Grundsau

Big gun, I'm aware of that, thanks. That doesn't always work with the ipad for some reason.

The link doesn't seem to be working with the image in my previous post so I'll try it again.

I've put off trying to make an opener for too long and after reading through this thread decided to give it a try. Thanks for pushing me, should have done this years ago. Here are my first four:

Guess I should have worded that differently. I was thinking of replacing it with the expanded metal cage style guard.

It was so warm yesterday that I worked in shorts and a t-shirt. I gave our honeybees sugar syrup which they readily took but am going out now to remove it. Temps are going down to the 20's tonight.

Thanks for the tips. A fan has been running for awhile and things are starting to dry off. There are so many cracks to let in outside air that I'm not sure a light would cover both sections of the shop. T-storms are in the forecast and we are under a flood watch. macbruce, I've been told to ditch that guard. Should I keep it? This summer I'm changing out the spring and adding another adjustable arm on the right side.

Forgot to leave a fan running in the shop yesterday and overnight and have never seen it this bad. Temps went from low 30's to 64 today. Every hunk of metal has condensation and the LG has an interesting silvery sheen to it.

Good stuff to be found here: Page 5 on on at this link has some Nuc info: http://pwrbeekeepers.com/splits-and-nucs-demonstration.pdf More info: http://www.wicwas.com/document%20files/monthly%20articles/larryarticles2006/LarryJuly2006.pdf Michael Palmer video Part 1 of 2: http://vimeo.com/23178333

Albert, you've got the right idea. The Nucs are going to function as support staff for the main hives. I'll keep the Nucs from swarming by pulling brood frames to start more nucs or adding those frames to the main hives. Also for replacement queens and combining with weak hives. Adding the entire Nuc to a main hive to act like a "bee bomb" just before the nectar flows start. Replacements for dead hives. My goal is to have one or more Nucs for each hive this summer. Have you heard of Michael Palmer? He is the Nuc Guru from up north. I'll post some links when I get home. Btw, just checked the bees today. One colony died in a cluster trying to keep brood warm. We are down to 3 hives and 1 Nuc now. The upside is there are now six 10 frame Deeps of drawn comb and capped honey for Spring.

Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! B)

Yeah, I'm learning there's a rash of IFI members with hives... :D :D

Berks Schuylkill Beekeepers Association is hosting an introductory beginners class on 2/16/13 at the Berks County Ag Center Bldg near Leesport, Pa. If you are interested in honeybees then you will find this class helpful. There is a small fee of $20 to help defray expenses. Included is classroom instruction, lunch, a beekeeping mentor, books and literature to get you started. If you would like to attend this seminar or have a question, please call Bill Clements at 610.678.7630. Here is our facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/BerksSchuylkillBeekeepers Check out the attached PDF for more info. 2013 BSBA Beginners Beekeepers course.pdf

Hi Albert, great thread. I'm in Robesonia, Pa. Interesting that I just came across your blog last night and didn't realize you were on IFI. Small world... :D Am going into my third year with bees and have 4 main hives and 1 Nuc for now. Lost one colony due to a failing queen in late fall. Have 6 Nucs of Northern bees that were raised close to my geo area on order for May. The plans are to place them in three outyards and grow them into main hives and more Nucs. The colonies in my home yard are going to be split into Nucs and those Nucs will get split one more time this Summer if the weather cooperates. I'd like lots of Nucs to support the main hives. So far the colonies have been treatment free and plan to do that as long as possible. I'm not allergic to bees but asked my Dr for an Epi-pen in case of a mass of stings all at once resulting in a compromised airway. Btw, when I move Nucs or main hives, 1/8" hardware cloth gets placed in the openings during the night and then I ratchet strap the hive together. They get to breathe and everything stays together during transport. I'm going to make another thread about our club's beginner beekeeping class on 2/16. This is an early Fall Summer shot of our home yard. The hive closest to the camera is a Nuc started in early August. It's a divided 2- story 10 frame deep. One side is filled with sawdust. The other side has 4 frames in each box. I eventually added another divided Deep super and gave them 4 more frames of honey.

Thanks those are some good options also. My contact thinks the legs can be made wider on the Paschal candle stand and will re-measure the location it is going. I picked up 2 - 5' sections of 1" pipe today and was told it is schedule 40. Tried flattening four sides and also tapering it down. Will do more tomorrow with it. In the attached photo is what I did with a light hammer. I may have hammered it too much on the sides. Didn't have enough time to fill in the shadows with light but all four sides look like the top side. Also for fun I got the other end under the little giant. Squoosh!

Before I start making design elements permanent can someone provide some input on stability of the Paschal candlestand. The footprint is 13" max with an overall height of 48" to the candle socket and will have a 2.5" wide, 30" tall candle. I was thinking of 5/8" solid bar for the center and solid 1/2" legs. No tubing for this piece. Seems like it will be unstable. 3/4" for the center seems a bit heavy. Am considering asking if they will allow the foot print to be expanded to 16" in diameter. I'd make the footprint in the 20" range if I didn't have the size constraints.

All great ideas. Thanks. Unfortunately the church is in Maryland but my contact may bring a candle stand or two up to me. They don't want it too ornate and weight is a factor. The Paschal candle stand currently is made of thin wall brass. These are some of the specs I have to follow. It stands next to a baptismal and the legs can be no wider than 13". It's candle is 2.5" wide. The current drip pan is 9" wide and I was going to use my swage block to make a 7" wide drip pan. The candel that will be held and carried during the service fits onto a 43.5" tall stand. Here are some camera phone shots that were sent to me. Candle stand that has removable candle to be carried Paschal candle

Thanks Mark. How do you feel about the pipe being used as a handle that acts as a sleeve to fit down over the center upright?

I was asked to replace some brass styled candle stands with iron stands in a church. From the photos I have seen the church is older with a lot of stone. They feel that iron, rather than brass, will go better with the overall style of the church building. There is a Paschal candle stand and a shorter one that need to be in two pieces for ease of lighting. The Paschal stand is 4' tall but the candle must be approx 30". The shorter candle stand must also come apart with a short hand hold under the drip pan so it could be carried during service. Both stands are for single candles. Their complaint about what thecurrent stands are that the brass candle stands screw together and always sit tilted at an angle. The new design they like is with three legs and a center shaft of 3/4" or 1" material. And then they told me about the ability to take them apart. These candles are tall and need to be secured so they don't fall but this has me stumped. Maybe a section of pipe with an ID that snugly slips down over the central shaft. But how do you put hammer marks on a pipe without distorting the round shape?

Looks great!

Even though this is an old thread, someone else may benefit from this info. Contact Jay Hayes. His info is at this link: http://www.habairon.org/Sept03/HABA-Hayes_Forge_List.pdf

Looks great! I like the upset feet and have got to try my hand at collaring.

Was finally able to give the candle holder as a gift tonight and he really liked it. Made all the effort worthwhile to see someone appreciate what you put into it. Next project starts on Wed.

Here is the studio shot.

Thanks for the kind words. :P Looking forward to new creations in the new year.

Hiya Lars, welcome to the Hood! You were just a bit south of me, I'm near the Lancaster, Berks and Lebanon County marker. The Lancaster area is a nice place to sightsee. Have you gotten hooked up with a local blacksmith group yet?