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Thread: Wax processing - best solution !?

  1. #11

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    Quote Originally Posted by fatshark View Post
    The stick is a good idea ...
    Mediocre beekeeper, decent Engineer/bodger

  2. #12
    Senior Member fatshark's Avatar
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    'Decent bodger' would be good as occupation on a passport. I'd be pleased with that. Unfortunately mine would say 'Liability with power tools and mediocre beekeeper'

  3. #13
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    i’m an exceptional beekeeper and a terrible liar.

    my cunning plan next year is recycling a polyhive that the bees have chewed beyond use into a steam extractor. bits of wax, combs etc into an old pillow case and poke a wallpaper stripper through a hole in the side. hopefully clean wax out the entrance and clean frames at the end.
    Last edited by Neils; 05-11-2019 at 09:30 PM.

  4. #14
    Senior Member Mellifera Crofter's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Neils View Post
    ... my cunning plan next year is recycling a polyhive that the bees have chewed beyond use into a steam extractor. ...
    Apart from the poor poly hive having been chewed, Neils, will it withstand all that heat?

    And how is it that the hive got so badly chewed? What make is it?

    Kitta

  5. #15
    Senior Member Bridget's Avatar
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    This year I decided the green house would be a good place to process the wax, stop stinking out the house. Unfortunately the day warmed up, the automatic windows opened up and in came somewhere bees and many many wasps. So abandoned till a colder day.
    I use a steaming set of pans meant for processing fruit I think. Wax sits in the sieve top in muslin and melts into the middle pan, with the water heating underneath. Works ok but would be a nightmare for large amounts. Then when solid all goes through again but there is still a bit of gunge on the bottom to be scraped off. Colours not bad though


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    Senior Member Mellifera Crofter's Avatar
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    Do you mean something like this, Bridget? That seems ideal for the final cleaning of small amounts of wax, and better than the really small bain marie I use for some final cleaning. As I was searching around Amazon I came across the same bain marie pot as sold by Thornes - but almost half the price.
    Kitta

  7. #17
    Senior Member Bridget's Avatar
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    Yes Kitta, very similar. I see you can get cheaper than the one you linked to. Once its going its quite quick, you just keep piling in the cappings or old wax. I used to stress about cleaning it and the muslin filter but have now given up on that and it works just as well, everything just melts as you fire it up. Had it for about 4 years I think


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  8. #18
    Senior Member Bridget's Avatar
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    The Bain Marie pot I have as well (the cheaper one) but I don’t use it for that, I use it for the wax when I’m making foundation. I’ve not been super successful with the brood foundation but the smaller super foundation works OK and I’m going to use starter strips this year for cut comb heather honey (supposing the heather gets it act together after two dud years). We have a good local outlet for this and I’d prefer the wax to be thinner next year.


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  9. #19

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    Easiest and cheapest for small quantities. Get a 200litre metal drum. Half fill it with water, put burners underneath and bring to the oil. Shove all your wax into a cloth bag, including a brick or heavy stone. Place it in the drum (can be easier to do this BEFORE you heat the water) and allow it to boil for a couple of hours. Turn off the heat and leave it overnight. In the morning you should have a nice cake of pure wax on top and a bag of slum. Tip it all out and repeat again with another load if you have it to do.

    If the bag is too big and ends up fouling the wax later (not fouling as in contaminating, fouling as in contacting and getting tangle with) you can just stick a couple of heavy things on top to hold the top of the bag down.

  10. #20
    Senior Member Mellifera Crofter's Avatar
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    Thank you, C4U - that method must be the easiest! It never occurred to me to have a method where the bag is left at the bottom of the barrel - so no struggle trying to press the bag clean of wax. You may think of it as a method for smaller quantities, but for me, it will take more wax than the wax melter I've borrowed from the Association up to now and, I think, it also seems big enough to sterilise or clean a group of frames tied together. I think that's the way to go.
    Kitta

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