How to Use an Electric Uncapping Knife

Plug the electric uncapping knife into a socket and place it on a hot pad while it heats up. Electric uncapping knives with an adjustable thermostat should be set to medium high.

Hold your hand an inch above the blade of the knife to feel for heat. Most uncapping knives are at heat temperature after two to three minutes.

Rest the bottom end of the honeycomb on the inner rim of a clean bucket.

Place the hot blade of the uncapping knife at the base of the honeycomb and slide it gently back and forth as you move upward through the top layer of wax.

Keep the knife parallel to the wood frame holding the comb as you slide through the cap all the way to the top. The wax cap and some honey will fall into the clean bucket below.

Examine the surface of the honeycomb and slice deeper into waxy areas where the honey is still held in by the cap.

Spin the wood frame around and slice off the wax cap on the other side in the same manner starting at the bottom.

Look for areas that need to be uncapped with a deeper slice of the electric heated knife.

Allow all the wax from the blade of the electric uncapping knife to drip into the bucket before unplugging it and placing it back on the hot pad to cool.

Lower the uncapped honeycomb frames into a centrifuge to spin out the remaining honey.