364 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 



screws. This will furnish the plates with handles 

 similar to the old fashioned fire bellows. 



Take your plate by the handles and dip them one 

 half or two-thirds their depth in the melted wax, 

 and clos*™ th^rn quickly. Lift them out of the wax, 

 and, after allowing them to drain a few seconds, 

 immerse the whole in a tub of cold water, etc. I re- 

 move th^m from the water to take the sheet of 

 foundation out, as it leaves it much drier. 



There, Mr. Root, you have the dipped fdn. without 

 spattering-, and you can work at it with never so 

 much sawdust on your clothes, without fear of soil- 

 ing- them. C. D. Johnson. 



Lone Rock, Richland Co., Wis., July 3, 1880. 



FROM FRIEND FARIS. 



I have got the plate all right now. I make sheets 

 without any splattering about it. I use only one 

 box,— the small one. I know, if you just print it, the 

 people will have it. I don't think you did me just- 

 ice. You did not give the price. It consumes half 

 my time, besides money, answering inquiries. 



John Faris. 



Chilhowie, Smyth Co., Va., July 10, 1880. 



I gave the price in the June No., friend 

 F., and I really did not feel like advertising 

 it very much in the July No., I was so sure 

 you would improve it, as you say you have 

 done now. 



THE NEW METHOD OF MAKING FOUNDATION. 



In presenting the merits of any invention of ex- 

 ceeding value to bee-keepers, is it not eminently 

 proper that credit be given to whom credit is due? 

 I am led to make this inquiry, because I see that 

 substantially the same plan for a fdn. mold which 

 was submitted to you in a letter dated Feb. 18, 18S0, 

 is illustrated, and credited to another in July No. of 

 Gleanings. In that letter, I described my inven- 

 tion as a hinged mold made of plaster of Paris from 

 which fdn. could be made by tilling with hot wax 

 and submerging immediately in cold water bath. I 

 even sent you at considerable expense, a small mod- 

 el of my mold with description of metnod of opera- 

 ting it; but I afterwards received information from 

 you that it was broken in transit. With one of these 

 molds, I have made all my fdn. this past season. 

 Your reply to my letter was such as to give no en- 

 couragement to send a new mod 3l, and our corre- 

 spondence was dropped. The invention was not 

 dropped by me however, but, step by step, I have 

 advanced in this "new departure," until, with par- 

 donable pride, I may be allowed to boast that I am 

 entirely independent of any fdn. machine in the 

 market. 



I do not wish to detract, in the least, from the 

 credit justly due friend Faris, for working this 

 thing out as far as he has. As you truly re- 

 mark, he has well earned his money; for if he has 

 spent half the brain work, time, and money on the 

 invention that I have, he has really only been par- 

 tially remunerated. I only claim priority of inven- 

 tion, and, if you keep your letters on file, you will 

 see that claim is just. Friend Faris has received a 

 pecuniary reward of which he is no doubt worthy; I 

 have received no reward for my like patient labors, 

 except the satisfaction of perfecting a fdn. machine 

 that is not only in itself durable, but can be more 

 rapidly worked than any other in use, and will make 

 fdn. on wired frames. 



My experiments with plaster casts for fdn. ma- 

 king, date back to 1877 and 1878. In Feb. No. of 



Gleanings, 1879, p. 47, I describe a machine after 

 which friend Given's fdn. press is apparently mod- 

 eled (plaster of Paris cast excepted). My present 

 machine consists of 2 sheet iron plates hinged to- 

 gether, and each perforated with 15 or 20 half inch 

 holes. These holes are counter sunk on the outside. 

 Their purpose is to securely fasten the plaster mold 

 to the plates and prevent their warping which they 

 would otherwise do. Of course the plaster runs 

 through these holes as the molds are made and set- 

 ting, and holds the molds firmly in place on the 

 plates. I have never tried slate frames as you de- 

 scribe, but think they would answer nicely, tf the 

 slates were left in, and holes drilled through and 

 counter-sunk in a similar manner. My molds were 

 made from fdn., substantially the same as you de- 

 scribe, except that I used a 50c spray apparatus, in- 

 stead of the mouth, for wetting the fdn. 



I find it very important to have the plaster thin, 

 and to have plenty of assistance, and still more im- 

 portant to have a stiff brush to work the plaster 

 down into each cell. Now, the surface of this mold 

 must be artificially hardened to resist wear, and it is 

 done effectually in this way: The plaster surface 

 must be washed with strong baryta (sulphate of ba- 

 ryta) water, and left to dry for 2i hours, after which 

 it must be well painted with silicate of potassa (sol- 

 uble glass), and dried 2i hours more, when it is ready 

 for use. A hard, Hint-like surface is the result. 



TO OPERATE IT. 



The mold, half opened, is placed on an inclined 

 board, the lower edge of which rests on a pan of hot 

 wax. The operator, standing back of the mold, with 

 the right hand grasps a brush just the length of the 

 mold, and with one quick sweep brings the hot wax 

 in contact with the lower half of the mold, while 

 with the left hand he quickly closes the upper half 

 by means of a handle attached, and effectually drives 

 out all exeess of wax. The brush may be made of 

 two whitewash brushes fastened together. The 

 mold being closed, it is immediately passed to the 

 cooling tank while a duplicate mold occupies its 

 place. By thus using a pair, foundation can be 

 turned off remarkably fast. 



TO MAKE WIRED FOUNDATION. 



1 have three methods, each having advantages. 

 The first plan requires the two halves of mold to be 

 hinged with loose butts or hinges, and small enough 

 to just pass inside of frame. The upper half is un- 

 hinged, the wired frame placed over, and the said 

 half put in place again, after which fdn. is made as 

 before described. To remove the sheet, the half has 

 again to be unhinged. The second plan is to have a 

 slot cut across the mold, just below the hinges (face 

 side), large enough to accommodate the top bar of 

 frame and allow the two halves to close. The ends 

 and bottom bars are accommodated outside. The 

 wires should lightly rest on the surface of the mold, 

 and the fdn. be run as before described. The plan I 

 like best is to run the fdn. with wires, and wire it 

 into the frame afterward, leaving sufficient length 

 of wires for that purpose. Little slots should be 

 made in the edge of mold for the ends of the wires 

 to rest in, so as not to prevent the closing of the 

 mold completely. I give you these facts for what 

 they are worth. I am sorry that I have been obliged 

 to use so much of your space, but I simply crave 

 justice, and aim to aid the bee-keeping fraternity 

 all in my power. W. G. Phelps. 



Common-Sense Apiary, Galena, Md., July 9, 1880. 



