Upcoming project

As soon as I have a "usable" kitchen area in our new room ... nothing fancy , just some countertop workspace , sink , stove , and dishwasher . And refrigerator with icemaker ... I have right now at least 40-50 medium frames (quart average) of honey in my hives ready for harvest , and I need an extractor . I have a basic plan in mind that uses 1/4" SS round stock as a major component , and it needs to

what's available from the local yokel , or more to the point how far he'll bend me over ... I can order from the same supplier but they have a minimum . From a little poking around , it looks like 304 might be the best choice due to ductility , weldability , and corrosion resistance in food service . As long as I don't have to machine it ! Is there a better choice ?

Reply to
Terry Coombs
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I have an assortment of TIG and brazing rods in various sizes and alloys that I use to try out ideas and make small projects. Most of it has identifying marks on the ends, the pieces that didn't are now supporting flowers in my sister's garden.

In addition to the common ones like 316L the store manager suggested

312 for repair work:
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The plain steel rod is hard enough as drawn to make punches and pin spanners. 3/16" has been the most useful size.

--jsw

Reply to
Jim Wilkins

"Large 2/4-frame stainless extractor" $99-109 at Walmart, eBay, etc.

4/8 frame (no-name, VIVO, or Hardin) $109-309 via Amazon.com
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Are you building to have fun, or just to GetErDone?

Reply to
Larry Jaques

Probably all around the 304 alloy will be best. 316 is a little better for corrosion resistance but is harder to machine. Be sure to passivate all welds and don't use any sanding discs or grinding wheels that have been used on regular steel. A while back (3 years) I needed to make some special outdoor hangers for my wife and used some 304 I had in stock. 1/4 diameter stuff. It bent pretty easily but for a couple pretty sharp bends I heated it up. After welding I passivated the heat affected zones. They have been outside now here in the PNW and show no signs of corrosion. Eric

Reply to
etpm

Actually I'm going to follow Larry J's suggestion and just buy one . Time is at a premium here right now , and one that will fulfill my needs is just a little over a c-note . If my harvest is anywhere close to projections it will easily pay for itself this season .

Reply to
Terry Coombs

Just check E-bay and Craigslist before buying new.

Dan

Reply to
dcaster

You could probably build a better one, but it would cost at least as much and take lots of your time. I _thought_ you might reconsider, once you realized how cheaply they could be purchased.

Reply to
Larry Jaques

Reply to
etpm

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is my go-to for bee information . Lucky for me there's a guy that posts there that lives here that has been mentoring me . Got that extracter ordered , only a tad over a hundred bucks and it should be just right for my operation . I've also decided that 4 hives is going to be enough for me - original plan was for 8 or10 . An average year with 4 hives should yield about 80 quarts of honey , at 20 bucks (or more) per that's a nice addition to the "vacation fund" .

-- Snag

Reply to
Terry Coombs

I've machined 304. I thought it was kind of hard on tooling, but it worked out.

Reply to
Bob La Londe

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