Hoffman Converter Clips

[Thymallus]

Any one got any experience with these? Thrones go round the side of the frame and increase the internal width by a fraction (shouldn't be a problem), C Wynn Jones sell ones that clip over the top leaving an extra bit of plastic sitting on top. I'm favoring Thornes at the moment as I'm on bottom bee space and I can see the Jones ones possibly causing a problem when scraping wax/propolis off the top of the frames. Thought I'd ask if anyone who uses/used them has any thoughts on them.

 

[Arfermo]

I've got some but gave up using them years ago. Mostly proper hoffmans now except in supers. Some BBs still have castellations in them too. Don't find that a problem though best to keep to one sort of frame in each brood box as using plastic spacers can be fiddly during an inspection.

 

[MuswellMetro]

hmmmm, some frames from a retailer in gloucestershire have slightly wider SN1 sides so the convertor are a Bug**** to fit but other from that lincolnshire firm if seconds are liable to shrink so the convertors slipdown and end up in the super or in the extractor

so you end up tacking the covertor to the side bars which is time consuming and you always miss at least one that falls off and blocks the extractor tap

so SN5 (wide bar hofmans) or SN7 (wide bar Manleys) is what i use

 

[Cazza]

Any one got any experience with these? Thrones go round the side of the frame and increase the internal width by a fraction (shouldn't be a problem), C Wynn Jones sell ones that clip over the top leaving an extra bit of plastic sitting on top. I'm favoring Thornes at the moment as I'm on bottom bee space and I can see the Jones ones possibly causing a problem when scraping wax/propolis off the top of the frames. Thought I'd ask if anyone who uses/used them has any thoughts on them.

The over the top ones are fine, no problems using them.
Cazza

 

[Thymallus]

Thanks, the Jones ones are far cheaper...

 

[Erichalfbee]

hmmmm, some frames from a retailer in gloucestershire have slightly wider SN1 sides so the convertor are a Bug**** to fit

I had a batch of the spacers that were narrower and wouldn't clip over the side bars. They were only a few and I couldn't remember where I bought them....at a show somewhere.
The Thorne's ones are fine.
I use SN1s and get foundation drawn out on Hoffman space before it goes into 10 frame castellations. I also have a box or two of supers I keep if I need to add more space to the brood box.

 

[Barbarian]

Slight problem with the Thornes type. In position, the triangular edge does not have its apex lined up on the centre of the frame edge.

No such thing with the W Jones. The W Jones type is a harder plastic ---- hammered fingers !! and bent gimps.

 

[itma]

Any one got any experience with these? Thrones go round the side of the frame and increase the internal width by a fraction (shouldn't be a problem), C Wynn Jones sell ones that clip over the top leaving an extra bit of plastic sitting on top. I'm favoring Thornes at the moment as I'm on bottom bee space and I can see the Jones ones possibly causing a problem when scraping wax/propolis off the top of the frames. Thought I'd ask if anyone who uses/used them has any thoughts on them.

You don't say what you intend using them for.

In general avoid.

I use them for one specific job.
Starting the drawing of new super frames. On hoffmans they fit 12 to a box, so the bees have little option but to draw them straight.
Once drawn (but not filled or capped) the clips are removed and the SN1 frames moved to 10-slot castellations for finishing.

I use Thorne's and pin them on with 1 drawing pin.
Used clips go into my washing soda bucket for a couple of days, and get a scrub before reuse -- I'd like them clean, if only to ease getting 12 frames into the box ...

 

[Thymallus]

You don't say what you intend using them for.

In general avoid.

I'm in the process of converting all my National brood frames to Hoffman, but started many years ago with plastic ends on DN1's (it's a long story.....). Currently I have a mixture of both which isn't ideal. Wanted to get everything standardized and this seemed the easiest compromise......short of scrapping a few hundred DN1's and starting afresh.

A quick thank you to all for the sound advice offered to date on the issue.

 

[itma]

You may find that, being in the brood box for a long time, the clips attract a lot of action with propolis, due to intrusion into beespace. And the bees may glue the clips better to something else than the frame they are supposed to be attached to ...

 

[itma]

I'm in the process of converting all my National brood frames to Hoffman...

Worthy aim though!

 

[Thymallus]

....I rue the day, several years ago, when an experienced beek insisted to a raw recruit that plastic ends were the only way to do it, anything else got stuck together and couldn't be lifted out for examination. Bloody idiot (that's me) for listening to him

 

[wessexmario]

....I rue the day, several years ago, when an experienced beek insisted to a raw recruit that plastic ends were the only way to do it, anything else got stuck together and couldn't be lifted out for examination. Bloody idiot (that's me) for listening to him

When buying new frames I've standardised with Hoffmans and Manleys, and also have quite a few old SN1s with plastic spacers.
The Manleys are good once they're all drawn, but the increased depth does initially invite irregular comb, when drawing new foundation I often get the bees hanging an extra layer of comb between two Manleys.
I still like the plastic end spacers, it's good having two sizes of them, which is an easy fix for that particular problem for super frames.

An improvement for the spacers would be if they were moulded with one pointy end (like a Hoffman).

 

[Barbarian]

More confusion I am afraid.

After years of using Hoffmans in my National BB, I am now changing to DN1's and 11's castellations.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I'm hopeless at tilting the frames when removing them without rolling bees in a castellated box, though some folk seem to have no problem. Even then how do you get just a middle frame out? I won't use them in the brood box!

 

[Thymallus]

More confusion I am afraid.

After years of using Hoffmans in my National BB, I am now changing to DN1's and 11's castellations.

I know quite a few people who use 11 spaced castellations. I think at the end of the day it comes down to personal preference. The bees seem to survive quite well despite whatever we use.

 

[alanf]

...C Wynn Jones sell ones that clip over the top leaving an extra bit of plastic sitting on top...

I have some of those, mostly for slipping the odd SN1/DN1 into a brood box (drone culling frame, QC carrier bar, frames from elsewhere or whatever). Seem to work fine for that, the extra plastic over the top is only a mm or so and sits in the beespace of the box or crown board over the top.