138 BEEHIVES AND BEE KEEPERS' APPLIANCES. 



is given in Fig. 130, consists of four parts : (1) the 

 boiler; (2) the steamer; (3) the comb basket; (4) 

 the cover, or lid. It is hard to dish the covers 

 to a nice curve without special tools and blocks ; 

 and, consequently, it is better to buy a saucepan 

 cover for a few pence and make the other parts 

 of any piece of apparatus to suit the cover. Sup- 

 posing that the cover is 10 in. in diameter, the 

 boiler and steamer can be made the same size. 



The boiler can be taken in hand first. It is 

 advisable to make it of copper, as it is then far 

 more lasting. If, however, tinplate is used, on no 

 account should acid be employed as a flux for the 

 solder, as it would soon eat its way through the 

 plates. The boiler may vary much in height, but 

 5 in., as shown in Fig. 130, is suitable. 



The pipe A allows the height of the water in 

 the boiler to be seen without taking off the 

 steamer, which would be an awkward thing to do 

 often. This pipe is about 1 in. in diameter, and 

 has a cork or metal cap to cover the top. Instead 

 of it a U-shaped piece of tin could be soldered 

 over the hole in the boiler, and would be equally 

 efficacious. 



The steamer is of the same external diameter 

 as the boiler. The bottom is in the form of a 

 cone, of which a pattern is given by Fig. 131, and 

 a rim of doubled tinplate is affixed to the lower 

 edge, small enough to fit into the boiler. It is 

 made just in the same manner as an ordinary 

 vegetable steamer, which will be a good guide in 

 its manufacture. The apex of the coned bottom 

 has a hole cut in it, the edge is slightly turned 

 up, and a If-in. tinplate tube, 6 in. long, is 

 soldered firmly to it. Another tube D is soldered 

 into the side, as low down as possible, so that 

 it will drain out all the contents of the steamer. 



The comb basket is made of perforated tinplate, 

 one hundred holes to the inch. The cylindrical 

 part, 9j in. in diameter and 7 in. high, can first be 



