Jim, what about using a 1" brass plumbing lever-ball valve (a water shut off)? The "honey gates" looked problematic to me, because they close the flow OUTSIDE the pipe, not INSIDE it. A ball valve can have a threaded coupling inside the tank, a rigid washer to keep the plastic from stressing, and a nylon washer to keep it snug.
Great idea about towels to keep clean instead of plastic. In fact, very impressive how beautifully clean you keep it all. Clean food.
I was grossed out about the number of bees and hive beetles in the video of that commercial op. Can you say...SHB and Bee guts?
People just don't know, do they? For sure, the honey is covered in fumes from propane forklifts, who knows whether there was a gas exhaust from a blower used to get some of the bees away...ewww.
And the look on the faces of the workers. Nobody seemed to enjoy their job.
Jim, on the other hand, looks gleeful and satisfied. As he well should be.