Honey Straw Filling System Owner’s Manual w/Video (rev. 12/07)

Figure 1

To Order, call 913-206-2188, or by mail:Anthony’s Beehive1804 N1100 Road

Lawrence, KS 66046$600 Total, includes shipping

($300 deposit &$300 due before shipment)

Welcome……..Congratulations on your purchase of our unique

“Goldrush” Honey Straw Filling System. Filling straws at home should prove to be a simple and rewarding ($) process. If you have any questions or problems, please call Tony @ 913-206-2188 or 785-842-9268. Evenings and weekends work best. You can also visit us @ AnthonysKansasHoney.com.

As with any new skill, your success will improve rapidly over time. Most people start out making about 200 straws per hour and improve to around 500 straws per hour. With the NEW “Goldrush 1000”, you should be able to work your way up to 1,000 Honey Straws per hour!

Don’t Forget the Video!

There is a short video clip included on your CD-ROM. It will greatly help you understand the straw-making process. We suggest that you watch the video and read the entire manual before starting to make straws.

Click HERE toView the Video

What You Should Have…… When you unpack your system, you should

have:– System Shelf, Electric Sealer, Electric Hot

Plate, Circuit Protected Power Strip, 2-Part Stainless Steel Honey Reservoir, 3 Hooks, Drill for Pilot Holes for the Hooks, CD-ROM with Instruction Manual, Recipes, and Short Video of the Straw Filling Process, Spare Parts (3 each of Heating Element and Teflon Strips and one extra Silicone Bar), Thermometer, 1,000 Empty Straws, Magnetic Phillips Screwdriver, Magnetic Standard Screwdriver, Circuit Protected Power Strip, and a Thermometer.

Setting Up Your SystemYour Honey Straw Filling System requires very

little assembly. Refer to Figure 1 on page one as a guide. Some important things to make sure you do NOT OVERLOOK are:

Install the 3 hooks (provided) as follows:– Use the included drill bit for pilot holes

as needed– One hook goes in the ceiling above your

work area. This is for draining your manifold and tubing after each use. See Figure 2.

– The other two hooks screw into the front of your work table directly under your sealing mechanism. These hooks provide a place for the manifold to rest when not in use or when loading straws. See Figure 3.

Set the dial on the electric straw sealer to “6”.

Figure 2

Figure 3

Preparing to Make Straws Your system will ONLY work is the HONEY is HEATED. It works

very well at 130 degrees Fahrenheit, but we recommend that you start out 20 to 30 degrees warmer until you develop more skill. That way, the honey in the manifold and tubing does not get too cold. Cool honey doesn’t flow well!

The system uses a double boiler type set-up to heat honey without scorching it. – Start by filling the larger, bottom container just past the first line

with water.– Set the hot plate setting to “LOW”.– Make Certain that the Valve from the Honey Pail is

TURNED OFF, then add Honey to the large bowl. It takes about 1 ½ hours for the honey to reach the desired temperature.

– Use the thermometer to make certain that the honey is at least 130 degrees. Remember that it is best for beginners to work 20 to 30 degrees warmer.

– Add desired flavoring and coloring at this time. Some recipes are included. You can call for others or just experiment.

– Make certain that the dial on the straw sealer is set to “6”– Prepare a bowl with about ¼ cup of warm water and a couple

of paper towels. Spilled honey should be wiped up frequently in order to keep everything working well.

Prime the System OK, the honey is now Warm!

Attach the tubing from the manifold to the barbed fitting on the honey valve as shown in Figure 4.

Once the tubing is attached, slide a straw past the first ridge and stop when it reaches the second ridge of each barbed fitting on the manifold as shown in Figure 5. Repeat for ALL EIGHT FITTINGS

Open all eight valves on the manifold Next, open the valve on the Honey bucket and begin to

squeeze the hand pump. Honey should start to flow through the clear tubing. Continue pumping until the manifold is full and honey begins to show up in the straws. This might take a couple of minutes the first time.

Figure 4

Figure 5

Filling Straws

This is the moment you’ve been waiting for. Honey has begun to appear in the straws. Slowly apply pressure to the pump and watch as the honey moves up the straws as in Figure 6. They will fill at slightly different rates.

As the honey in each straw reaches a point 3/4” below the top of the straw, quickly shut off the valve for that straw. Repeat until all eight valves are shut off. Work the hand pump as needed during this process. You will become very fast at this with a little practice.

You should now have 8 straws, filled with honey to 3/4” from the top, still attached to the manifold, and all eight valves should be SHUT OFF. Overfilled straws will still seal, but they tend to get a little messy.

Figure 6

Sealing the Tops of the Straws

Now that the eight straws are full, the tops must be sealed. Move the manifold with the straws into a horizontal position where the tops of the straws are positioned approximately ½” past the sealer element as shown in Figure 7.

Figure 7 Next, make certain that the dial on the sealer is set to 6.

You might need to adjust this from time to time depending on how well the straws are sealing.

Press down firmly on the sealer handle. Maintain a constant pressure. Releasing too soon will cause the straws to seal incorrectly. You should hear a slight “sizzling” noise followed by a faint “click”.

Hold the handle down firmly for at least 4 seconds after you hear the “sizzle and click”. ====== THIS IS THE NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF STRAWS NOT SEALING PROPERLY. Without this 4 second cooling period, the seals will often re-open when you lift the handle.

Sealing the Bottoms

OK – this is the trickiest part of the process. Position the Bottoms of the straws in the sealer just past the end of the barbed fittings as shown in Figure 8. Again, lower the sealer handle and hold it firmly in place.

IMMEDIATELY pull the manifold STRAIGHT backwards, removing it from the straws in one quick, smooth motion as shown in Figure 9 (remember: this IS the trickiest part of the process, you might want to review the video again before attempting this step.

Just like you did with the tops, hold the handle down for at least FOUR SECONDS AFTER the “sizzle and click” sound.

Figure 8

Figure 9

Congratulations!!! You have just completed your first eight straws! DON’T STOP NOW!

– REPEAT THE PROCESS FOR THE NEXT EIGHT.– THE FASTER YOU WORK, THE WARMER THE HONEY

WILL REMAIN AND THE BETTER RESULTS YOU WILL HAVE.

The key is to find a consistent pace and the right temperature for your skill level.

Don’t forget to hold the sealer handle down FIRMLY for FOUR seconds after the seal is made!

Keep a bowl of clean warm water and a few paper towels nearby.– Keep the machine clean – especially the Teflon Strip!

You will probably want to have a large container nearby to place the completed straws in. They’ll often be a little sticky, but we’ll fix that later.

Preparing System for Next Use Cold honey is the enemy of this entire process.

As soon as you are done making straws, hang the manifold as shown in Figure 2– Use the plastic elbow in the middle of the supply tube

to hang the manifold unit from a hook in the ceiling.– This allows all of the honey to drain back into the reservoir– Make certain that all the valves are open and that neither

end is submerged – otherwise, the honey will not drain Before using the system again, clean the manifold by

pumping hot water through it – especially if you are changing flavors (you could do this by submerging it in your kitchen sink).

Trim and Wash Straws

You will want to wash your straws before selling them, and you will probably want to snip at least one end (the bottom) with a scissors.

The cut ends are GREAT to put outside and feed back to your bees (if you are a beekeeper)!

The dishwasher works OK to clean straws, but drying takes a long time. See Figure 10.

Warm plain water always does a good job on honey clean-up.

Figure 10

Package as Desired You can use your straw sealer to package straws

however you would like. It increases sales to offer things like 10 packs and 50 packs. We often make 6-packs with a printed cardstock insert. These look great and sell even better. Also, some markets do not allow “open air” straws. For these situations, just seal 5 straws in a pack and sell it for $1. Make certain that when you are sealing bags, the sealer is set on 2 or 3. Then turn it back to 6 for straws. A second sealer helps with this process. You will need to purchase a roll of poly bag tubing. www.Uline.com has good pricing and selection of these. One of the best ways to sell straws in a larger store is to make a “bundle”. This involves 5 straws wrapped together with a 2” x 3” label. Only the top 2” x 2” of the label needs to be printed. A UPC bar code can be included.

Troubleshooting Due to the volume of straws being made, your system will

require some troubleshooting and maintenance The most important thing is to keep the sealing area clean.

– Use a paper towel with warm water to wipe up spilled honey as it occurs.

Here are the most common problems and how to correct them– Straws Not sealing

• Make certain that you hold the handle down FIRMLY for 4+ seconds after the “sizzle and click”

• Make certain that the dial is set on 6. Sometimes you have to increase this towards the end of the element’s life.

• The elements seems to be good for 1,000 to 4,000 straws and then they have to be replaced.

– Your system shipped with 3 extra elements– Use a Magnetic Phillips screwdriver (included) to change out the element

» Be careful not to drop the screws inside of the sealer!– Cut a new piece of Teflon tape and replace it at the same time!– Replace the silicon bar about every fourth time that you change elements

» It CAN be turned over after a couple of elements to present a clean side• While your sealer is apart, thoroughly clean as many surfaces as possible

Leakers– You will have some leaky straws. Either reseal these, cut these in

thirds and feed them to your bees or…..JUST EAT THEM! PLEASE feel free to call with questions or problems. Any trouble

that you are having, we have probably dealt with in the past and should have a suggested solution at hand.

Ordering Spare Parts and Supplies –

www.AnthonysBeehive.com Free Shipping via USPS Priority Mail Heating Elements, Teflon Strips, and Silicon Bars - $2.00 each

Straws – one cent each in quantities of 250– Should be available LOCALLY for much less

• Restaurant suppliers sell cases of 12,000 “Jumbo Clear Translucent”. We have used Dixie and Solo.

– Take a sample the first time you go in

Food-Grade Nylon Valves - $10.00 each Handheld Honey Pump - $15.00 New Sealer - $60 (includes shipping) Extra Manifold/Tubing Set-up - $150.00

Other Straw Options and Ideas You can purchase long (10”) straws and do some

creative things with them.– Make long straws that no one else has!– Seal three times to make a standard straw and a

“snippette”.• 1. Fill the straw to within ¾” of the end• 2. Make your FIRST SEAL 3” from the end• 3. Make your SECOND SEAL at the end like always• 4. Make your THIRD and final seal at the bottom just like

always• 5. Cut the straw between the FIRST and SECOND seal

Also, you can seal things in straws like Maple Syrup, Chocolate Syrup, Agave, or even Mouthwash (don’t heat these).

Offer to fill straws with local honey for other beekeepers. We charge $60 gallon for this process. It should about two hours total time.

This is a labor intensive process“Bribe” kids to make and snip straws for you. We usually pay one cent to cut and 3 to 4 cents to fill and seal. It’s a good wage for the kids and you’ll get lots of straws at a very good price!

Recipes Nothing beats a honey straw filled with pure, local honey – but it’s still great fun

to experiment with different flavors (and increase sales). Here are some guideines. It’s a lot of fun to experiment and create your own flavors, colors, and names.

EXPERIMENT to get the flavors and colors you like best!– Strawberry, Blue Coconut, Mango, Almond, Vanilla, Cherry, etc….

• Add one ounce pure extract and 20 drops of food coloring per QUART of honey• A QUART makes about 200 straws

– Citrus Flavors – use OIL (it’s all natural). About 5 ml per quart.– Cinnamon

• Add 3 ml cinnamon oil per quart of honey– Mint

• Add 8 ml of mint extract per quart of honey CITRIC ACID can be added in small amounts to create a sour flavor and also to

lengthen the shelf life of your product. Experiment starting at about ½ teaspoon per quart.

Extracts and oils can usually be purchased at your local grocery store Coloring

– FDA food colorings work well and last great. Experiment to get the shades you like best– NATURAL COLORINGS – these are a great selling point, but are a little trickier, especially

as far as shelf life and heating are concerned. • RED – use BEET JUICE. Does a nice job, but tends to dissipate with heat. Start at about 1 tablespoon

per quart. Work at as low of a temperature as possible and don’t add until the last possible moment. Never reheat.

• YELLOW - use TURMERIC. Boil in water first and then strain out the extra powder. Try ¼ cup ground turmeric and ¼ cup water. Add about ½ of the strained liquid and experiment from there.

When making flavored and colored sticks, follow these steps– Heat the Honey FIRST– Add ½ of your ingredients, then stir with an empty straw– Dip the straw in the honey, place your thumb over the open end, and remove to sample.

This will show you the resulting color IN the straw.• Add more flavoring from this point as needed

Store the flavored honey left in the system for your next batch Feel free to call or e-mail with other questions or to discuss your ideas. HAVE FUN!

The New “GOLDRUSH 1000” For more advanced users Can be purchased as an upgrade to the original

“Goldrush 500”. We recommend purchase of the “500” first, then

upgrading if appropriate. The cost of the “1000” is the SAME as the cost of the “500” plus and upgrade kit, so there is no financial incentive to jump right into the “1000”.

FEATURES:– Makes 1,000 straws per hour instead of 500– The manifold has ten valves instead of eight– Seals the tops and bottoms at the same time using two

15” sealers– Uses a foot pump instead of a handheld so that your

hands are free to quickly operate the ten valves

GOLDRUSH 1000

What you will receive:– Two 15 ½” electric impulse sealers– Base and sealer connection hardware– Hot Plate– Foot Operated Pump– 10-valve manifold and tubing– 1,000 empty straws– Tools and accessories– Power strip

OPERATNG INSTRUCTIONS:– First, review the instructions and video for the “Goldrush

500”. The “Goldrush 1000” is more complicated and requires more skill to operate. However, once the “learning curve” is complete, you will find it to be reliable and easy to operate.

– It is recommended that the operator of the “Goldrush 1000” STAND UP – ESPECIALLY WHEN SEALING THE STRAWS! This allows adequate consistent pressure to consistently seal all ten straws.

– Another tip for learning to use the Goldrush 1000 for the first time: Close off the two outermost valves (so you are only making 8 straws) and use the pump in your hand instead of with the foot pedal. This will allow you to begin learning the process without the honey cooling off.

– Start learning with honey heated to 160 or 170 degrees. Later, you will be able to work with honey heated only to 130 degrees.

GOLDRUSH 1000

GOLDRUSH 1000 OPERATNG INSTRUCTIONS, cont.

– 1. Heat the honey as mentioned on the prior slide

– 2. Operate the pump by hand in order to prime it. Once honey is flowing to the manifold, then place the pump in the foot bracket as shown below:

GOLDRUSH 1000 OPERATNG INSTRUCTIONS, cont.

– 3. Use the foot pump to keep the honey flowing into the manifold.

– 4. Turn off the individual valves as the honey reaches a point about ¾ of an inch below the top of the straw.

– 5. Position the manifold and the straws in the sealers as shown below:

GOLDRUSH 1000 OPERATNG

INSTRUCTIONS, cont.– 6. While STANDING

UP, press down on the sealer handle as shown below. As soon as the straws are secure, pull STRAIGHT back on the manifold to remove it from the straws in one smooth, swift motion.