Uncapping Knife, Sheath and Boiler c. 1910-1940
P20060005002-3

These specialized tools were made for use by an unknown beekeeper. Beekeepers used specialized, heated knives such as these to manually remove "cappings" from frames within a bee hive. Cappings are thin wax seals which the bees create to seal their honey in individual storage cells.

The uncapping operation is the first step in the honey extraction process and is carried out with greater ease with a heated knife. Today, beekeepers have the option of using electric knives as a source of continuous heat, but in the early 20th century, a small boiler and condenser, such as this one, were used for the job. Steam from the boiler was channeled through a tube and into the knife, heating the knife as it entered and exited.

This knife and boiler were located by donor Emanuel Cohen in a line riders' shack deep in the Little Bow River Valley approximately twenty miles east of Carmangay. The shack was originally constructed as part of the historic "O" (Circle) Ranch. Cohen's father, Hyman Cohen, bought sixteen sections of the former ranch's grazing land from the estate of Nels Sokvitney in 1941/42. Today, the site of the shack is underwater, located at the foot of an irrigation dam east of Little Bow Provincial Park.

Donated by Emanuel Cohen