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Author Topic: Is there a cheaper way to label your boxes and frames?  (Read 6361 times)

Offline Mek

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Is there a cheaper way to label your boxes and frames?
« on: August 29, 2012, 12:25:22 am »
Just wondering is there a cheaper way to label your boxes. Not too sure if I should invest in a brand.


Offline JPBEEGETTER

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Re: Is there a cheaper way to label your boxes and frames?
« Reply #1 on: August 29, 2012, 12:36:37 am »
I bought a propane branding iron off ebay for $60. had 3 initials on it . Instead of having new ones made. I used what was there. WSE. was somebodys initials , but what the heck. I had regestered as We Sting Everyone...   cool huh?  look on ebay might find another one... JPP
P.S.  the head on Mann lake is $199.00.

Offline Joe D

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Re: Is there a cheaper way to label your boxes and frames?
« Reply #2 on: August 29, 2012, 01:16:22 am »
It may be a good idea but I have all my hives on my land or friends and I don't worry about them getting stolen.  You can take a soidering iron and burn anything you want in it, or cut a design with chisel.



Joe

Offline Intheswamp

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Re: Is there a cheaper way to label your boxes and frames?
« Reply #3 on: August 29, 2012, 10:54:25 am »
Here's a post I made regarding my brand...it was around $55.  There are other folk's experiences, too.  There was one brand on there that was economical with sharp lettering that was a craigslist item but the link has expired now.

http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,38313.msg321312.html#msg321312

Best wishes,
Ed

Btw, did you know that you were "Hopelessly Lost"? :)
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American blood spilled to protect the freedom and peace of people all over the world.  320,000 USA casualties in WWI, 1,076,000 USA casualties in WWII, 128,000 USA casualties in the Korean War, 211,000 casualties in the Vietnam "conflict", 57,000 USA casualties in "War on Terror".  Benghazi, Libya, 13 USA casualties. These figures don't include 70,000 MIA.  But, the leaders of one political party of the United States of America continue to make the statement..."What difference does it make?".

"We can't expect the American People to jump from Capitalism to Communism, but we can assist their elected leaders in giving them small doses of Socialism, until they awaken one day to find that they have Communism."..."The press is our chief ideological weapon." - Nikita Khrushchev

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Offline ch.cool

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Re: Is there a cheaper way to label your boxes and frames?
« Reply #4 on: August 29, 2012, 11:27:30 am »
Hi,

look at Woodcraft for branding letters
ch.cool

Offline Mek

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Re: Is there a cheaper way to label your boxes and frames?
« Reply #5 on: August 30, 2012, 10:32:58 pm »
Lol, yes I realised I was hopelessly lost... its a reuirement for my state (Australia ueensland)  to have the hives labeled with your brand. I've already spent $700.00 on euipment and safety gear; so when I found out that a proper brand is about $130.00.  I was really sad. Because it was 18.5% of what I've already spent and I reckon I would prefer to spend it more boxes.

Offline duck

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Re: Is there a cheaper way to label your boxes and frames?
« Reply #6 on: August 30, 2012, 10:43:37 pm »
find a welding shop with a plasma cutter, get someone to cut initials out of 1/4" plate.. then have them weld together with a piece of flat bar on the back like a T, then attach to handle.

Offline AllenF

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Re: Is there a cheaper way to label your boxes and frames?
« Reply #7 on: August 30, 2012, 10:54:45 pm »
I use a Sharpie marker.    :-D

Offline Intheswamp

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Re: Is there a cheaper way to label your boxes and frames?
« Reply #8 on: August 31, 2012, 10:40:10 am »
I use a Sharpie marker.    :-D
I'm looking at a Sharpie as I type this  and it does say *permanent*!!!   8-)

Ed
www.beeweather.com 
American blood spilled to protect the freedom and peace of people all over the world.  320,000 USA casualties in WWI, 1,076,000 USA casualties in WWII, 128,000 USA casualties in the Korean War, 211,000 casualties in the Vietnam "conflict", 57,000 USA casualties in "War on Terror".  Benghazi, Libya, 13 USA casualties. These figures don't include 70,000 MIA.  But, the leaders of one political party of the United States of America continue to make the statement..."What difference does it make?".

"We can't expect the American People to jump from Capitalism to Communism, but we can assist their elected leaders in giving them small doses of Socialism, until they awaken one day to find that they have Communism."..."The press is our chief ideological weapon." - Nikita Khrushchev

"Always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they wont come to yours." - Yogi Berra

Offline mudlakee

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Re: Is there a cheaper way to label your boxes and frames?
« Reply #9 on: September 23, 2012, 05:51:09 pm »
The only thing I have found PERMANENT are taxes, Sorry I live in NY  Tony

Offline JPBEEGETTER

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Re: Is there a cheaper way to label your boxes and frames?
« Reply #10 on: September 23, 2012, 06:32:15 pm »
Before I branded minr , I was gone to give my daughter her birthday  meal at Longhorn Steak house , When we got back home someone had pulled down on my property and loaded up four hives. Each one was @2) 9 5/8 and (2) 6 5/8 full of honey and bees. Was  June 27th so you know there was lots of honey in them .. Makes that branding Iron pretty dam cheap. Plus can paint over Sharpies reall easy...But I guess you know what they are worth..

Offline AllenF

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Re: Is there a cheaper way to label your boxes and frames?
« Reply #11 on: September 23, 2012, 06:50:09 pm »
It takes a lot of paint to cover over a lot of sharpie and it is hard to do with bees on the frames.   

Offline hardwood

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Re: Is there a cheaper way to label your boxes and frames?
« Reply #12 on: September 23, 2012, 08:07:10 pm »
I use sharpies to temporarily mark my lids (which I want to graft from etc.). The sun bleaches it off within a month.

Scott
"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...And we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

Theodore Roosevelt 1907

Offline derekm

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Re: Is there a cheaper way to label your boxes and frames?
« Reply #13 on: September 24, 2012, 03:40:30 pm »
Lol, yes I realised I was hopelessly lost... its a reuirement for my state (Australia ueensland)  to have the hives labeled with your brand. I've already spent $700.00 on euipment and safety gear; so when I found out that a proper brand is about $130.00.  I was really sad. Because it was 18.5% of what I've already spent and I reckon I would prefer to spend it more boxes.
how do those regs square with having poly hives?
If they increased energy bill for your home by a factor of 4.5 would you consider that cruel? If so why are you doing that to your bees?

Offline JPBEEGETTER

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Re: Is there a cheaper way to label your boxes and frames?
« Reply #14 on: September 24, 2012, 03:52:01 pm »
Allen , who cares about sharpie ing the frames .. just the hives...frames dime a dozen. way I make them ,, but not hive bodies...

Offline JPBEEGETTER

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Re: Is there a cheaper way to label your boxes and frames?
« Reply #15 on: September 24, 2012, 03:55:16 pm »
You are right Scott , any permanant sharpie is only tem[ory in the  sun's uv...

Offline hardwood

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Re: Is there a cheaper way to label your boxes and frames?
« Reply #16 on: September 24, 2012, 04:11:16 pm »
Two years back there was a rash of commercial hive thefts just north of here. Turned out to be a commercial beekeeper (and prez of the local club) in Putnam County. The only clue they found (and what ultimately put him away) was some smart keep branded the bottom bars of a few of his frames. The thief never looked on the bottoms for marks...only the boxes and top bars.

Scott
"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...And we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

Theodore Roosevelt 1907

Offline JPBEEGETTER

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Re: Is there a cheaper way to label your boxes and frames?
« Reply #17 on: September 24, 2012, 04:13:45 pm »
Here is the iron I bought on e-bay , I know this type and price are not out there every day but if I had this 6/27/2010, I probably would not have los t about $2,000. worth of honey and hives...










What I paid for the branding iron was a lot less than what I lost so make up your own mind what they are worth. basic arithmethic..