# Maxant 1400



## Charlie B (May 20, 2011)

Their hats are awesome, get one!


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## beegeorge (Apr 19, 2012)

I mounted mine on a 3/4 sheet of plywood at an angle and sealed the plywood,, with a good wood sealer since it requires washing out,, (to facilitate drainage,,) and on 3 locking castors, (to allow me to move it around,,) other than that,, all is GOOD


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## Birdman (May 8, 2009)

Just got the same extractor. Can't wait to put it to work.


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## Adrian Quiney WI (Sep 14, 2007)

Ben, well done. Nothing special to prep the vessel. Mine is mounted as Beegeorge's is. Have you bought enough 5 gallon buckets to extract into? Containers? Labels? Refractometer? Estimate of harvest? Let the games begin.


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## NowThen (Nov 26, 2008)

You may also want to track down a long-handled (~36") spatula or paddle. Scraping the sides after that last spin gets a ton of honey back down to the bottom of the extractor quicker than waiting for gravity. Using a short paddle works, but it's a bit of a reach...


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## Ben Little (Apr 9, 2012)

NowThen said:


> You may also want to track down a long-handled (~36") spatula or paddle. Scraping the sides after that last spin gets a ton of honey back down to the bottom of the extractor quicker than waiting for gravity. Using a short paddle works, but it's a bit of a reach...


that is good information , thanks, i will have to look for a long handled spatula

Ben


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## Ben Little (Apr 9, 2012)

Adrian Quiney WI said:


> Ben, well done. Nothing special to prep the vessel. Mine is mounted as Beegeorge's is. Have you bought enough 5 gallon buckets to extract into? Containers? Labels? Refractometer? Estimate of harvest? Let the games begin.


i don't have a refractometer , do i need one? i though as long as it was capped and didn't drip after you shook it, it was okay + Keith Delaplane said to put it in a room with a dehumidifier and a fan if it looks a little too wet ? or i can just buy one i guess: )

Buckets i ordered 3 5 gallon and a 180 lb storage tank for bottling, it is my first year and i don't have many supers of honey , about 6-8 ready, i don't know how much that is ?
i have lots of containers, and i even designed my own labels : )

Ben


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## Fuzzy (Aug 4, 2005)

A stiff plastic spatula is good for the bottom. BUT for the sides I find that a really stiff 8-10 inch window squeege works MUCH better and faster.

You indicate that you have 6-8 supers. If they really are full then you will get a bit more than 2.5 gallons per super. So you would need at least 4 buckets to contain your extracted honey.


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## honeyshack (Jan 6, 2008)

Ben Little said:


> i don't have a refractometer , do i need one? i though as long as it was capped and didn't drip after you shook it, it was okay + Keith Delaplane said to put it in a room with a dehumidifier and a fan if it looks a little too wet ? or i can just buy one i guess: )


Ok, so i saw this earlier and decided to wait to post, hoping to collect my thoughts on this

Do you need a refractometer....if you sell your honey or give it away...YES
Why?
1. Because when you buy products from a store, you know that quality assurance went into the product...especially food products. The same assurance should be given to your customers
2. A bad batch of honey sold to a customer or two will do two things...one be sure they never return, and leave a bad taste in their mouths for other beekeepers to try and make a sale to...think of the big picture of tainting a view point of the customer so they never buy farm gate honey again, and go back to the store shelves where yes it comes from China or where ever, but it never goes bad
3. Word of mouth. A good review is told to about 2-4 people. A bad review will be told to anyone who will listen, which is often more that 8 
4. Honey is not always dry when it reaches a certain amount of capped on the frame. How do I know this? Do i have scientific proof? The scientific proof or a link no. But I do have first hand experience. In a wet year, a completely capped frame tested out at 22% moisture. The whole hot room contained honey like this. It took two dehumidifiers and an industrial fan to dry it down. That year, was very wet, very humid.
5. Brings me to my last point. Honey takes on or reduces the moisture, depending on the enviroment. A hot and dry area can see that same frame down in the normal range and even lower. Put that frames back in a wet enviroment and watch the moisture go up
6. ok I lied...one more point....If you are a seller or a person who gives away honey, there is only one sure fire way to know that it is safe for human consuption (moisture wise) and will not ferment. That is with a test...a refractometer test. Do it, do it right, and there will be no complaints or lost sales. Take a short cut and well, time usually grants wisdom from experience


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## Adrian Quiney WI (Sep 14, 2007)

Are there any beekeepers nearby who might test your honey for you? It is hard to buy all the things you might need at the outset. If you sieve into those buckets as you go, and you find yourself out of space, pour them into the storage tank and you'll be OK. I just extracted another 24 gallons today.


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## Ben Little (Apr 9, 2012)

okay so a refractometer is a must.
i found a place near me that sells them, but i don't know if a refractometer is a generic tool or you buy them according to what you want them for. 
here is a link to Lee Valley for a refract. is this one i should get?
http://www.leevalley.com/en/garden/page.aspx?cat=2,2120&p=46784

Ben


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## Adrian Quiney WI (Sep 14, 2007)

Ben, I bought one for about the same price of Ebay and hated it. It wouldn't seem to hold a recalibration; Retesting with the same calibration fluid gave different results. I am sure there are reliable models out there, but I can't tell you if this is one of them. Also the one I had it said it had to be calibrated at 20 degrees C, and all tests had to be at 20 degrees C. Perhaps a new thread asking what people have and are happy with may help?


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## Intheswamp (Jul 5, 2011)

Ben Little said:


> okay so a refractometer is a must.
> 
> http://www.leevalley.com/en/garden/page.aspx?cat=2,2120&p=46784
> 
> Ben


That one doesn't measure moisture content. I think that ones more for wine making and fruit buying. 

The major bee supply houses sell the correct type. I have see a few on eBay that measured moisture. Also get one that has a fine resolution and automatic temperature control (ATC). I bought this one off of eBay and it seems to work well and hold it's calibration.... eBay refractometer. It requires the oil and "stone" to calibrate, but it's no biggie.

Here's a shot while looking through the eyepiece of my refractometer...









Ed


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## honeyshack (Jan 6, 2008)

I use the atago Pal-22. It is for honey, digital and adjusts to it's own temp. Calibration fluid....distilled water


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## Intheswamp (Jul 5, 2011)

That is a very nice refractor...just can swing that kind of money right now!!! 

Ed


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