To get honey for sale, you need special equipment. If you are a beginner beekeeper, then money for expensive equipment may not be. But this is not an obstacle, because the honey-heel can be made from improvised means, for example, from a washing machine.
Many beekeepers say that homemade equipment is safer and more efficient than the purchased one.
Types of honey beetles
The honey extractor has a simple design, so you can easily assemble it. But first you need to decide what material to make it from. There are several options:
- Wooden container. Previously, all the honey drinkers were wooden. You do not need to collect the construction, for this conventional barrel is suitable.
- Aluminum container. Easy and practical solution. You can take a large pot, barrel or tank.
- Stainless steel. For the prefabricated housing you can buy sheets from stainless steel and connect them by welding. And you can use the tank from an old washing machine. Advantages of such material are durability, durability, and also easy maintenance (you can quickly wash after work).
- A plastic container can also be used. To do this, take the tank from the washing machine "Baby" or another container of thick and durable plastic.
Dimensions of the honey extractor directly depend on the diameter of the frames with honeycombs.
The basis of the device are cassettes. With the help of clips, frames with honeycombs are fixed on cassettes, the centrifuge rotates quickly, due to which honey is extracted. It drains from the walls and exits through the tap into the prepared container.
Benefits
There are two types of construction of a honey extractor - it is radial and chordial. We will manufacture radial, and that's why:
- Radial honey extractor provides greater productivity with the same dimensions of the structure.
- The device equipped with an electric motor allows you to quickly cope with pumping and get honey. While the manual drive is ineffective.
- Honey from the frames is removed so qualitatively that their surface remains clean.
- Thanks to the structure of the structure, only the drum rotates during operation. Therefore, the radial honey extractor is more durable and reliable.
- Frames in such a device are not damaged and do not stick to the walls. In addition, the process does not require constant supervision on your part.
Preparation for work
To prepare all the necessary details, you need to understand the structure of the structure. Radial honey extractor consists of:
- Suitable for the size of the container, which should fully accommodate the frame.
- The drive mechanism.
- Cassette or subframes.
Since the device will be in contact with honey, do not use zinc parts. They can be oxidized, which will lead to spoilage of the product. If there is a desire, you can paint the container with paint for metal to give a more aesthetic appearance.
Required parts and accessories
For a homemade honey extractor the Soviet washing machine "Siberia" or "Alma-Ata" is perfect. Having considered the detailed drawing, we will be defined, that it is required for assemblage:
- Beam from steel 4х80 mm, length measure from the diameter of the tank. Do the edges of the holes and bend them so that they are then fixed on the body.
- If it is a manual drive (which is typical for small volumes), then you need a handle from a metal rod.
- The metal bracket is 4x80 mm.
- Steel bars or fittings for stretchers.
- For the subframe base, steel strips with a thickness of 2 mm are used.
- Gears conical type in the number of two pieces.
- Steel rod as a shaft.
- Metal plate for the bolt at the bottom of the honey extractor.
Instruments
- Vice.
- Welding machine with electrodes.
- Bulgarian.
- Sledgehammer and anvil.
- Soldering iron.
Instruction: making a honey extractor from a washing machine with your own hands
The equipment is made quickly enough, the main thing is to select all the components correctly, so that later you do not have to redo it. Let's consider how to make a honey cart with your own hands.
Cassette
A casing frame is installed in cassettes, standard sizes: 435x300 mm. If you use a purchased frame, then it goes even smaller diameter.
Sequence of work:
- Fold the rectangle from the corners of 550 and 520 mm in length, 1 mm thick. For reliability, it is better to fix the structure by welding, but you can also tighten it with bolts.
- In order to pull the net from the wire into the subframe, make small holes around the perimeter. Using a stainless wire, pull it through the holes to make a grid. In total it is necessary to make two such grids.
- Make two channels from stainless corners with a width of 40 mm and a thickness of 1 mm.
- Attach homemade grids between the channels. To weld one of the ends of the cassette, weld a strip of steel.
- Attach the two metal brackets from the cassette rib to the channel - from above and below. Later the design will be connected to the rotor.
The cassettes are ready. Next, let's look at how to prepare a washing machine tub.
Rebuilding the washing tub
All openings at the bottom of the tank must be isolated. To do this, cut out the patchwork from the metal sheet to the size of the holes and secure them with a welding machine. To check the tightness, pour water into the structure.
Since all the holes are blocked, you need to make an additional hole for pumping honey. Using a drill, drill it in the wall, right next to the bottom of the tank from the washing machine. You can cover the edges with a rubber ring, or you can weld a tap that conveniently overlaps if necessary.
If you decide to leave a simple hole, then to overlap it you will have to attach a metal plate. It is attached to the bolt. When you need to close, turn the plate, blocking the flow.
Preparing the crossbar
For the crossbar, take a metal strip 4 mm thick. The length depends on the diameter of the tank. Use a drill to drill holes around the edges so that the M10 bolt can be installed. In addition, make two holes closer to the middle of the crossbar, as shown in the figure.
Using a soldering iron, heat the plate and bend its edges at a right angle.
Now mark the place of installation on the tank. To do this, set the crossbar strictly in the center, mark the place for the holes on the tank with the marker. Drill holes in the marked places, secure the crossbar with bolts.
Making the rotor bar
Take a strip of steel 15-20 mm wide and 4 mm thick. On the edges of the bar you need to do on the hole.
Now you need to fix the bar. To do this, make a shaft. Take the hairpin and cut the thread on it. Drill a hole in the center of the crossbar fixed to the tank and install the stud. From above on a hairpin establish a bevel gear and take a nut. From below, fix the crossbar of the rotor and fix it with a lock nut.
It remains to prepare another bar. You will need a metal strip 600x15 mm. Along the edges, make holes and bend them. Now, with the studs, fasten the holes of the rotor strips together with the frame brackets. The mobile structure is ready.
Thanks to the device of the rotor frame, you can turn one side or the other. This allows you to extract honey from the honeycomb and completely drain the frame.
Stand
Be sure to make a stable tank under the tank, so that you can then put a container for collecting honey. You can make it from a metal rod. Twist the ring from the rod so that it is slightly larger than the bottom diameter of the tank. The ends are fixed by welding.
From the same rod, make as far as the legs and install the structure. For stability, metal strips can be welded to the legs.
Manual or electric honey extractor
It remains to install the drive mechanism. The question arises: which drive should I choose? If your turnovers in the apiary are not too high, it's best to take a hand.
The fact is that when installing the electric motor it is also necessary to provide a device that will regulate the number of revolutions. This is important, because at high speeds, the car simply breaks the frames - and this carries a direct loss.
After pumping out the honey, the frames return to the hives, where the bees are pumped again with honey, if there is a "bribe". But if it's a clean frame, the bees need time to build up the honeycomb. Therefore, you also lose time and money.
Another thing - manual drive, where you can independently adjust the work. To make it, fasten the bracket to the crossbar. Then a curved rod with a thread is passed through it. At the end, secure the pinion with the nut.
How to install and use self-made honey
Let's find out how to install the honey cart.
Install the casing in the cradle. Check that the structure is stable. Under the tap put a large capacity, you can pan. Install the frame with the honeycombs into the cassettes and start to operate the mechanism by scrolling the handle.
That's because of the unnecessary parts and the old washing machine you can make useful equipment for beekeeping.
