Being this is my first year to have honey and no extractor, this is what I did. I obtained food grade buckets. Using the top bar of a wood frame, I laid it across the top off the bucket centered, Mark the spot on the top of the frame on each side where it meets the bucket. Using a multi-function cutting tool, I cut a notch in each side of the wood frame as marked. This creates a slots in the wood frame that perfectly fits the top of the bucket. The frame will not slip or slide, thus creating a very stable situation. Next remove the bar and mark the very center between the notches, (the bar). There in the center of the bar, (center of the notches) I place a stainless steel screw. This screw is placed where the point is coming up, out of the bucket, leaving the screw head on the down side. affording the screw being the very center of the opening of the bucket, as well as the center of the top bar. Make sure the screw point is just slightly penetrated through this bar. You are all set to extract your honey! You will need a plastic cooking dip spoon the big Bubba type. 😊. Simply place the end of your top bar resting on the top of the screw. Using on hand to hold the frame of honey, use the other to gently scrape the comb, as if your are trying to decap the comb. The capping along with honey will begin to glide down into your bucket! Continue until the one side is completely void of all caping, and honey all the way down to the foundation, with your frame hand simply rotate the frame around, pivoting on the screw. Repeat the the process on this other side of your frame. You will end up with a frame of clean foundation. Let all extracted honey and comb combination sit for 24!hours. All wax will rise to the top leaving PURE honey on the bottom. Using another clean bucket and (I used a plastic dipper, mate to the original scraper). With a stainless steel Spagetti screen type strainer, Dip the wax off the top and place in the strainer. Immediately the excess honey will begin streaming into the second bucket. Let set for 24 hours and you will be surprised as to how dry the wax and capping become! Along with how much clean untouched by human hand honey will accumulate in this second bucket. Also instead of placing the (empty frames of extracted honey) back in boxes for the bees, I placed these into a third clean bucket vertically stacked closely together. Again you will be surprised as to how much more honey will accumulate in this third bucket, and how clean and pure. This makes little mess and lots of untouched by human hands honey!! I used this process using more buckets and strainers collecting almost 200 pounds this first year! Good luck and have fun!
Phillip
One more thing after all is drained, then place empty frames into your suppers the bee will clean them up! After they are cleaned place back in the hives and rhe bees will immediately begin to draw out the foundations once again if there is a flow on!