# Help on wiring frames



## Dan Williamson (Apr 6, 2004)

Pooh said:


> I have the metal eyelets, wire, and spur embedder. I want to run two wires per medium frame. How do I get tension in the wires and how do you tie them off? Should I use one length of wire per frame or two? Any suggestions are appreciated.. Pooh


Best help I can give you is to get plastic snap-in foundation.


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## Dave W (Aug 3, 2002)

After you have the eyelets in place, hammer a 3/8 or 1/2" brass or aluminum screen tack into the outside of 1 side bar, leaving about 1/8" between tack head and side bar. Locate tack between the eyelets. Insert end of wire (dont cut yet) through a hole on same side as tack, and string to opposite side of frame. Bring wire back through other holes. Now tie-off end of wire to tack (wrap around). Pull other end (spool end) tight and wrap around tack. Cut wire and pound tack firmly into place (hammer over other side of LONG tacks also).


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## Troy (Feb 9, 2006)

I've been wiring frames with starter strips and here is how I've been doing it.

I cut a length of wire 44" for a shallow and 88" for a deep. Obviously you'll have to estimate what you'll need for a medium. If you are doing two wires, then it would probably be the same as I use for a shallow, as I'm using two wires too.

I put a nail in the side of the frame just above the bottom right hole. Then I wind the wire tightly around that nail 3 times. Then I string the wire back and forth thru the holes. then I take the end back to the first one thru the hole from the outside of the frame to the inside and wind the wire around the nail again 3 times.

I pull the wire taught with a needle nose pliers each way back and forth to get them reasonably tight and then wind that last end around the nail and pound it in. 

You don't need to make it super tight like piano wire or anything. Also remember it will tighten just a bit more as you pound in the nail. When I first started doing this I would get the wire nice and tight and sometimes it would break when I pounded in the nail as it just couldn't take any more tension. Practice makes perfect.


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## Fred Bee (May 5, 2007)

I use two wires per frame...and...don't worry too much about getting the wires real tight. Some folks want them "banjo string" tight...but I don't think this is really necessary. Just pull the wire as tight as you can...wrap around the tack nail and drive it in...as described elsewhere on this thread.


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## Pete0 (Mar 30, 2002)

I have some pictures on my website (http://members.cox.net/bostrowski1/3page.htm). I use an old dart to tension the wire where it passes between the two eyelets and a tack to hold the wire in place.

Bee careful!

Pete0
Bena, VA


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## leafcutter (Mar 16, 2006)

I unravel about 80 feet of wire from the spool, and anchor the spool-end of the wire in the vice on my garage workbench. I then open the garage door, turn on the radio, and then walk the free end of the wire down the driveway out to the street and pull on it to make it stop curling up. 

I then take my frames (each of which has a 3/8 inch woodscrew as thin as they come screwed in between the eyelets) out in the driveway. Pick up a frame, thread the wire though it, and wind the free end around the screw. Since the far end of the wire is attached to the workbence, you can pull pretty hard on the loosely wired frame to add tension without using pliers (with deeps using 4 wire passes sometimes you still need pliers, but not with supers). While still tugging, you move the frame in such a way that you wrap the wire around the screw again, then finish screwing it in to keep the tension. Snip the wire off at the screw, grab another frame, repeat.

Slowly you work your way up the wire back into the garage, at which point you let more out of the spool and repeat. I like it because I dont waste any wire by making bad cuts, and I dont have trouble keeping the tension in the wire while I fasten it. I can pluck the wires in my frames like guitar strings if I do it right, which is a nice way to start since over time with moisture and use eveything always loosens up.


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## Oldbee (Sep 25, 2006)

leafcutter: Regarding 80 feet of wire. "I then open the garage door, turn on the radio, and then walk the free end of the wire out to the street and pull on it [hope no motor cycles are going by] to make it stop curling up". Good idea! "Curling up" is a problem. One thing I haven't seen mentioned, though it may be within the comments, is to thread the wire on alternate sides of the foundation.


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## Limey (Feb 10, 2007)

I found these pics to be a great start for basic understanding..

http://www.beesource.com/eob/wire_embedder/index.htm


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## Pooh (Mar 8, 2007)

Oldbee said:


> One thing I haven't seen mentioned, though it may be within the comments, is to thread the wire on alternate sides of the foundation.


I was wondering if I should run one in front, one behind. I have also read about making an X with the wires. Any thoughts? Thanks for the info and links, Pooh


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## nsmith1957 (Sep 7, 2006)

I wire up frames this way. 

Make a wiring board
I built a wiring board that is made out of 1x material and plywood. Cut a 1x10 about 30 inches long. On one end (left side for me) build a spool holder that will hold the spool, that the wire comes on, horizontally. Allowing the spool to rotate freely. The center of spool, when mounted in holder, should be about 3 to 4 inches above the surface of the 1x10.

Then cut a rectangular piece of 1/2 inch plywood about 1/8 to 1/4 inch smaller than the inside deminsions of the frame, both in length and width. Take this piece of plywood and mount (I use drywall screws) in center of 1x10 about 1 inch from the other end (right side for me). Mount with edges parrallel with the 1x10. The purpose of this plywood rectangle is to hold the frame in position when you tighten the wires. It will also let you know when a frame is out of square.

When wiring different size frames just make, another plywood rectangle the right size for the other frames and change it out with the other one on the 1x10.

Wire the frame
Place wiring board on a sturdy table with spool of wire, in holder, on your left (for me). Then place a frame around the rectangular piece of plywood, with the top bar facing away from you. Insert a small nail in edge of right frame end near the wire hole nearest top bar, leaving about 1/8 inch above surface. 

If your frame ends have and even number of wire holes, then place another nail in the edge of right frame end near the bottom bar leaving about 1/8 inch above surface. If frame ends have an odd number of holes then place the nail in the left frame end near bottom bar.

Now unspool a little wire to reach all the way across the frame and insert wire end, from the outside of frame, into the wire hole on right frame end nearest the top bar. Feed wire back across the frame thru matching hole for left frame end. Drop down to next hole with wire and feed across frame again, pulling wire off of spool as you go. Repeat until wire has been pulled thru all holes in frame ends. 

When you have the wire thru the last hole near the bottom bar, wrap the wire about 3 times around the nail at that hole. Then finish driving nail in.

Now, with your left hand, respool the excess wire back on to spool. While maintaining pressure on wire (respooling excess wire) all the time, use your index finger on right hand and apply pressure to the wire 2nd from bottom, by applying pressure on it towards the bottom bar. This will tighten up the bottom wire. Now with the middle finger on right hand, pull on the next wire up in the same way, letting the pressure off index finger as applying pressure with middle finger. Alternate pressure between index finger and middle fingure walking up the wires and tightening as you go. Remember to maintain pressure on wire spool with left hand for this takes up the excess wire as you tighten wires with your right hand. 

Note: The wire WILL BREAK if you put too much pressure on it. How much to put will come with experience.

Once you have the wires tight and maintaining pressure on wire spool take your right hand and wrap the wire about 3 times around the nail in right frame near top bar. Drive nail the rest of the way in. Cut the wire as you want, I just wiggle it back and forth till it breaks at the nail head.

Remove wired frame and begin with another frame.




> I was wondering if I should run one in front, one behind. I have also read about making an X with the wires. Any thoughts?.


 I would not worry about the front to back. X wiring would really only be usefull if the frame is out of square, x wiring can be used to pull it back square. If you were building Super Sized frames then x bracing would help sturdy the frame up.


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## Oldbee (Sep 25, 2006)

Pooh: "Any thoughts"? It looks like there is a lot of well organized and efficient methods for wiring frames already described. I have only had to wire about 30 deep frames and 40 mediums at any one time in my 3 years of beekeeping. I alternate the wires because my thinking was it would help support the comb when extracting [one side at a time]. Did try cross wiring but not anymore. I do like the idea shown in photo 12, Limey; by using another tack/nail to get tension if it's not enough. I use 2 spur embedders in hot water which may seem quirky, but it is mentioned in the Brushy Mountain catalog; they use a hot plate. It just takes practice finding your own methods that seem right for you with workplace and tools available.


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## mkochsch (May 15, 2005)

*Anchoring Wires*

Just my two cents...
I use a wiring jig to hold the spool, frame and string the wire.

I use two #6 x 1/2" wood screws, available at every hardware store.

After I rough string the wire through the eyelets I leave enough on top so I can wrap it around the first screw once or twice. I don't pre-drill the screw hole because they are so small and because of the time factor. I use a wood-worker's trick so the wood doesn't split. I put the #6 on the end of the Robertson screwdriver and push it half or a little more of the way in. This way it crushes the wood fibers and makes splitting unlikely. Give it a half turn to grab at this point. I wrap the first anchor point and tighten down the screw until it is very near flush as it is in the wide part of the frame. It only needs about 3/4 to 1 1/2 turns to tighten. I use the needlenose to snug up the rest of the wire a little bit. Then I push the second anchor screw in same as the first. Wrap it and at this point it pull the wire tight like tuning a violin. The trick is actually not to make it too tight as I've had wires snap after being release from the jig.
This method I find very fast.
~m


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## riverrat (Jun 3, 2006)

*gotter going here*

I just got done wiring 900 deeps using a hammer small nails and needle nose pliers using troys method stated earlier I can wire and install foundation 30 frames an hour without working my self to death in a hurry. I can almost double that time when I con the kids into an assembly line set up one starts the nail I wire cut and hammer the nails in another puts in the foundation the third staples the wedge. but you have to bribe them with money or take there car keys hostage until they are done. they thought they was done now we are starting on the 700 mediums I hid from them in the basement


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## shylock3 (Jun 8, 2006)

*Soldering gun*

I bought an embedder, couldn't get it to work the way I wanted it to. I tried a soldering gun, and once I got the hang of it, it works to my satisfaction. Has anyone else tried this?


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## dickm (May 19, 2002)

It's important to have a spool set-up for the wire. Mine is out of the way on the back of the bench with a simple brake to keep the wire on the spool. It feeds out through two eyehooks.

On eyelets. I just use a staple close to the hole in the sidebar in a position that allows the wire to cross over it. This is enough to keep the wood from splitting. 

I can't believe folks are using screws. Look for the smallest nails you can find WITH a head on them. Hold one in a pair of ordinary pliers. Push it halfway into the soft wood of the sidebar. I put it in a central spot so I can use it for both ends of the wire. I may use 2 on deep frames.

When the wire is fed through the frame attach the entry end with 3 turns around the nail. Now work back-wards pulling the wire taut and then attach the other end, still attached to the spool, to the nail. Now take the pliers and use them to squeeze the nail into tthe wood. Clip wire.

Tighten the wire by gripping another nail in the pliers and, on the other end of the frame, use it to both tighten the wire and hold it there. Squeeze.

Insert foundation and place frame on a support board as described by others, wire side up. Touch the opposing ends of the wire quickly to the leads of a 12 volt batttery charger. The wire will heat and melt into the wax. Touch up with spur wheel. 

Dickm


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## Dubhe (Jul 19, 2007)

I've found that the simplest way of tightening the wire is to use a wood clamp to slightly bow the side bars in before tying off the last end of the wire. When I release the clamp, the bars return to their original position & tighten up the wire.


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## Jeffzhear (Dec 2, 2006)

Dave W said:


> "...Cut wire and pound tack firmly into place (hammer over other side of LONG tacks also).


My only advice is not to bend the long taks or nails over. When you have to remove the old wire and nails to refurbish the frames, if the taks or nails are bent over it's a pain in the butt to get them out.

Position the nails on the on the back half of the side bars as your facing where the wedge goes in, this way they don't interfere with the foundation when you put it in and nail the wedge in place. Effectively the nails are behind the sheet of foundation. Hope that makes sense.


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## Jon McFadden (Mar 26, 2005)

I use a wiring board and embedder to prepare my frames. A 6/12 Volt battery charger supplies the current for the embedder. I use a wiring board similar to the one described by nsmith1957. The only additions are empty thread spools mounted between the holes on both ends (3 spools). This allows threading the wire to go faster.
A bolt is mounted in the center where the bottom bar of the frame would be and placed so the bottom bar can be pushed up over the bolt to bring the two side bars in. When released, this keeps the wire tension tight.
I use the wire spool to maintain the wire tension in the frames. This is done by putting tension on the wires with my left hand one at a time until the tension is correct while maintaining pressure on the wire spool with my right hand.
The embedding board is the same as described except I use a couple of clothes pin springs to make contact with the wires at the nails. The top one makes contact when the frame is put in the embedder. The bottom spring is controlled by me like a switch so I can turn it on and off when the time is right.
Jon


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## ozzy (Feb 5, 2005)

I thought that wiring frames was obsolete. If you are doing more than 30 or 40 frames you certainly would be better off using plasticell or ritecell than wiring. If you must wire you should consider investing in a crimper so that the wire is broadly embedded in the wax foundation. Not every place sells them nor are they a well built tool but they do really work well when new. By crimping the wire the results is better and tighter than can be done otherwise. Again, why go to all the trouble if you can make 10 frames of plastic foundation in the time it takes to do one wired frame.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

ozzy said:


> If you are doing more than 30 or 40 frames you certainly would be better off using plasticell or ritecell than wiring. Again, why go to all the trouble if you can make 10 frames of plastic foundation in the time it takes to do one wired frame.


I have wired hundreds of frames every year for most of my 37 years of beekeeping. Those years of experience has taught me that you could not pay me to use plastic foundation.


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## eccookbees (Dec 29, 2007)

*Wiring frames*

I have started using stainless steel wire. It is expensive and hard to come by but if it does the job of not corroding it will be worth it. I hope!


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## riverrat (Jun 3, 2006)

eccookbees said:


> I have started using stainless steel wire. It is expensive and hard to come by but if it does the job of not corroding it will be worth it. I hope!


You can get stainless wire at most welding supply business as for wire feed wire comes in different length spools. and different diameters


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

*Make a wiring board*

I think Nsmith's wiring board is the way to go. I would add one option.

The easiest way to tighten the wires is, as someone above suggests, to bow the end bars in, attach the wires, and then un-bow the end bars.

Once the frame is on the board, add a stop on the outside of the end bar. This can be a bolt, or a round block attached to the wiring board. It hits the outside of the end bar in the middle...between the middle wiring holes. Add an excentric on the opposite end bar. This would be an off center lever, or a toggle plunger...you can get one of these at a woodworking store. When engaged, it forces the end bars over against the stop, bowing the end bars in. Wire the frame reasonably tightly. Release the lever or toggle, and the end bars will straighten...tightening the wires. By adjusting the travel of the plunger, you can wind up with tight wires, and straight end bars. You don't want the wires so tight that you have curved end bars.

I can wire a frame with two center wires in less than two minutes...as long as the eyelets were installed...BEFORE you build the frames.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>It is expensive and hard to come by

Try Glory Bee.


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## Alex Cantacuzene (May 29, 2003)

*Frame assembly*

Our bee activities are strictly in the hobbyist range. When I assemble frames, the first thing I do its stack the still loose frame ends on my drill press. They all have to be facing the same way, i. e. all tapered sides toward me; remember, the eyes have to be on the outside of the frame. Then I take a punch that allows me to slip the brass or aluminum eye on the straight portion of the punch that I clamped in the drill chuck. With the table adjusted to the right height it is now easy to push the eye or ferrule into the frame side as the punch end finds the pre-drillede hole easily. The drill press does not run, it acts only as a press. For wire tightening I use the pliers that crimp the wires into ripples after installation. It is tricky at first but with just the right angle in holding the pliers it works great. Hope this helps some. Take care and have fun.


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## Bennyjeep (Apr 16, 2007)

I have never wired frames before. This is only my second year and the started kit I bought came with all pierco frames. I am going to try starter strips this year. However, this discussion reminds me of a tool I use to use in the Navy for aviation.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=45340

You basically clamp both ends of the wire in the teeth of the pliers and then pull the center plunger and the wires twist up real nice. you can twist more for better tension, snip it off and tuck it in. I am not sure if anyone has tried these or if they would work. Maybe someone else can comment on these.

Jim


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## Jeffzhear (Dec 2, 2006)

Michael Bush said:


> >It is expensive and hard to come by
> 
> Try Glory Bee.


MIchael, can you provide a bit more info...Glory Bee? I would prefer spending a bit more to get stainless....
Thanks, J


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

http://www.glorybeefoods.com/gbf/Shop_ProductDetail.cfm?PC=3&PSC=0&P=13971&Product_Name=wire,%20spool%20(26%20gauge)&Token=216.229.17.1:{ts_2008-01-03_04:10:42}-557154
http://www.glorybeefoods.com/gbf/Shop_ProductDetail.cfm?PC=3&PSC=0&P=13972&Product_Name=wire,%20spool%20(26%20gauge)&Token=216.229.17.1:{ts_2008-01-03_04:10:42}-557154

I assume it's the same as I have. I bought the big spool and it has lasted me for years.

Every other wire I every used broke too easily.


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## riverrat (Jun 3, 2006)

Bennyjeep said:


> I have never wired frames before. This is only my second year and the started kit I bought came with all pierco frames. I am going to try starter strips this year. However, this discussion reminds me of a tool I use to use in the Navy for aviation.
> http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=45340
> 
> You basically clamp both ends of the wire in the teeth of the pliers and then pull the center plunger and the wires twist up real nice. you can twist more for better tension, snip it off and tuck it in. I am not sure if anyone has tried these or if they would work. Maybe someone else can comment on these.
> ...


Got one of them myself handy little tool for wiring using stainless safety wire. I had trouble with it breaking wire when wiring frames using the wire from bee supply companies


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Here's my crimper:
http://www.bushfarms.com/images/WireCrimpers.JPG


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