AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



757 



The little holes left at each corner are 

 necessary draft. 



As 5-gallon cans are 14 inches in 

 depth, it brings tho wax in the dipping 

 tank about o inches higher than the 

 water, and affords a wider range for the 

 maintenance of the temperature of the 

 wax. As fast as the wax is dipped out, 

 it is replenished from the melting tank 

 on the stove. 



Sixteen sheets of brood heft, or 32 for 

 surplus, uses 2 quarts of wax out of the 

 tank. Though there are only 15 inches 

 of wax in the tank at starting the first 

 sheets may be IT}^ inches long, and the 

 last 13 to 14. Fourteen-inch sheets are 

 about the most convenient length to dip, 

 to run through the rolls, and with which 

 one person can do more than half as 

 much as two. Six-feet-to-the-pound 

 foundation rolls them out 20 inches in 

 length, and 10-feet-to-the-pound 30 

 inches, but if is safer to dip sheets thus 

 than roll thin from thick ones. In dip- 

 ping the same end both times, if we dip 

 twice, one end of the sheet of foundation 

 is a trifle thicker than the other, but 

 they seldom vary more than 1}4 feet to 

 the pound, and 9>i feet to the pound is 

 as good for sections as 11, while the 

 average is something over 10. 



To get foundation very thin, say 15 

 feet to the pound, have the dipping- 

 boards quite warm, and wipe off the 

 dripping water before immersion. To 

 keep the boards warm they should re- 

 main in the cooling tapk as short time 

 as possible. Often 8 to 10 sheets may 

 be dipped without thrusting the boards 

 into water after the former sheet is re- 

 moved, but wiping over the dry parts 

 with a wet cloth or sponge. 



Before the sheet gets cold enough to 

 twist up and drop from the board, catch 

 hold of the upper end with the thumb- 

 nail, and peel it off and lay down on the 

 pile. While warm it is safer to handle. 

 Ten-feet-to-the-pound foundation can be 

 rolled on some mills from thick sheets, 

 but thinner than that has not sufficient 

 strength to release from the rolls. Flour 

 paste is the best, as well as the most 

 convenient, to procure. One heaping 

 table-spoonful brought to a boil in a 

 quart of water is about right. Use one 

 quart to 150 feet of foundation. After 

 it gets out of the trough pour it back 

 again in using the Vandervort mills. 

 With Root mills use new. Make fresh 

 every half day. Keep unmelted wax in 

 the melting tank, and keep the tank 

 full. It is easier to control the tempera- 

 ture of a large quantity than of a small 

 amount. The temperature of the room 



is best at about 90^. That is what keeps 

 the rolls at the right temperature. 



A cooling-tank may be anything which 

 is large enough, but as convenient as 

 any I have found, is a tin coffee can 

 which usually costs about 25 cents at 

 the grocery. They are about 13 inches 

 square, and 20 inches deep. Cut the 

 top out, the same as of the 5 gallon 

 cans. Then they are a nice size to re- 

 tail extracted honey out of at home, 

 holding about 200 pounds. They an- 

 swer very nicely for uncapping cans 

 also, where the frames are not over 14 

 inches long. On account of a scarcity 

 of 5 gallon cans, I bought 20 of these 

 at one store last season. 



By the above method, including the 

 preparation of the utensils as described, 

 this first day resulted in 250 feet of 

 foundation ; and still it is a mooted 

 question if it pays to manufacture the 

 foundation for 100 colonies. I say it 

 pays better than if going eight miles to 

 the express office were the only expense 

 on the purchased article. 



In order to run 93^ inch sheets of wax 

 through 6-inch surplus rolls, they are 

 cut in two lengthwise, making them 4% 

 wide. Wide sheets can be easily dipped 

 thin, but not easily rolled while wide. I 

 sit down, using the right hand on the 

 crank while the left starts and guides 

 the sheet. If the lower roll is well 

 lubricated, the foundation will adhere to 

 the upper roll, and as it comes over the 

 top the left hand changes from the 

 sheet of wax to the sheet of foundation. 

 If a sheet sticks to the roll, I scrape or 

 pull off so much as I can easily, then 

 loosen up the set screws and run through 

 a few thick sheets. Then reset the 

 rolls. This takes but a few minutes, 

 where to go at it tooth-pick fashion may 

 take hours. They are liable to stick to 

 the rolls when too cold or too warm. 

 Too cold causes breakage, and too warm 

 they pull apart. At the right tempera- 

 ture the sheets are strong and pliable. 

 To keep them right put them in water 

 kept at the right temperature by the 

 lamp stove underneath. This water 

 tank is the same one used with the dip- 

 ping tank, only the water is not so hot, 

 only warm. 



I set the foundation mill on one honey 

 or oil case while I use another case for a 

 seat. It is a good thing to have rolls 

 one or two inches wider than the sheets 

 of wax, on account of less liability to 

 run crooked at the ends. 



In dipping twice, one dip should be 

 deeper than the other, to make the end 

 of the sheet very thin and easy to re- 

 move from the rolls, and also increase 



