To Greet Heath Robinson

Yesterday I was making beeswax foundation out of re-cycled wax.

When the sheets had cooled they were removed from the mould and then trimmed to the right size.

However the beeswax sheets are not particularly strong and they benefit from some wire re-enforcement.

But how do you get wire in to beeswax?

Here is a piece of apparatus I made some forty years ago and it has been in use ever since. It is just a piece of flat timber with another narrow plank hinged to it. The wire can then be threaded over the wax sheet and hinged bit of timber forced down to pull the wire tight.

The really clever bit is running an electric current through the wire at the same time and which causes it to heat up.

The wire then melts itself in to the wax sheet.

I will just go and get my anorak....