Nylon Cloth Filter 500 microns

01 · WHICH OF THE THREE

Read the name, because the code misleads

There are three apertures in the catalogue and one of them trips people up: TEL1000 is 1,000 µm (coarse straining and pre-filters), TEL500 is 500 µm — this one — and TEL200 is 300 µm, not 200. There is no 200 micron cloth: if you are looking for the 300, you have to order TEL200. The 500 µm is the sensible choice for straining a reasonably clean honey in one pass; if you are going to work in two stages, the logic is 1,000 for the rough and 300 for the finish.

02 · THE MOUNTING

Cut with margin and give it support

Cut the piece leaving enough to hold the whole perimeter, and rest it on a basket, a ring or a stable support. Do not leave it hanging from the rim alone: the column of honey is heavy, and either the fabric distorts or the fixing lets go exactly when the bucket is full. Before loading honey, test the set-up with water and check there is no fold where the honey could bypass the filter.

03 · WHAT IT HOLDS BACK

And a warning about flow

Half a millimetre of aperture holds back fragments of wax, bits of capping and visible particles from the process. It removes no residues, it does not sterilise and it does not repair a fermented or overheated honey. And watch a common confusion: the micron figure states the opening, not the flow. Honey that is cold, thick or starting to granulate will pass slowly however open the mesh; what helps is more filter area and fluid honey, not more heat.

04 · THE CLEANING

Take the wax off before it hardens

Cold, the wax grips the fabric and costs you twice the work. Wash it with nothing that can cut the mesh — no metal scourer, no scraper — rinse and dry it completely before storing. Replace the piece when tears or distorted areas appear, or when smells survive the wash: a torn mesh filters far worse than it looks.

05 · BEFORE YOU BUY

Each unit is one linear metre off the roll, that is 1,000 × 1,270 mm: enough for several small filters or to line a whole settling tank.