Wax Dipping FH 2 Araucaria - Splitting Issues?

Modifications & Building Bee Hives
1

Hello,
I’ve got a brand new FH 2 Araucaria and am looking into wax dipping the woodenware. I found a guy who’s dipped a few Flow Hives, but he warned me that they can split around the sight windows. Mainly because this is where 2 pieces were glued together. He dips at 150-160 deg C.

I looked at my pieces and couldn’t find any seams… Has anyone encountered any splitting issues when dipping their Araucaria boxes? Were older designs made of glued pieces?

Thanks,
Andy

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The boxes should be assembled prior to dipping (but I wouldn’t have the any plastic pieces on there) so it shouldn’t split too bad. A little crack won’t be more than a cosmetic issue and even if it goes all the way through, the bees will seal it up from the inside.

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Hey Andy,
I’ve dipped quite a few Flow hives including the FH2. I have noticed on some the join to which you refer, though it hasn’t caused an issue. I only dip fully assembled equipment with plastic bits removed at 145°-155° for 10minutes.
Cheers,
Mike

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Hi @chau06 @aussiemike - thanks for the info. I’m thinking that since my frames don’t have such joint, I should be ok.
Thanks again!

Andy

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Hi Andy,
We recommend a couple of coats of decent outdoor paint for our Araucaria hives, but would love to hear how your wax dipped ones go over time.
Looking forward to updates :slight_smile:

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Hi Mike

Do you have any pics of dipped FH2 - Araucaria?

I am looking at dipping one for a customer.

Wonder how it changes the colour?
They just want it dipped.

I heard someone recommended painting the roof.
Thanks

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Hey Peter,
I don’t have any pics. When first dipped it’ll have a slight golden hue, but will darken over time. I’ve never had a call from anyone complaining about the change in colour. I tell them it will happen, but that they’ll never have to refinish or replace.
It’s not a bad idea to paint the roof a light colour to reflect heat. The roof darkens the most. I always leave the painting to the customer. They bring everything they need and I provide a space to roll the paint on while the wood is hot out of the wax.
Mike

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So an update on dipping my FH2 -

It did split in one vulnerable spot during the process, even with extra wood strips for reinforcement (pic 1):

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But it did look great for the first year or so (pic 2):

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This it it today, after ~1.5 years in the coastal SoCal environment (pic 3):

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Thanks Mike.
Appreciate the response.
Will post pics when dipped