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To extract honey for sale, you need special equipment. If you are a beginner beekeeper, then there may not be money for expensive equipment. But this is not an obstacle, because a honey extractor can be made from improvised means, for example, from a washing machine.
Many beekeepers claim that home-made equipment is more reliable and efficient than purchased ones.
Types of honey extractors
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 honey extractors were wooden. You do not need to assemble the structure, an ordinary barrel will do for this.
- Aluminum container. Easy and practical solution. You can take a large pot, barrel or tank.
- Stainless steel. For a prefabricated body, you can buy stainless steel sheets and connect them by welding. Or you can use a tank from an old washing machine. The advantages of this material are durability, strength, as well as easy care (you can quickly wash after work).
- A plastic container can also be used. To do this, take a tank from the “Baby” washing machine or another container made of thick and durable plastic.
The dimensions of the honey extractor directly depend on the diameter of the frames with honeycombs.
Cassettes are the basis of the device. With the help of clips, the frames with honeycombs are fixed on the cassettes, the centrifuge rotates quickly, due to which honey is extracted. It flows down from the walls and exits through the faucet into the prepared container.
Advantages
There are two types of honey extractor design – radial and chordal. We will be engaged in the manufacture of radial, and here’s why:
- Radial honey extractor provides more productivity with the same design dimensions.
- A device equipped with an electric motor allows you to quickly cope with pumping and get honey. Whereas the manual drive is ineffective.
- Honey is removed from the frames so high quality that their surface remains clean.
- Thanks to the design device, only the drum rotates during operation. Therefore, the radial honey extractor is more durable and reliable.
- The 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.
Getting Started
To prepare all the necessary details, you need to understand the structure of the structure. Radial honey extractor consists of:
- A container of suitable size, which should completely accommodate the frames.
- Drive mechanism.
- Cassette or stretcher.
Since the device will be in contact with honey, do not use zinc parts. They can oxidize, resulting in spoilage of the product. If you wish, you can paint the container with paint for metal to give it a more aesthetic look.
Necessary parts and accessories
For a homemade honey extractor, the Soviet Siberia or Alma-Ata washing machine is perfect. After reviewing the detailed drawing, we will determine what is needed for assembly:
- Steel beam 4×80 mm, measure the length based on the diameter of the tank. Make holes along the edges and bend them so that you can then fix them on the case.
- If it is a manual drive (which is typical for small volumes), then a metal rod handle will be needed.
- Metal bracket 4×80 mm.
- Steel bars or reinforcement for subframes.
- For the base of the subframes, steel strips 2 mm thick are used.
- Gears of bevel type in the amount of two pieces.
- Steel rod as a shaft.
- Metal plate for the shutter at the bottom of the honey extractor.
Tools
- Vice.
- Welding machine with electrodes.
- Bulgarian.
- Sledgehammer and anvil.
- Soldering iron.
Instructions: making a honey extractor from a washing machine with your own hands
The equipment is manufactured quickly enough, the main thing is to choose all the components correctly so that later you do not have to redo it. Consider how to make a honey extractor with your own hands.
Cassette
A case frame is installed in the cassettes, standard dimensions: 435×300 mm. If you use a purchased frame, then it comes in an even smaller diameter.
Sequence of work:
- Fold a rectangle from corners 550 and 520 mm long, 1 mm thick. For reliability, it is better to fix the structure by welding, but it can also be tightened with bolts.
- In order to stretch the wire mesh into the stretcher, make small holes around the perimeter. Using stainless steel wire, pull it through the holes to form a mesh. In total, you need to make two such grids.
- Make two channels from stainless steel corners 40 mm wide and 1 mm thick.
- Attach homemade mesh between the channels. Weld a strip of steel to one of the ends of the cassette.
- Attach two metal clips from the edge of the cassette to the channel – top and bottom. Later, the structure will be connected to the rotor.
Cassettes are ready. Next, consider how to prepare the tank of the washing machine.
Washing tank conversion
All openings at the bottom of the tank must be insulated. To do this, cut out patches from a metal sheet according to the size of the holes and fix 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 yourself to pump out the honey. Use a drill to drill it into the wall, right near the bottom of the washing machine tub. You can close the edges with a rubber ring, or you can weld a tap, which is conveniently closed if necessary.
If you decide to leave a simple hole, then you will have to attach a metal plate to cover it. It is attached with a bolt. When required to close, rotate the plate to shut off the flow.
Crossbar preparation
For the crossbar, take a metal strip 4 mm thick. The length depends on the diameter of the tank. Make holes along the edges with a drill so that you can install the M10 bolt. Additionally, 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 installation location on the tank. To do this, install the crossbar strictly in the center, mark the places for the holes on the tank with a marker. Use a drill to make holes in the marked places, fix the crossbar with bolts.
Manufacturing of the rotor bar
Take a strip of steel 15-20 mm wide and 4 mm thick. Along the edges of the plank, you need to make a hole.
Now you need to fix the bar. To do this, make a shaft. Take a hairpin and cut a thread on it. Drill a hole in the center of the crossbar fixed to the tank and install the hairpin. Install the bevel gear on top of the stud and grab it with a nut. Attach the rotor bar from below and secure with a lock nut.
It remains to prepare one more bar. You will need a metal strip 600×15 mm. Make holes along the edges and bend them. Now fasten the holes of the rotor bars together with the frame brackets with studs. The mobile structure is ready.
Thanks to the frame rotor device, it is possible to turn over one side or the other. This allows the honey to be extracted from the combs and the frames to dry completely.
Stand
Be sure to make a stable stand under the tank, so that later you can substitute a container for collecting honey. It can be made from a metal rod. Twist the rod ring so that it is slightly larger than the bottom diameter of the tank. The ends are fixed by welding.
From the same rod, make how many 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 to choose? If your speed in the apiary is not too high, it is better to use manual.
The fact is that when installing an 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 incurs a direct loss.
After pumping out the honey, the frames are returned to the hives, where the bees re-pump them with honey if there is a “bribe”. But if it’s a clean frame, the bees need time to build up the comb. Consequently, you are also wasting time and money.
Another thing is a manual drive, where you can independently regulate the work. To make it, fasten the bracket to the crossbar. Then a curved threaded rod is threaded through it. At the end, fix the gear with a nut.
How to install and use a homemade honey extractor
Find out how to properly install a honey extractor.
Place the case on the stand. Check that the structure is stable. Place a large container under the faucet, you can use a saucepan. Install frames with honeycombs into the cassettes and start to actuate the mechanism by turning the handle.
This is how you can make useful beekeeping equipment from unnecessary parts and an old washing machine.