AsadirectresultofproducingthepageonAluminium?Cored?FoundationIreceivedEmailfromBrianCramptosaythathehadsamplesofthematerial.IwasduetometBrianwithinafewdaysandheagreedtohavethesampleswithhimonthatoccasion.
WemetafewdayslaterandIwassurprisedtoseethatthesampleshehadwerenotwhatIwasexpecting.Theywerepartialdepthhoneycombcompletewithwoodenframes.
Idulysatdownwithmyverniercalipersandmadeadimensioneddrawingofthetwoframes.OnewasB.S.shallowandhaddronesizedcellsandtheotherwasB.S.deepwithworkersizedcells.
ThetwophotographshavebeenprovidedbyBrianandhavebeencutinhalftosaveloadingtime.Thetwoarereproducedataboutthesamescale.
TheframesweregiventoBrianintheearly1960sbyBeo?CooperandapparentlywerecommonintheDerbyshireareaupuntilthattime.Thedrawingshownbelow,thatIhaveproducedfromthedetailsthatIrecorded,showsthemethodofconstruction.
Thecombisinthreepieces...Acentralflatsheetofaluminium0.24mm(0.010")thicknessflankedbytwopanels5.00mmthickformedlikeradiatorcoolingfinsandtiedtogetherbysteeltierodsthatwerecrimpedattheend.Thetierodswereinthetopandbottomrowsofcellsandinthecaseofthedeepsheettherewasathirdtierodalongthecentralrowofcells.Thecellsthathadthetierodsinhadbeenfilledwithpropolisuptothelevelofthetheleveloftherod.(thiscanbestbeseenintheshallowframephoto).Thewholeassemblywasheldtogetherbybroadlygroovedwoodenframeparts.
Dimensions
Workercells...5.00mmpitchinhorizontaldirection,diagonals4.75mmand4.80mm.
Dronecells...6.35mmpitch,diagonalsboth6.20mm.
Totalcombthickness...10.2mminbothworkeranddronecases.
Cellwallthickness...Thiswasextremelydifficulttomeasurebecausethealuminiumwasverycorrodedwithwhiteandgreypowderydeposits.Apartfromthecorrosionitappearedthatthestripsofaluminiumalsovariedconsiderablyinthickness.Thethinnestbeing0.1mm(0.004")thethickestwas0.2mm(0.008")withthemajorityofmeasurementscloseto0.125mm(0.005").Itshouldalsobeappreciatedthatalltheverticalcellwallswereoftwothicknessesofmetal.Thetwothicknesseseffectivelyreducetheworkercellbottomsto4.9mm,withthedronesizeeffectively6.2mm.
Itisthoughtthattheitemswereoldatthetimeofbeingwithdrawnfromservice,butIdonotknowhowold.HoweverthewoodworkwasinaworsestateofdecaythansomesamplesthatIhavefromthe1920sand1930s.SuchdecayisnotconclusiveasIhavenoknowledgeofthestorageconditionsotherthanthattheyhavebeeninBrian'sshedsincetheearly1960s.Thesampleshadbeenusedandhadfragmentsofwaxcellwallsonsomeoftheedges.Thebluntsquareendedcellsappeartohavebeenusedatthisshapebythebeesastherewasnoevidenceofroundinginanyofthecellsotherthanthosewithtierodsin.
Thisispartialthicknessaluminiumcomb,Ihaveheardofafullwidthversion...Doesanyonehaveanyinformation?Thematerialwasobviouslysuccessfullyusedovermanyyears,whichwouldindicatethatthehighthermalconductivitywasnotaproblem.
Update...Ihavereceivedsomemoreinformation,onthistypeofaluminiumcomb,fromRobertBrenchley.Itcomesfromabook"BeekeepingforAll"writtenbyTicknerEdwardesandpublishedbyMethuenin1923.ThecombisdescribedandillustratedandIquoteafewsentenceshere:-
TheMetal-Comb
"SinceitsintroductioninAmericasomefourorfiveyearsago,bee-keepershavewatchedwithkeeninterestdevelopmentsintheproductionofanartificialcombmadeofmetalorsimilarthinmaterialasasubstituteforthenaturalcombmadeofwax.湖北天马养蜂场,加我们的微信一起学养蜂。
Inmodernintensivebee-culturethenaturalcombhasmanydisadvantages.Inworkingforrun-honey,naturallybuiltcombistoofrailtostandthepullofthecentrifugalextracting-machine,andithastobereinforcedbyatroublesomesystemofwiring."
Thatputsthedateat1918or1919.Iwonderwhatthe"similarthinmaterials"were?Thematerialwasknownas"'Semi-Comb"(Isurmiseduetoitbeinghalfthethicknessofafullydrawnbroodcomb).TicknerEdwardesmentionstheconductivityofsuchaluminiumcomb,butheonlyusesthecharacteristicto"sabrerattle"ononeofhispetdislikes...'Singlewalled'versus'doublewalled'hives.