The deboxer is lifting frames out of the box, and the frames are pushed onto the chain infeed system and taken one by one by the uncapper. |
The vibrating heated knives cuts
wax when the frames are going through uncapper. The mix of wax-honey is pumped to a spinner where it's separated and honey runs back to the sump. |
And the frames comes out clean and straight to the loading rack where the chains take them to the extractor. |
The frame hangs between the two plates with needles, and the machine is operated with a handle that push the plates together and needles are forced into the cells. Five times for each frame they are pushed in, each time the frame is moved slightly (one mm) so the needles work all honey in the cells. |
Close up of the plastic needles.
There are 1.700 of them, one for every cell in the comb. Each one is supported by a
spring so it will not brake when there is pollen in the cell. The cappings spinner is used to strain the Heather Honey. The flash "freezes" the photo so it looks like the drum is not turning. |
A strainer cloth is put inside the spinner
basket and all Honey is pumped through it. Normally I use a clearifying tank, and leave the Honey in it for a day or two until the wax has floated up to the surface. Then it is easy to pump the Honey out from the bottom and it will run like water through the strainer. |
Some wax particles went through the spinner when I was cleaning the mesh. So to be sure to get all of it I pumped the Honey through another strainer before packing it to buckets for sale. |