The balance of the way is clear sailing. The plates 

 are encased in strong wooden frames, or boxes, by 

 the use of additional plaster. 



The "guides" on the plaster serve to keep the 

 plates in proper position, until suitable, permanent, 

 wooden guides are arranged on the frame work. 

 The upper frame is attached to a strong lever. The 

 under frame rests firmly on a solid bed which per- 

 mits it to slide out upon a track, to receive the sheet 

 of wax intended for fdn., while the upper frame and 

 lever i -5 raised by means of a spring. 



With this machine 1 can "print" from 4 to 6 sheets 

 of fdn., 12x12 inches in size, per minute. Dipping 

 plate? such as you advertise are quite essential, of 

 course, to get the sheets of wax of the right thick- 

 ness. The wax works much better if softened mod- 

 erately in warm water. They can be placed in a pan 

 of warm water right beside the machine. 



Of course, these plates are subject to more or less 

 wear, which will in time destroy their sharpness 



It is an easy matter to substitute others however. 

 The Prussian government has very recently award- 

 ed a prize to a Dr. Reissig, for a method of prepar- 

 ing plaster casts, moulds, &c, by which their sharp- 

 ness can not be impaired by washing or moderate 

 use. It consists in washing the plaster surface 

 with strong baryta water, after which silicate of 

 potassa (soluble glass) is applied; the casts are 

 finally washed in a solution of alcohol and soap, to 

 fill up all pores and prevent dust from entering the 

 same. I shall try the preparation and report. 



I am getting up one of the above machines for a 

 friend of mine, and shall make as much as possible 

 of it of wrought iron. Am confident they can be 

 manufactured at a cost not exceeding $10. 



W. G. Phelp, D. D. S. 



Galena, Md., Dec. 17, 1878. 



Many thanks, friend P.; but I fear many 

 of our A H C class will succeed but poorly, 

 without the nice mechanical skill that you 

 dentists have acquired by long practice. 

 Even should you make the machines for 

 them, I fear it would take some practice, be- 

 fore they could make 4 sheets a minute. I 

 should rejoice to hear that a practical ma- 

 chine could be furnished for S10.00. My ex- 

 periments with the plaster casts failed for 

 the reason you have mentioned ; the plates 

 soon failed. 



THE ABC CHILD THAT ORE W SO FAST. 



what his neighbors say of him. 



fr? -SEE 

 I Wrig 



a2» *:1 no 



by Dec. No. of Gleanings, that Mr. F. I>. 

 rht thinks E. A. Morgan does not deserve a 

 $3.00 queen, if he charges $1.00 for transferring 

 bees. I think it is cheap. I will say this much for 

 him: 



I live 7 miles from Arcadia. He came out to my 

 place with all kinds of bee fixings, hives, smoker, 

 A B C of Bee Culture, and Gleanings, and offered 

 to transfer my bees from my old box hives to the 

 new for $1.00 a swarm. I have kept bees for 10 

 years and never before had seen, or heard of, mova- 

 ble frame hives, and never had any profit from bees, 

 except once in a while when I sold a swarm, or sul- 

 phured one and took the honey, and had taken cap 

 honey enough from 10 to 20 swarms (whatever I 

 kept) for my own family. I bought 4 new hives and 

 had him transfer the bees. He showed me the first 

 queen bee I ever saw. In fact, I learned more 

 from him that day than I ever knew before about 

 the habits of bees, and the profits of keeping 

 and manner of handling them. He entirely revolu- 

 tionized bee keeping with me. I gave him $1.00 

 each for transferring and 20 lbs. of comb honey as a 

 present besides, and engaged the balance trans- 

 ferred in spring. I am going to get new hives for 

 all my bees in spring, and Italianize to some extent 

 too, and shall employ him to do that. The bees in 

 new hives, after being transferred, seemed to work 

 with renewed energy, filled their hives in 3 weeks, 

 and are in as good shape as though nothing had 

 happened. 1 would not take one hundred dollars 

 for what ho taught me about bees in one day. 



Enclosed is $1.00 for Gleanings for one year. 

 Now that I am waked up, I mean to keep myself 

 posted, and try and realize some profit from my 

 bee'. I have sold off several stands this fall, and 

 winter only 15. 



James m. Taft. 



Arcadia, Wis.. Dec. 12, 1878. 



Vnii sent me a copy of Gleanings, in the sum- 

 mer, and I mean to subscribe for it at the beginning 

 of the year. I have several swarms of bees now, 

 which first came from a forest tree. My hives are 

 home-made, frames -JO in. long by 14 deep, 9 in a hive. 

 Every hive is full of honey and bees. My best swarm 

 sat in the sun, and in August all the honey broke 

 down and commenced to run out. I set pans under 

 and caught 20 qts. t lost 4 the bees, and supposed 

 the whole would be lost. I went 10 miles, however, 

 to Arcadia, and got my brother, E. A. Morgan, and 

 a L. hive, and some fdn. He said of course I could 

 save the bees, and went to work and transferred 

 them; but the brood was all lost, and the honey all 

 melted. He put fdn. in all the frames, and took all 

 honey away; placed all brpken combs and drips 



