# Cutting Comb



## Clayton Huestis (Jan 6, 2013)

A sharp knife, some people like serrated. Leave it capped. Place on a bakers type rack and allow to drain over night with a catch tray under it. Do NOT use brood comb or old tough wax. It should be white and tender. It should also not contain pollen unless specifically asked for as pollen is quite bitter. If you sell a poor product that violates these they probably won't come back. Make sure things are clean and attractive.


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## Fleetwood271 (Mar 29, 2016)

Clayton Huestis said:


> A sharp knife, some people like serrated. Leave it capped. Place on a bakers type rack and allow to drain over night with a catch tray under it. Do NOT use brood comb or old tough wax. It should be white and tender. It should also not contain pollen unless specifically asked for as pollen is quite bitter. If you sell a poor product that violates these they probably won't come back. Make sure things are clean and attractive.


Thanks for the help, but I do have a question. You said leave it capped, but then you said let it drain? If it is capped, how will it drain?
Yes, I planned to use the lightest colored comb I could find. Here is a picture of a frame that I pulled last week. I will have other s like this.


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## Clayton Huestis (Jan 6, 2013)

When you cut the comb you will usually cut into 4 pieces. Cutting the comb will expose liquid honey that needs to be drained to clean it up. So that the comb when packaged in not setting in a pool of honey from were you cut it. Here is an example pic: https://www.bing.com/images/search?...07988692305578698&selectedIndex=17&ajaxhist=0


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## Clayton Huestis (Jan 6, 2013)

You could also sell the whole frame with the comb. Get a deposit on the frame to be returned. That avoids the messy cutting process. Not everyone wants that much comb however. I would recommend reading any book of Richard Taylor to learn about comb honey. Here is Mike Palmers youtube on comb honey, good to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIjiInZRxrQ


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## My-smokepole (Apr 14, 2008)

Look up Michael Palmer on ytube. Shows all of the tricks. I like a couple flieling knives keep hot in a old fashion coffee pot. In hot water.


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## Fleetwood271 (Mar 29, 2016)

Clayton Huestis said:


> When you cut the comb you will usually cut into 4 pieces. Cutting the comb will expose liquid honey that needs to be drained to clean it up. So that the comb when packaged in not setting in a pool of honey from were you cut it. Here is an example pic: https://www.bing.com/images/search?...07988692305578698&selectedIndex=17&ajaxhist=0


Thanks for the info and the link. The people here have asked for a piece of comb in the jar of honey. In that case, the comb I've seen around local places is uncapped and placed in the jar and then filled with honey. 

I was thinking a sharp knife, but I guess it also needs to be a hot knife?


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## Fleetwood271 (Mar 29, 2016)

Clayton Huestis said:


> You could also sell the whole frame with the comb. Get a deposit on the frame to be returned. That avoids the messy cutting process. Not everyone wants that much comb however. I would recommend reading any book of Richard Taylor to learn about comb honey. Here is Mike Palmers youtube on comb honey, good to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIjiInZRxrQ


Thanks!


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## Fleetwood271 (Mar 29, 2016)

My-smokepole said:


> Look up Michael Palmer on ytube. Shows all of the tricks. I like a couple flieling knives keep hot in a old fashion coffee pot. In hot water.


OK - Thanks!


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## PeterP (Feb 5, 2014)

When I make cut comb honey it is always capped. If there are uncapped chunks left over from making the cut comb these go into a jar with honey. 
Regards Peter


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## GaSteve (Apr 28, 2004)

Cut comb with extracted honey poured over it is usually called chunk honey. No need to let it drain. I find that fish filet knives are the best for cutting the comb - very sharp and very thin. I usually cut it on a large plastic cutting board. It's looks much nicer if the comb is completely filled, but a few empty cells isn't a big deal to me. A mostly empty comb will want to float up out of the extracted honey.

For cut comb that goes into a plastic tray, you definitely want to drain it. You want to cut on something that will allow drainage - a queen excluder works well for that.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

For chunk honey...heat the liquid so it won’t crystallize. Drain the comb well. You don’t want chunk honey to crystallize in the jar. Unheated and undrained it tends to.


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## GaSteve (Apr 28, 2004)

I've never heated it or drained for chunk honey, but maybe I should. I have about 4 cases that are solid as a brick. Curious if there's a magic temperature that will liquefy the honey without deforming the comb.


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