# Uncapping..



## zhiv9 (Aug 3, 2012)

I bought an old Cowen aluminum when I got to about 100 hives - it was available locally and the price was right. The Kelly jiggle knife seemed to be pretty common for larger operations in this area. For 60 hives you could easily just use knife or plane.


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## Nhaupt2 (May 31, 2016)

Anybody have experience using a heat gun? Not gonna lie, If they work I wouldn't miss dealing with capping wax at all.


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

Have you looked at or considered a homemade hot wire cutter like is used to cut styrofoam? Ought to go through beeswax like a hot knife through butter. Not much of a simile but hey...

Plans are all over the internet and they can be built for very little out of pocket.


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## My-smokepole (Apr 14, 2008)

Serrated knife worked fine for me. I would wait till you find deals. Go look at some honey houses. It take skills to run a hot knife. Their are a lot of ways do do it. The job is to figure out what will work for you and space.


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## hex0rz (Jan 14, 2014)

https://youtu.be/TCKfVUNGd6Y

I'd like to get something like this. Very quick. I think it's just a jiggle knife by itself? Dunno where to get one. Looked on cowen and they want $300 for just the knife. Think i might try having someone weld me up a piece of stainless and do a hydro form at that rate, sheesh. 

The hot wire idea sounds pretty good too. Wonder if you could use the same equipment people do for wire embedding foundation.


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## Eduardo Gomes (Nov 10, 2014)

hex0rz said:


> https://youtu.be/TCKfVUNGd6Y


:thumbsup:


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## Eyeman (Oct 23, 2016)

Nhaupt2 said:


> Anybody have experience using a heat gun? Not gonna lie, If they work I wouldn't miss dealing with capping wax at all.


Hot air gun will only work well with 'crispy' 'dry' cappings with air between honey and wax. The 'Greasy' cappings wont work with the gun. I find I use the gun on approx 50% of my cappings


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## Kcnc1 (Mar 31, 2017)

JWPalmer said:


> Have you looked at or considered a homemade hot wire cutter like is used to cut styrofoam? Ought to go through beeswax like a hot knife through butter. Not much of a simile but hey...
> 
> Plans are all over the internet and they can be built for very little out of pocket.


I like this idea, but I know they are designed to be 600 degrees which could flash the wax. Does anyone with an electronic mind know if there would be a way to limit the wire to 200 degrees or less?


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

The Hairless Hippy youtube has info on a wesite that has a calculator. It is based on wire gauge, length, and voltage or watts. You can also use a rheostat like a dimmer swtch to control the final amount if heat.


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## DanielD (Jul 21, 2012)

Use an electric fish fillet knife with only one blade. If they are pulled out past the top bar, 15 seconds per side.


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## Dean D. (Dec 3, 2017)

JWPalmer nailed it. 

A rheostat will allow you to vary the heat on your hotwire. The hotwire is just like a heating element in an electric heater, a fixed resistor. More power = more heat. 

BTW Hex0rz, howdy neighbor!


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