I need a better way to remove cappings.

[Aroc]

I?ve now done this for about 3 years now and my least favorite is removing the cappings.  We use a hot knife but it seems to cool down about mid frame and becomes very hard to finish unless I wait for the knife to heat back up again.  The other issue I have is our crazy bees often don?t fill out a frame all nice and even.  Often they have high spots and low spots which then makes using the knife all that much harder.

I?ve heard people use a serrated knife but I would still have the issue with the uneven comb.

I heard someone uses a heat gun to melt the cappings, but I?m not sure how that would work.

Any feedback?

[Ben Framed]

I?ve now done this for about 3 years now and my least favorite is removing the cappings.  We use a hot knife but it seems to cool down about mid frame and becomes very hard to finish unless I wait for the knife to heat back up again.  The other issue I have is our crazy bees often don?t fill out a frame all nice and even.  Often they have high spots and low spots which then makes using the knife all that much harder.

I?ve heard people use a serrated knife but I would still have the issue with the uneven comb.

I heard someone uses a heat gun to melt the cappings, but I?m not sure how that would work.

Any feedback?

Aroc, how many frames are you talking about processing?

[cao]

I use a long filet knife and for those pesky low parts I use a capping scratcher.  You need to occasionally clean the knife blade as it gets a little wax build up and doesn't want to cut as well.

[Aroc]

I?ve now done this for about 3 years now and my least favorite is removing the cappings.  We use a hot knife but it seems to cool down about mid frame and becomes very hard to finish unless I wait for the knife to heat back up again.  The other issue I have is our crazy bees often don?t fill out a frame all nice and even.  Often they have high spots and low spots which then makes using the knife all that much harder.

I?ve heard people use a serrated knife but I would still have the issue with the uneven comb.

I heard someone uses a heat gun to melt the cappings, but I?m not sure how that would work.

Any feedback?

Aroc, how many frames are you talking about processing?

This year maybe 70ish

[Acebird]

I helped a commercial guy once extract pallets of honey and when he came to an uneven frame he gave it to a guy with just a hive tool who uncapped over a 55 gal drum.  I will bet he was as fast as an uncapping knife.  I tried it myself and was amazed how easy it was.  I still use a hot knife for most of the frames because it makes the frames balanced for the extractor.

[van from Arkansas]

Hi Aroc, when it comes to uneven capping I know what you are talking about: Kinda a pain.  What I do is to use the tip of the hot knife for low areas.  I realize this slows things down a bit.  Also, I have a plastic spiked roller that places holes in the caped honey for extracting.  The spiked roller is faster the using the tip of the hot knife.
Blessings
Van

[BeeMaster2]

This is what we are using now. We used to use a serrated decapping knife, for 9 years. This is faster. You do need push the thick wax off but new white wax cuts clean.
Jim Altmiller

https://www.amazon.com/Face-More-Scraper-Uncapping-Beekeeping/dp/B07S75TNNW/ref=asc_df_B07S75TNNW/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=366329529258&hvpos=1o5&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9802717640003467978&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9011486&hvtargid=pla-788969805812&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=77768418938&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=366329529258&hvpos=1o5&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9802717640003467978&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9011486&hvtargid=pla-788969805812

[CoolBees]

This is what we are using now. We used to use a serrated decapping knife, for 9 years. This is faster. You do need push the thick wax off but new white wax cuts clean.
Jim Altmiller

https://www.amazon.com/Face-More-Scraper-Uncapping-Beekeeping/dp/B07S75TNNW/ref=asc_df_B07S75TNNW/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=366329529258&hvpos=1o5&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9802717640003467978&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9011486&hvtargid=pla-788969805812&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=77768418938&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=366329529258&hvpos=1o5&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9802717640003467978&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9011486&hvtargid=pla-788969805812

I like that Jim.

I gave up on the hot knife - it just wouldn't work right - too slow to heat up, and only made it thru 1/2 a frame before going cold.

Switched to an old bread knife - very sharp. That worked till it got wax on the edge. Then it just tore the wax.

Switched to a decapping scraper. Very quick. Able to keep ahead of the extractor (3 frame). That's where I'm at now.

[Sputnik]

I'm using a spiked roller. My hot knife melted down. The pros of the roller, works great on uneven comb. No waiting for the honey to drain from the caps I cut off. The con, lots of wax particles in the honey. Stops up my screen filter about every 15 frames thru the extractor. It is not a big problem, I dump it in a bucket and let it slowly filter thru cheesecloth.

[TheHoneyPump]

For 70 frames, all you need is a decent quality capping fork.  It doubles as a stratcher and as a plane.  Use the tips to scratch out otherwise hard to reach cappings.  Lay it flat and slide along the frame with the tines just barely under the cappings to lift them off, like a plane.  Shapes the comb, taking out the highs and lows.  Works best when the combs are warm of course.

A good fork in experienced hands will process through 70 frames quickly.  Really quickly.  As with many other things related to bees - just keep it simple.

The tined rollers work -OK-, kinda.  They tend to load up up on honey and wax and then are not much use until you clean out every groove. If you do chose to give a roller a whirl, do not get the plastic tined style. Get the roller that has the largest drum and longest steel tines that you can find.

Hope that helps!

[gailmo]

I use either a serrated bread knife or an old unheated uncapping knife someone gave me.  I keep a pot of hot water next to the uncapping station.  Stick the knife in the pot for a second or two and it stays hot for the frame.  In between frames, I just plunk the knife back into the ?hot pot?.  Works like a charm.  And, I also have the scratcher mentioned above.  A regular knife, scratcher and hot pot of water makes for fairly easy uncapping.

[BeeMaster2]

Gailmo,
Bee sure to use a tower and dry the hot knife every time you remove it from the water. Otherwise you will bee adding a lot of water to your honey. It does not take much to raise it above 18.5%.
Jim Altmiller

[Ben Framed]

Gailmo,
Bee sure to use a tower and dry the hot knife every time you remove it from the water. Otherwise you will bee adding a lot of water to your honey. It does not take much to raise it above 18.5%.
Jim Altmiller

Good point Jim, I would add, before rinsing the knife with water, use a icing spreader made in the configuration of a bondo spreader in order to save that much loved Honey from the blade. 🍯  depending on the size of your knife and the blade thickness, you could be losing as much as a spoon each time you rinse. Possibly equivalent to a good hot buttered biscuits worth. 😊 

[Acebird]

I gave up on the hot knife - it just wouldn't work right - too slow to heat up, and only made it thru 1/2 a frame before going cold.

If you are using a hot knife you want to set it balls to the wall and have a way to shut it off when you are not uncapping.
https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=WG9_Zz0Xtho&ar=3

[Live Oak]

I?ve now done this for about 3 years now and my least favorite is removing the cappings.  We use a hot knife but it seems to cool down about mid frame and becomes very hard to finish unless I wait for the knife to heat back up again.  The other issue I have is our crazy bees often don?t fill out a frame all nice and even.  Often they have high spots and low spots which then makes using the knife all that much harder.

I?ve heard people use a serrated knife but I would still have the issue with the uneven comb.

I heard someone uses a heat gun to melt the cappings, but I?m not sure how that would work.

Any feedback?

How many frames do you run in your honey supers? 

[Oldbeavo]

If you run 7 frames in an 8, or 9 in a 10, then the bees will blow out the supers to take up the extra space and will make uncapping easier.
Though you will have more honey to deal with your cappings.
Commercially your frames go further, eg 100 supers only need 700 frames rather than 800.
All new frames are used at 8 frames per super to get even wax spread.

[Acebird]

Agreed Oldbeavo, in my video the frame came from 7 in 8 frame set up.

[Live Oak]

If you run 7 frames in an 8, or 9 in a 10, then the bees will blow out the supers to take up the extra space and will make uncapping easier.
Though you will have more honey to deal with your cappings.
Commercially your frames go further, eg 100 supers only need 700 frames rather than 800.
All new frames are used at 8 frames per super to get even wax spread.

Precisely.  I run eight frames in my 10 frame honey supers and seven frames in my 8 frame honey supers. Make uncapping soooooooooo much easier and my experience has been that the bees actually make as much if not more honey with less frames in this manner.

[Ben Framed]

If you run 7 frames in an 8, or 9 in a 10, then the bees will blow out the supers to take up the extra space and will make uncapping easier.
Though you will have more honey to deal with your cappings.
Commercially your frames go further, eg 100 supers only need 700 frames rather than 800.
All new frames are used at 8 frames per super to get even wax spread.

Precisely.  I run eight frames in my 10 frame honey supers and seven frames in my 8 frame honey supers. Make uncapping soooooooooo much easier and my experience has been that the bees actually make as much if not more honey with less frames in this manner.

This is good to know and will be incorporated in my program next spring. Thanks men.
Phillip

[qa33010]

I guess I'm cheap.  I use a thing my wife bought a while back for piercing pie crusts.  about 4" wide and pretty heavy duty and sharp.  I just run it along the capped frames real quick and spin 'em...since I don't filter I'm not worried about where the capping's go (they go in the honey jars).  Tried a bread knife and a carving knife, with and without hot/warm water, I've found the pastry thingy works the best for me.  Took some practice to get to where I didn't do too much damage to the comb.