extractors 
343 
kets over to the reverse side with a bang 
unless care is used. With new or tender 
combs, or combs not wired, there is more or 
less breakage, especially when hired help 
does the work. 
This shows the principle of reversing of the old au¬ 
tomatic extractor. The pockets at the top and bot¬ 
tom are hinged on one side. The lever here shown 
connects each pocket with the reversing drum, which 
when temporarily slowed down, and then stopped, 
causes the lever to shift from one position to the 
other. An internal sector gear is connected with 
each pocket on one end of the lever, and a slot 
and pinion on the other end. The other cut shows 
the pockets in the act of reversing, when the pock¬ 
ets will be revolved clear around to the other posi¬ 
tion, subjecting the other side of the comb to the 
action of the centrifugal force. 
In modern practice it is the almost uni¬ 
versal custom to start throwing out most of 
the honey on one side at a comparatively 
slow speed to reduce the weight of the 
comb. It is then reversed, when the other 
side is extracted clean. The first side is 
then returned to its first position and ex¬ 
tracted again. This makes two reversings, 
and each time the machine must be slowed 
down, or stopped and started up again, 
all of which consumes valuable time right 
in the midst of the honey season when time 
is precious and help that is not afraid of 
bees is often hard to find. In hand-driven 
machines it also wastes energy. 
The other principle, altho it is as old as 
the first, but newer so far as the general 
use is concerned, is rapidly coming to the 
front. The baskets, instead of being 
hinged on the side and swinging like a door, 
are pivoted in the center. If the reader 
will imagine a shaft passing thru the center 
of the comb pockets or baskets and thru the 
center of the comb lengthwise, and if he 
can see in his mind’s eye this comb or bas¬ 
ket revolving on this shaft like a top, he 
will understand the principle. Of course 
it is impossible to have, a shaft go thru 
the comb; but it is possible to have the 
basket pivoted at the top and bottom; or, 
more exactly, it is impossible to have the 
basket revolve on a shaft running thru its 
center, because there can. be no shaft go¬ 
ing thru the center of the pocket without 
interfering with the insertion of the combs. 
Machines are now built embodying this 
idea, so that the combs can be reversed on 
a central axis. This makes it possible to 
reverse at full speed without stopping or 
slowing down the machine. It not only 
saves loss of time when time is precious, 
saves power, saves honey, but it also saves 
comb breakage. Machines built on this 
principle are slightly more expensive, but 
far more efficient, both in time and in the 
amount of honey secured from the combs. 
One of the latest machines involving the 
principle of the central-pivot reversing is 
shown on next page. As will be seen by 
the illustrations, the baskets are pivoted 
at the bottom, and at the top they are held 
in position by a small gear wheel meshing 
inside of the ring that surmounts the top 
of each basket. This small gear wheel is 
journaled in a large rim or ring attached to 
the center shaft of the extractor. The pin¬ 
ion serves the purpose of reversing the 
The pockets are in the act of reversing in the man¬ 
ner explained. The usual plan is to start the ex¬ 
tractor up and throw out most of the honey on one 
side of the comb at a relatively slow speed. A pres¬ 
sure on the brake lever retards and stops the re- 
versing-drum while the reel itself is run slightly 
faster. The result is, the levers here shown throw 
the pockets the other side to. When this side has 
been cleaned the brake lever is applied, the reel is 
stopped, and, while the pressure is being applied to 
the brake, the combs are reversed. 
