Thanks for the video. Ready the comments below it appears the machine has healed up nicely and is worth the investment. I believe I’ll be looking into one in the near future.
Thanks for the video! Could you tell me approximately how many uncapped frames the tank will hold? Also, approximately how many frames you can run through before the cappings tank needs to be emptied?
The approximate available space is 49 inches, and assuming an end bar of 1.375 gives roughly 35 frames storage. Of course the tank is longer, but the cutter head takes up some space over the tank. Hope this helps.
Sean thx for this video I've been looking at this for my system. Now that it's been about 2 years what comments do you have on productivity, longevity, maintenance etc. Does the steam unit hold up to a full day of work?
Hi Greg, I'm as happy with the system now as I was when I first got it. I had to add an additional extractor to my operation to really make the entire process efficient. I'm now running two extractors, which makes all the difference. Regarding maintenance, there has been none. Not even tweaks to the cutters. The steam system is probably the weakest link, but one tank will last well over 2 hours, and buy that time I can use a brief break while it comes back up to temperature. Another option would be to buy an additional steamer (about $50), and simply swap them out. This would basically eliminate down time related to the steam. The system works best when dealing with a single size frame. I run mostly mediums, and it works best on that size frame, but I also throw in some deeps and shallow frames and it does pretty well. Shallows run through the system much better than deeps. The feeder is not setup to run both deeps and mediums without adjustment (at least I don't know how). So when I run deeps, I just feed them into the hopper one at a time. Honestly, this isn't a huge penalty, but it is slower. Before I bought this unit, I was contemplating a chain uncapper. I'm really glad to went with the Lyson steam unit, because the capping come off in basically large sheets, which results in very little cappings in the honey. Chain uncappers really pulverize the capping, which requires more processing to separate them out. I course-screen the honey right out of the extractor into 5 gallon pails - no clarifier needed. Hope this helps.
Hi Tom, Ideally, one would have a wax spinner, but I haven't yet invested in that equipment. What I do is very low-tech! Basically, I dump the capping into large storage bins until I have completed all of the extraction, then I fill up capping spinner bags and use my 32-frame extractor to spin it out. Again, not optimal, but but cheap and effective.
Does the Comb have to be built out past the top bar of frame for this machine to work? Or how does the knives by pass the top bar as it sticks out father than the rest of the frame?
Hi Keith, I strongly recommend using 9 frames in 10-frame boxes. This will result in the comb being built out further than what you'd get from using 10 frames. I find when using 9 frames that minimal additional hand work is needed. However, when using 10 frames there are many areas that don't get uncapped and the efficiency of this machine is dramatically reduced. However, keep in mind that the blade depth of cut is fully adjustable so you can "dial-in" the machine for your preferred mode of use. Another thing to be aware of is that this uncapper can be a bit rough on "first year" comb (the really delicate white wax). I suspect that all similar machines suffer from the same issue. I find that going slower through the cutter on newly drawn comb helps to minimize comb damage. I don't see the same issue on older comb.
I'm sorry, but I'm not familiar with either of the frames styles you mentioned. I use exclusively Langstroth frames. That said, I've run (without adjustment) deeps, mediums, and shallows through this uncapper. All work, again without adjustment, but it seems to do best with medium frames. I recommend that you contact the manufacturer for further guidance.
It is actually very easy. The handle allows you to easily generate force to push the frames through the cutters. I like that manual feed because it gives you feedback in case a frame is not properly fed into the cutter. You can easily reverse the feed if necessary. I suspect that an auto feeder would be less forgiving.
Yes, still happy. It has proved itself as low maintenance, reliable, and efficient. As a one-person operation this machine is invaluable. Thanks for the comment.
@@spkennyva good to hear! Thank you for responding and hope this year is a great harvest. We are looking to upgrade to an unit similar to yours. I need to get a larger extractor to save time. All the fun stuff. 😃 Stay well & safe - Tom
@@OutdoorsandCountryLiving Yes, a large extractor is necessary to fully benefit from this uncapper. If not, you only shift the backlog to a different point in your process. I'm running a 32 frame Dadant, and still find myself waiting...
It's really not too bad. I basically just hose it down. I don't bother with spots of melted wax inside the tank, but do scrape off the ends of the bars that force the frame through the cutters.
Well, the manual version prefectly fits my needs. Besides, it's about 1/2 the price of the fully automatic unit. This manual unit is extremely efficient, plus you're in total control. This means that if there's a misfeed, you can easily back off on the feed rate and fix the issue without destroying any frames. For my operation, uncapping is no longer a bottleneck.
