COMB FOUNDATION 
219 
just the thing' for the beekeeper who has 
an automobile with electric storage bat¬ 
tery, but who has no other source of get¬ 
ting current. This tool may also be used 
to good advantage from any electric light 
circuit when used in series with proper re¬ 
sistance, such as an electric flatiron de¬ 
scribed elsewhere, or with a small trans¬ 
former. 
FASTENING FOUNDATION TO THE TOP-BARS 
OF BROOD-FRAMES. 
After the frames have been wired, but 
before the wires are imbedded the founda¬ 
tion is fastened to the top-bars, either with 
the Van Deusen wax-tube or double groove- 
and-wedge plan shown next. 
Some of the supply factories furnish 
these kinds of top-bars because some 
beekeepers still prefer them. There is a 
double groove, one of which is in the cen¬ 
ter of the top-bar. In this groove is in- 
Wedge top-bar method of fastening foundation. 
Corner-cut top-bar method of fastening foundation. 
serted the sheet of foundation, as at D. 
The wedge-shaped strip of wood B is then 
driven into the other groove as far as it 
will go, crowding the central partition 
firmly against the foundation. It is very 
important that it be driven below the sur¬ 
face of the wood, as otherwise it may work 
out, allowing the foundation to fall out. 
When the work is properly done it is thus 
held .firmly in place without any special 
tools or fussing with melted wax. 
Another top-bar known as the corner- 
cut top-bar is used now in preference to 
the other plan. The loose triangular strip, 
when toe-nailed as shown in the illustration, 
grips the foundation firmly. 
There are a few who prefer the melted- 
wax plan of fastening foundation. Where 
the under side of the top-bar is plain with¬ 
out grooves or molded edge, this is perhaps 
the best. The best tool for depositing a hot 
stream of wax along' the edge of the foun¬ 
dation is undoubtedly the Van Deusen wax- 
tube fastener. It. is simply a tube tapering 
to a small hole at the apex. On one side 
is bored another small hole which may be 
opened or closed with the thumb. When 
the tube is stood up in a cup of hot wax 
the air will escape from the upper hole, and 
the wax flow in at the other small hole at 
the bottom. The thumb is closed over the 
upper one, while the tool with the con¬ 
tained wax is raised to the top-bar. Then 
the thumb is lifted from the upper hole 
and the jioint slowly drawn along the edge 
of the foundation in contact with the top- 
bar, leaving a fine stream of hot wax to 
cement it. 
FASTENING FOUNDATION IN SECTIONS. 
Foundation starters, or preferably full 
sheets, are used also in comb-honey sec¬ 
tions. There are two different ways for 
fastening the foundation to the sections, by 
pressure and by melted wax. The pressure 
method is little used now, because it takes 
longer and the wax is not so firmly secured 
to the sections. Moreover, it Avastes foun¬ 
dation. 
By far the best plan of securing founda¬ 
tion in sections is with melted Avax, either 
by the use of additional Avax applied Avith 
the Van Deusen Avax tube or by the hot¬ 
plate method which melts a small quantity 
of the Avax on the edge of the foundation. 
If full sheets of foundation are used in¬ 
stead of starters, the sheets if desired may 
