220 
COMB FOUNDATION 
be fastened not only at the top but two- 
thirds the way down each side, provided 
the wax-tube method is used. It is not a 
good plan to fasten the full length on each 
side, as this would have a little more ten¬ 
dency to cause the foundation to buckle. 
On the other hand, if a full sheet is 
fastened at the top only, the bees by clus¬ 
tering on one side sometimes swing the 
sheet away from the center of the section. 
To do rapid work with the Van Deusen 
wax tube, a rack should be made to hold 
four sections at a time. On a board should 
be nailed four blocks a little less than half 
as thick as the section is wide and of a 
size that vstill just fit inside the section. The 
blocks should be so spaced that four sec¬ 
tions slipped over them will be close to¬ 
gether. A section-holder should be crowded 
around the four sections, the foundation 
placed in position, and the operator will 
then be ready for the wax tube. If he 
desires to apply the melted wax to the 
sides of the foundation as well as the top, 
the wax should be started on the side of 
the section, allowed to run down to the 
corner, then across the bottom or what is 
really the top of the section, and then 
two-thirds the way up the other side. Of 
course, as the tube is moved along, the 
rack should be turned accordingly, so that 
the wax may run downhill, thus facilitat¬ 
ing the work. As soon as one section is fin¬ 
ished the tool is moved to the next, and 
so on. 
THE HOT-PLATE FASTENER. 
The hot-plate type of fastener, original¬ 
ly devised by Arthur C. Miller., melts a 
small amount of wax on the edge of the 
foundation so that it adheres instantly to 
the wood. This is used more than any 
other method, principally on account of 
the neatness and the strength of the work. 
Moreover, it is the most rapid of any plan. 
There are a number of these fasteners on 
the market, all of which do good work. 
Some of them fold N the sections as well as 
fasten the foundation. This is quite an 
advantage. 
In most of these hot-plate fasteners the 
heat is furnished by a small alcohol or 
kerosene lamp placed directly under the 
plate to be heated. This plan is sometimes 
objectionable, owing to the difficulty of 
maintaining a constant temperature. In 
ease of the kerosene lamp there is always 
more or less soot which sometimes gets on 
to the sections, spoiling their appearance. 
Tn the Rauchfuss fastener this difficulty is 
Byard fastener. 
overcome by the use of an alcohol lamp, 
which is much cleaner, altho the heat is 
not quite as easily controlled. 
The Root fastener is a small hand tool, 
which is hung over the lamp to be heated. 
To use it, a rack should be made to hold 
four sections as described above, and the 
section-holder slipped over them. Then 
having put the foundation in place and, 
