# KTBH Mechanical Extractor ?



## AmericasBeekeeper (Jan 24, 2010)

Swienty used to sell one. Betterbee had them in the US. They were like $405 plus shipping. I


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## tommyt (Aug 7, 2010)

Swienty I looked there and saw nice items but not what I was hoping for they had a Discontinued items page I had hopes for but no deal 
I know you stated Used to
You don't happen to have a picture? 
Did it cradle the comb or ruin it ?

Thanks
Tommyt


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

The Sweinty TBH extradctor was eight inches tall and about three feet in diameter. The combs layed flat with the top bar to the outside. So it's a horizontal radial. Instead of "spokes in a wheel" you have something more like pieces of pie.


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## 11x (May 14, 2009)

it remonded me of something like the rack out of a food dehyderator. you know the round plastic shelves with all the holes in it. then it spun around the center axis. it was all enclosed but that is what it put me in the mind of


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## mmiller (Jun 17, 2010)

But did it work and how well? Anyone have personal experience or know someone who does? I too am curious.

Mike


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## HONEYDEW (Mar 9, 2007)

Hello just remember if something is good and sells it usually doesn't get discontinued. I think youre stuck with crush and strain or devise your own and get rich :lookout:


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## pturley (Oct 4, 2010)

There is a video on YouTube covering a traditional Japanese hive where he uses a stainless steel apple press to crush out the honey.

But what about crush and strain with a commercial sized salad spinner? Hell, I still don't even have my first bees, but this is what I was planning on trying.


Sincerely,
Paul E. Turley
Amherst, Ohio


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## Merlinspop (Nov 4, 2010)

pturley said:


> But what about crush and strain with a commercial sized salad spinner? Hell, I still don't even have my first bees, but this is what I was planning on trying.


Same here, after a season or two of the mason jar method. With one TBH going into spring, I doubt I'll get more than one bar this year, if that much. 

Cooksdirect.com has an 8-head of lettuce sized spinner for just over $100. 

B


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## tommyt (Aug 7, 2010)

HONEYDEW[B said:


> just remember if something is good and sells [/B]it usually doesn't get discontinued.
> 
> I think being good was not the reason for being discontinued :no:
> I feel there wasn't enough demand in KTBH Beeks
> ...


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## mmiller (Jun 17, 2010)

Whoo hoo tommyt. I like you way of thinking:thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Beethinking (Jun 2, 2008)

I crush and strain with a fruit press and I find it to be quite efficient. I'm hoping to build a Stade press like this soon:










More here: http://warre.biobees.com/pressing.htm

What value do you see in extracting combs from a TBH? Would you reuse them? Personally I much prefer pressing over extracting. 

Cheers,
Matt


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## Countryboy (Feb 15, 2009)

I have a 3 frame tangential extractor. I took frames from my Michael Bush style Kenya TBH and extracted them in my tangential extractor. I could wedge the top bar between the wires of the basket to hold the comb in place.

I cut the bottom 3 or 4 inches of the comb off so they would fit in the basket easier. The basket supports the side of the comb.

I used an uncapping fork to lift off the cappings from both side of the comb. I tried to use a bread knife to uncap, but the comb wanted to tear, so I had to use the fork. (A hot knife might work ok to uncap, but I didn't try one.)

I did not try to see how fast I could spin the extractor. I slowly increased speed until I saw honey droplets hitting the inside walls of the extractor. I stayed at that speed. I flipped the frames 3 or 4 times before I got them completely extracted.

I was extracting first year comb, which was still relatively soft. I was very gentle, and babied the combs while extracting, but I was able to extract them and save the combs.

It was a royal pain, but it is possible to extract combs from a TBH.

If someone wanted to extract any number of TBH combs, I would recommend they build a rectangular jig to hold the comb....perhaps something like a hinged swarm trap frame with a cutout portion in the middle the size of the TBH comb, with a strong wire mesh on each side to stabilize the comb while extracting. With a rectangular shaped box jig, you could extract a TBH frame in any extractor that could hold a frame that deep.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

There are people who extract TBH using a radial with older tougher comb or a tangential.


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## 11x (May 14, 2009)

to me crush and strain has a good purpose. in my tbh i try to go as natural as possiable. part of the draw to tbh is the fact that i get to cycle out some "poluted" comb every year via the crush and strain method. i add empty bars to the brood area and this just keeps cyclyng every comb backwards in the hive till it gets crushed and strained. think about that for a while.....


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## tommyt (Aug 7, 2010)

One of my first thoughts is a Fish of Vegetable BBQ grill rack 
Modified to hold one TB and adapted to be used with a drill
I have some nice Stainless steel mesh commercial grade used in
the shrimp industry but it maybe too small 
I'd say its close to #10

Tommyt


http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/richmedia/images/cover.gif


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

If you're running a natural hive, what do you see as causing pollution of the combs? Insecticide tracked in by the bees?


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## 11x (May 14, 2009)

Michael Bush said:


> If you're running a natural hive, what do you see as causing pollution of the combs? Insecticide tracked in by the bees?


 exactly, all kinds of contamanits "spelling" are absorbed by the comb. i am sure at some level it cant take up any more. it is a slow process to cycle all the comb out of a hive. it might take 3 years or so but why not?


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

My view is that building comb is one of those things bees do naturally. Letting them is not a bad thing. Having beeswax to harvest is not a bad thing either. However, what you will probably end up doing is harvesting a lot of new wax and leaving a lot of old because the old has brood in it and bees clustered on it. The honey tends to be in a different part of the hive...


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## 11x (May 14, 2009)

well i have been doing so far and it is working out ok. slowly move the brood comb toward the back of the hive and insert empty bars in the brood area to be drawn." i use end entrance" . i leave the honey cap around the brood frame. when the frame of bees i want to cycle out hatches i simply put it back a bit and let the bees fill it with honey. out this also help so regress my cell size when i start with package bees the new cycle of bees have a place to draw the size cells they want.


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## tommyt (Aug 7, 2010)

MB says and I and 11X agree, most times honey is put in new comb and Older comb as MB says and 11X agrees Older should have the most chemicals 
Then 11X early on says why use comb over with Chem build up (referring to extracting instead of Crushing)
Then 11X says he intentionally moves brood comb toward back so it can be filled
with honey 

Am I reading and Comprehending this correct 

Tommyt

11X
well i have been doing so far and it is working out ok. slowly move the brood comb toward the back of the hive and insert empty bars in the brood area to be drawn." i use end entrance" . i leave the honey cap around the brood frame. when the frame of bees i want to cycle out hatches i simply put it back a bit and let the bees fill it with honey. out this also help so regress my cell size when i start with package bees the new cycle of bees have a place to draw the size cells they want.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

Isn't the whole theory of TBH's based on saving the cost of expensive equipment and always renewing the combs because of the need to crush and strain? If you want to save combs by extracting, and don't mind buying expensive extractors, why not just use frame hives?
If I want to go down the freeway at 70 miles an hour, I buy a car, not a horse and buggy. If I disdain big oil and want manure for my organic vegetable garden, I buy a horse and buggy.


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## tommyt (Aug 7, 2010)

A man could and Cut and crush a Lang every year if he wished 
once you own an extractor the cost is behind you
I just like KTBH as its simple Plain Jane simple

Tommyt


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## 11x (May 14, 2009)

tommyt said:


> MB says and I and 11X agree, most times honey is put in new comb and Older comb as MB says and 11X agrees Older should have the most chemicals
> Then 11X early on says why use comb over with Chem build up (referring to extracting instead of Crushing)
> Then 11X says he intentionally moves brood comb toward back so it can be filled
> with honey
> ...


 not sure what the eyes roling sarcastic face ment but yes you prety much got it. i dont recal agreeing that bees mostly put honey in new comb. bees will put honey any wear there is room if they are crowded. they tend to keep the brood all to geather and the honey all togather except for a "crown" around the brood. they will even fill the brood nest if you crowd them to bad. so if you stick an empty bar in the middle of the brood nest they wont put honey in it just because it is new comb. it has more to do with its location in the hive than it does new vs. old comb. here is maby a better explination of what i do.

bees come in the hive tracking all kinds of bad stuff.the comb in the hive absorbs it like it is suposed to do. lets say my tbh is full of comb. i will take a bar of honey out of the back "oppoisite end as brood area" and slide the bars back and insert an bare bar in the front edge of the brood area and let the bees draw it out and fill it with eggs,larva ect.

lets just say there is a comb that i want to get out of the hive for some reason and it is full of brood. well then i will remove that bar and put it alittle farther toward the back of the hive and let the brood hatch out then either remove it or move it farther back and let the bees fill it with honey then remove it. sorry for the spelling and gramatical erors. verry tired when i get home from work.


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## tommyt (Aug 7, 2010)

11X Sorry no harm meant 
I see that if you hover over it,it says Sarcastic,I meant it _like whoa!_ 
What I was trying to get across was, 
You said something about the older comb has contaminant then said you 
would more the brood comb back. 
I'm still new to this but is not the brood comb older and would have more 
contaminant's?
If you move it back then its filled with Honey??

Tommyt


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## 11x (May 14, 2009)

yes the longer a comb is in the hive the more contaminats it gets exposed to. it gets absorbed by the wax. so by taking that comb out and crushing and straning it out i get the honey out of it and then melt down the old dirty comb to use for candles and so forth. if you want to talk about it i could pm you my number. i love to talk bees


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## Adam Foster Collins (Nov 4, 2009)

I've done some of what 11x is talking about, as the nuc I started my tbh's with last year came on plastic foundation. I did a cut-out of the combs, out of the frames, and have gradually worked to move the plastic back, out of the nest and into the honey area.

Eventually, I'll have all of that plastic out of there. It probably causes no harm. I just don't like it.

Adam


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