This section is from the book "How To Keep Bees And Sell Honey", by Walter T. Kelley. Also available from Amazon: How To Keep Bees And Sell Honey.
When honey is removed from the combs by centrifugal force the combs are only slightly damaged by the uncapping and when given back to the bees they will be quickly repaired and filled during a honey flow. Twice as much or more extracted honey can be produced than comb honey. Late in the season during a slow honey flow the bees may fill a super of extracting combs when they will not even start drawing out comb foundation in comb honey supers.
Beekeepers will find it interesting and profitable to have at least one hive on a scale in order to keep the daily records of production. Cover the beam to keep out the rain and snow.
It is this extra production, plus a minimum of swarming, speed of operation and uniformity of equipment, that enables the beekeeper to manipulate his colonies by shifting entire hive bodies rather than individual frames that enables a single man to operate a maximum number of colonies with a minimum of expense and produce the maximum amount of honey.
Whenever the frames of honey are completely capped they are ready for extracting. The first step is to find a suitable room which may be in the basement of the house or some other room that is free of all foreign odors. The room should be bee tight and well lighted and preferably fitted with electricity and running water.
Due to the high cost of all equipment it no longer appears practical for a beekeeper with less than 10 colonies to invest in extracting equipment unless he can buy used equipment at a bargain. Smaller beekeepers should produce and sell comb honey which will require a smaller investment to produce and which will sell more readily and at higher prices than extracted honey. Even the larger beekeepers should consider producing at least 50% or more comb honey.
The cold knife is similar to the steam heated knife in construction.
A source of steam is required with the steam knife. The copper generator is the lowest priced item for this.
Most everyone finds the electric knives to be most convenient and practical. They heat to operating temperatures in 30 seconds or less and the style with the control box has proven practical to both large and small beekeepers alike. The style with the thermostat in the handle has not been as practical due to the slow acting thermostats. The operating cost is very low and they can be plugged into any 110 volt electric outlet.
Electric knives with a control box are the best where electricity is available. They heat in 30 seconds and stay hot.
Few steam knives are now sold and practically all of these go to places where electricity is not available. In addition to the cost of the steam knife a steam generator must be used or a reducing valve off a higher pressure line. The steam hoses are cumbersome and somewhat in the way. It is not a well balanced setup like the electric knife and is heavier and tires the wrist.
Two or more cold knives are supposed to be used by one operator, one knife being placed in a pail of boiling water to absorb heat while the other one is being used. While this system worked fine in the horse and buggy days it is now a thing of the past. During hot weather a cold knife can be used to uncap honey with fair success without using boiling water, provided that it is kept sharp.
Honey is easier to extract during hot weather but if you should need to do your extracting after the nights cool down, store your supers crisscrossed in a dry warm room, 70 degrees or higher, for several days so that all of the honey becomes thoroughly warmed. Crisscrossing the supers permits better circulation and a fan will be a big help. Leave 2 inches or more space between the bottom super and the floor and never store comb nor extracted honey in a damp room as it will absorb moisture from the air and may sour.
To uncap a comb of honey, start at either the top or the bottom of the comb and with a back and forth sawing movement cut off the cappings. Beginners prefer to take a very thin slice but commercial beekeepers prefer to use the top and the bottom bars as a guide and thereby take a deep cut which is sure to get all of the cappings at one pass. Beginners first trying to uncap should start at the top and cut down as this is easier on the arm than cutting up and you can just as well train yourself this way.
The beginner should learn to cut downward when uncapping. It is easier than cutting upwards. It is easier also to take a deep cut using the top and bottom bars as guides.
The frame is best held by pivoting it on the point of a eight penny or larger steel nail or similar point which may be supported in a strip of wood or a metal frame and set over a tub, capping melter, etc., so that the cappings will drop into the container. Hold the top of the frame beyond the center so that the cappings will fall free of the frame. Uncap first one side, then turn the frame and uncap the other side.
A capping melter is a water jacketed tank, into which the cappings fall as they are cut from the comb. A flame keeps the tank hot enough to rapidly melt the wax and the wax and honey drain out into a wax separator. The wax separator is a pail with a baffle plate that holds back the wax while the honey drains out into another container. A 16-quart wax separator will hold about 20 pounds of honey when full.
 
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