Must Wire be Embedded?

[FrogPond]

I need to wire some foundation in frames (have never done that before) and want to know if embedding the wire is an essential part of the process. I don't have an embedding tool but I was told the wire would heat up with a car battery current.
  I am putting together frames for my deep supers (i.e. brood frames) and will not be extracting. The foundation I have has vertical wires in embedded in the foundation.
  While I am on the subject, does the foundation for honey supers differ from the foundation in brood chambers? Do you skip the wire? I have been wondering about dealing with the wire when it comes time to extract honey.
  Thanks for any advice... This is a great way to learn!

[SherryL]

To answer your second question first Charley - 'yes and no'.  Some honey super foundation has wires - those are the ones you use for extracting, some don't have wires - those are the foundations you use for cut comb honey.

As for the brood foundation.  Did you say it's already wired?  Mine come pre-wired in a sort of "W" pattern, but I don't see anything wrong with vertical wiring, I think that's pretty standard.  

To answer your first question - yes - if you're going to wire your own, for greater stability, it should be imbedded.  I don't have one either or I'd let you borrow it!  :)

[Michael Bush]

IMO what matters is that the foundation doesn't buckle before the bees draw it.  Some of this is timing.  If you put the foundation in too soon when the bees aren't drawing then it can end up buckled.  If you put it in and they quickly draw it then wire is irelevant.  Embedding the wire is just another step down the same path.  The best way to insure it won't buckle is to embedd it.  If the bees draw it quickly enough, THEY will embedd it and it won't matter.  I used to do an "X" with one wire on each side and not embedd.  It worked as long as the bees drew it quickly enough.  WHEN I use foundation (which I hardly ever do anymore) I do embedd it with an electric embedder that I bought from Walter T. Kelly and modified by adding more "legs".  Mostly I use foundationless mediums with no wire.

http://www.bushfarms.com/images/WireEmbedder.JPG
http://www.bushfarms.com/images/Foundation49.jpg

[Jon McFadden]

I use plain foundation. The vertical (crimped) wires are meant to be fixed by a piece of the top bar called a wedge. It’s a small cleat that is almost sawn off one side of the top  bar.
My frames are used for both brood and extracting. I use 4 wires in my deep frames and 2 wires in mediums.
A 12 volt battery charger is all that's needed. Yes a car battery will work, too. The battery will have to be charged somehow.
If there is any interest, I will share the construction of my embedding board. It isn't any different than any other that I have seen except I couldn't find a couple of pieces of phosphor bronze, so I used cloths pin springs to make the contacts out of. You lay the frame with the foundation inserted in the slot in the top bar. Slide the frame against one contact, then push the other contact into the wire and watch the wax melt. When the wire moves into the wax, you release the contact, let it cool for a second, then do the next one.