1907 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



695 



WAX-RENDERINCi. 



Solar Extractors Usin^ Artilioial Heat; 



How I would Build an Extractor if I 



were to Start Anew. 



BY R. C. AIKIN. 



In my previous article I described the so- 

 lar wax-extractor that I have in use. It is 

 my purpose in this article to give a complete 

 plan for an ideal extractor, one that I would 

 make if I wei'e to start anew. 



GROUND PLAN OF AIKIN S SOLAR WAX-EX- 

 TRACTOR. 



In the fii'st place I would build all walls of 

 brick, stone, or concrete. Figure 1 gives the 

 ground plan for a solar 6X13 feet, which 

 would have almost 40 square feet of surface 

 in its melting-pans. A single layer of brick 

 is sufficient for these walls, making them 

 four inches. At the northwest corner I have 

 indicated the chimney or smoke-stack, but it 

 is not necessary to build this from the ground 

 up. Start it at the point indicated in Fig. 2. 

 Right here let me warn against making the 

 chimney too small, and this is good advice 

 in building a chimney for any purpose. Four 

 bricks around make a 4X4 opening; five 

 around make a 4XH, while six around make 

 8x8. A half more brick quadruples the ca- 

 pacity. In our residences for a common 



^ fi/^te line at eai/e offf/sss roof^ 



"^ralsrfhor Ifrheat breaker * ipreaitfr 

 _ Smoke and '' .,- .^ f, ; ^;- l'^°'^"v?/>- *" -,'' 



^ 'Bucket 



np.2 



Furnace 



TTTTTTTTW 



ELEVATION PLAN. 



cook or heating stove the flue should never 

 be less than six bricks around with an 8x8 

 opening. As for time in building, one can 

 put up a six-brick Hue almost as quickly as 

 a four- brick one 



While speaking of capacity, the same prin- 

 ciple applies to the entire machine. It nev- 

 er pays to run an engine up to its extreme 

 limit of power. If you are likely to need a 



large solar at any time, make it large. You 

 won't need to use it very many times before 

 you have gotten back the extra cost in con- 

 struction; but I will speak of this again when 

 dealing with the subject of wax-presses. 



You will notice that this plan calls for a 

 honey-tank 18 in. wide, 8 feet long, and the 

 same in depth. A round tank would be some- 

 what cheaper, and may be used, but will not 

 fit in so nicely to economize space. If the 

 round form is to be used, the recess to re- 

 ceive it can be made circular. The size I 

 have indicated will hold about 1000 pounds, 

 and for a large apiary it will be found very 

 useful at times. 



Next look at Fig. 3. This I have marked 

 with a scale to show the height of various 

 parts, and it shows the lowest wall to be 8 

 feet high, and there are several reasons why 

 they should be so. I have already spoken 

 of the chimney being made large to give good 

 draft; and to aid in this and keep the smoke 

 from backing out at the furnace-door, es- 

 pecially when starting the fire, the entrance 

 to the chimney should never be less than a 

 foot higher than the top of the furnace-door, 

 and better if it could be three or four feet. 

 As I have this drawing, the top of the fur- 

 nace-door would be about two feet up, while 

 the bottom of the chimney is 3^ feet. 



At 5 feet I have the smoke-tight floor. 

 When the walls are built up to this height, 

 old boiler flues or tubes or any kind of iron 

 that will give strength and support a floor 

 should be laid across from the iDack to the 

 center wall at intervals of 18 to 34 inches, 

 and imbedded in the brick so that the tops 

 of the tubes will be level or even with the 

 bricks on top. On this lay sheet metal to 

 cover the entire top of the chamber except 

 the chimney. For this, cut out a corner and 

 fit all so the metal laps over at least an inch 

 or more on to the bricks on all the outer 

 walls. On the inner or partition wall let it 

 extend even with the bricks, entirely cover- 

 ing them — yes, better, come an inch past the 

 brick, to be turned down at right angles. 

 The outer walls are to be continued on up. 

 building right on top of the iron, but this 

 partition wall stops at this point, and the 

 problem is to hold the iron snug down on 

 top of this wall so smoke will not escape. 

 Of course, the iron should be laid in mortar; 

 and at once, before the mortar can set, small 

 nails may be driven through the iron, right 

 down into the bricks, using 8 or 4(/ in size. 

 Another way would be to have several small 

 but long bolts set into the brick when build- 

 ing, anil let the iron be punched with holes 

 to match and put on over these bolts; then 

 on top of the iron a plate such as old wagon- 

 tire, with holes also to match the bolts, may 

 l)e put on and the taps adjusted. 



As to what kind of sheet metal to use, it 

 ought to be heavy — at least yV iJich, and i 

 would be better. If one has pieces of stove 

 metal, as cook-stove backs or bottoms, and 

 such flat or nearly flat pieces, these may be 

 laid on the boiler-tube joists, either matching 

 on a joist or lapping each other until the 

 chamber is covered; then on top of this may 



