# Wet Cappings



## Dan Williamson (Apr 6, 2004)

For those with over 100 hives but less than say 300 how do you handle wet cappings?

I'm thinking of investing in a wax spinner next season but how do you handle those cappings? Spinner? or some other method?

Thanks for any advice.


----------



## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

I have an older cappings spinner and consider it essential for a good system. We used to hand uncap into it but now dump in buckets from our Cowan.


----------



## Dan Williamson (Apr 6, 2004)

odfrank said:


> I have an older cappings spinner and consider it essential for a good system. We used to hand uncap into it but now dump in buckets from our Cowan.


Yeah to get a good clean cut with my Cowen without having to deal with scratching frames I really need to run 8-frames to the super. Obviously that really causes volume issues with the amount of wax and honey that you deal with for cappings.


----------



## peggjam (Mar 4, 2005)

I'm still in the dark ages, I put'em in a bucket and put a lid on'em til I get time to deal with them. Lately i've been letting them drain, and then melting them down to make foundation out of. But can only do that on rainy days, as the house gets put under seige by the girls, and they can find holes you didn't know you had. But it does tell me where I need to fix the cracks before winter....so that's good.


----------



## Walt McBride (Apr 4, 2004)

Has any one tried the placing of wet cappings into nylon bags and spinning the carefully placed bags in their motor driven extractor?
Walt


----------



## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

We filter thru nylons after two meshes of stainless screen. Eventually the nylons clog ans we then spin drop them into our cappings spinner. That dries them out. We run primarily eight and nine frame spacings, which get well cut by the Cowan.


----------



## shepherd (Feb 1, 2006)

*cappings*

Brushy Mountain sells some sort of metal frame which fits into some extractors and also sells capings bags which hook to these metal frames. I had just emailed them and asked if this setup would work in my Maxant 1400 and they answered promptly


----------



## bleta12 (Feb 28, 2007)

Dan, I use a Maxant spinner. Works very well. The new ones are about $2500. If you can find a used one that may be worth.

How do you melt the capping after you are done with the honey?

I have over 1000 lb of cleaned wax that I dont know what to do, what do you do with yours?

Gilman


----------



## Dan Williamson (Apr 6, 2004)

bleta12 said:


> Dan, I use a Maxant spinner. Works very well. The new ones are about $2500. If you can find a used one that may be worth.
> 
> How do you melt the capping after you are done with the honey?
> 
> ...


I sell some of it when people ask for around $5/lb in blocks of 1lb but I haven't really tried to market it or anything. I don't have 1000lbs but it is starting to accumulate.

I have used a solar melter but it is getting difficult with the amount of wax I get from running 8 frames and using the cowen uncapper.

I have another 20 gal jacketed boiler that I am probably going to use pretty soon. 

How do you melt your wax down?

As far as a cappings spinner , I've looked at the maxant spinners but they seem too tall. If I could find on that would fit under my cowen uncapper where the cappings would fall directly into the spinner that would be ideal. Of course cost is a concern and I may end up looking for a used maxant model.


----------



## bleta12 (Feb 28, 2007)

Dan,
I do use a Maxant boiler to melt the cappings. I dont use a press and probably lose so wax. It is a messy proces that I dont like.
Last time I was at the factory of Maxant (only 2 hours from here) Ted, the owner gave me the tour of the place and I saw a nice uncapper spinner combo that you can see in their web site. That is my next target. expensive too.

Gilman


----------



## Dan Williamson (Apr 6, 2004)

bleta12 said:


> Dan,
> I do use a Maxant boiler to melt the cappings. I dont use a press and probably lose so wax. It is a messy proces that I dont like.
> Last time I was at the factory of Maxant (only 2 hours from here) Ted, the owner gave me the tour of the place and I saw a nice uncapper spinner combo that you can see in their web site. That is my next target. expensive too.
> 
> Gilman


I almost bought that uncapper spinner combo but found my old cowen for $500 and changed course when I realized I could save a fortune!  Still don't have the wax handling capability but will have to do something about that before the 2008 harvest.


----------



## peggjam (Mar 4, 2005)

A friend of mine uses a cappings augar to augar the cappings into his maxant spinner. He runs everything through the spinner, includeing the honey coming out of the extractors, after it goes through the spinner, the honey goes into a claifier, and the cappings drop out the bottom into a holding pan, which he then dumps into a barrel for melting later.


----------



## Dan Williamson (Apr 6, 2004)

peggjam said:


> A friend of mine uses a cappings augar to augar the cappings into his maxant spinner. He runs everything through the spinner, includeing the honey coming out of the extractors, after it goes through the spinner, the honey goes into a claifier, and the cappings drop out the bottom into a holding pan, which he then dumps into a barrel for melting later.


Those augers are really nice but definately another pricey addition to the honeyhouse.... how does he get his cappings to drop out of the bottom? The bottom of the spinner or something else?


----------

