Bee smoker - or steaming up the smoke

[trampledbygeese]

Continuing along the theme of Steampunking up the apiary  http://brassgoggles.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,36414.0.html, I would like to start a thread about making some unusual bee smokers.

I have two ideas that I want to make, no budget, and about two weeks worth metal shop class back in high school.  So, any help you can lend me would be a great, well, um, help.  Especially tips about safety and working with metal and so forth.

True, a smoker already looks rather steampunk, but surely we have the skills and knowhow necessary to make this generic device something extra special.  Just need a little bit of inspiration. 

I've managed to scavenge a great deal of brass and bits of plumbing at yard sales.  So, add some tin cans to the mix, and I should have enough to make these.  There is also a small amount of solder and soldering iron in the shop.

The first smoker is described in Abbe Warre's book Beekeeping for All.  He has a couple of drawings of it in his book.  It's small, bellows driven and would be perfect for the small time bee keeper.  It looks to be a predecessor to the modern smoker, and was popular in the UK about the turn of the last century. 



He describes this as using "rolls of corrugated paper or cheap cloth (from wrappings, old sacks)."  Unlike modern smokers, these are held horizontally when smoking and stand upright with it's nozel in the air when not in use.

This link has an interesting diagram of how it's constructed. http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/smok.html

I like the look of this as the motion to use the bellows would be much easier on arthritic hands.

The other smoker I hope to make would be a larger, ground model with a foot bellows and long pipe.  I'm not really sure how to make this, but I was thinking of using an old kettle as the firebox. 

So what do you think?  What would you do to steampunk a smoker given the chance?  Anything I should know about soldering brass together?

[Atterton]

Do I spot the word "clockwork" in that article?

[trampledbygeese]

Do I spot the word "clockwork" in that article?

There is a clockwork smoker - one I would dearly like to make one day - but according to Warre, the noise annoys the bees. 

I have some old clock parts from manual alarm clocks... some of the springs are in tact.  Any thought on how to make a clock work fan?  Perhaps one could wind up the clockwork, then have a little leaver to turn the fan on, have it go at a stead and slow speed, then use the little leaver to turn it off when not needed? 

This is a bit beyond my skill set at the moment... but I'm hoping that won't last long and by this winter, I'll be playing with all manner of clockwork.

[trampledbygeese]

So, for the hand held smoker, here are some brass bits I've come across that I would like to use.





The brass tube is from the plumbing section and goes on the end of a drain (perhaps bathtub?) and is 1.5" inner diameter.  This would make a good start for the fire box.

For the funnel part (nozel) I was thinking of using the remains of this candle stick and cutting off the candle holder part.  The candlestick is hollow almost through to the end, so no need to drill a hole.

Maybe the sheet brass from this dried flower holder would work for sealing up the other end of the fire box.  I could also use this sheet brass for attaching the fire box to the bellows and the hand guard.  Although, I hesitate to cut it up as I don't know if it's worth anything as it is, or if it's a dime a dozen tourist item.

Now, the tough part, learning how to solder.  If I solder brass to brass, is it the same process as soldering brass to other metal?  

What safety precautions should I know before I jump in and solder?

Apparently I need to go get some propane before I learn to solder.  So I won't be doing anything until tomorrow afternoon or evening.  But I can get the pieces to the right shape in the mean time.

edit for spelling - did I mention I'm dyslexic?  Sorry about that.

[Shadow Of The Tower]

Soldering dissimilar metals presents some challenges, mainly the rate of thermal conduction between them.  If you heat steel and copper to the same temp the copper will be too hot while the steel is just warming up so you need to take that into account. If you stick with just copper and brass you won't have to worry too much since they have similar thermal properties.

Also...flux flux flux, it is your friend. Its better you have messy joint that is strong and can be cleaned up than one that falls apart.

And now that I think of it lead/tin solder may not work for any part that gets very hot. Soft solider usually melts around the same temperature that wood/paper burns.

But, as to bee smokers I'm sure you know that the smoke needs to be cool smoke or rather than smoking the bees you will be burning them alive.  This makes me think of having a second cooling stage on your nozzle, possible made from a coil of copper pipe or some kind of heat sink.

Or, and here is radical thought, force the smoke to bubble through a clear container of water...bong style.

Personally as steampunk as smokers are I never use one. My bees are pretty tame I never wear a veil or gloves and they never seem to get upset.  I get stung about once a month but I'd rather put up with that than hassle with protective gear.

[trampledbygeese]

The only metal that is not brass or copper, that I plan to use is chrome plated steal.  Somehow I think it's going to cause more trouble than it's worth to work with that, so I hope to find something else I can use instead.  Might head back to the plumbing section tomorrow to see what I can find.

I was worried about the heat of the smoke too.  From the description in the book, this smoker works best with tightly rolled up paper or cloth for fuel, the fuel is no further than 2/3rds from the end of the firebox.  I'm hoping that the fire won't be too hot and the hozel will be long enough to cool down the smoke.  But I'll just have to try it and see I guess.

Really like the bong idea.  Going to have to incorporate that into the floor model smoker.

I know eventually, I'll be confident enough I won't want to bother with a smoker, but as a rank beginner, I think I need the comforts like hat, net, smoker, possibly some gloves.  Oh, and an apron for harvesting and processing. I hate getting all sticky.

[Shadow Of The Tower]

I know eventually, I'll be confident enough I won't want to bother with a smoker, but as a rank beginner, I think I need the comforts like hat, net, smoker, possibly some gloves.  Oh, and an apron for harvesting and processing. I hate getting all sticky.

My advice is to have all that ready but don't actually smoke unless it seems like you need to. If you start working the hive and bees get aggressive you can always give them some smoke at that point. 

It also depends on how much you like to play with your bees.  A full inspection with lots of angry bees and smoke sets the hive back a day or so in productivity. An inspection where the bees never become alarmed has little to no effect.  I like to check my hives every other day or so just to see whats going on. If I smoked them every-time they would never get anything done. Not that they've done much this year. Due to rain and cold weather they have zero honey stored at this time and needed twenty five pounds of sugar per hive just to keep them going.

Remember, the whole purpose of the smoke is to mask the alarm pheromones so that the bees that attack you/get crushed can't warn the whole hive. If you never set off the bees in the first place all it does is confuse them.

Good luck with the whole project though. Beekeeping is a lot of fun. Its a lot like gardening except the bees do all the work and you don't have to pull weeds. Instead of a few fruits and veggies you get sweet syrup that lasts for years and can be turned into alcohol.  

Another bit of beginner advice. If at all possible start with at least two hives. That way if one hive has problems you can give it resources from the other hive and your less likely to lose all your bees from a single mistake or disaster.

[von Corax]

Also, be sure to read up on your provincial bee regulations. I don't know how it is in BC, but in Ontario all beekeepers are required by law to be registered (although the fee is trivial, like $25 or something like that.) There are other restrictions eg. no fixed-frame hives, no selling honey in reused containers etc. but also some distinct privileges, such as that fruit growers are prohibited from spraying while their trees are in blossom; other farmers must give you at least 24 hrs. notice before spraying, and if your bees swarm they still belong to you so you have the right to chase them across the neighbours' without being arrested for trespassing.

[trampledbygeese]

The laws in BC are a bit less strict, but there is a whole heap of extra laws on the island where I live. 

Little things like all bees, bee equipment, &c. has to be inspected if it is going to be moved more than so many meters is a provincial thing.  Big things like no imports/exports of hive equipment on or off the island is really strongly enforced.  We have a quarantine zone here so that any bees we want to import from outside the island can only come from one or two other countries like New Zealand and never from the rest of Canada.  Of course they changed the laws slightly about 6 months ago, so I'll have a talk with the local bee guy and see what I need to know before I order my nucs.