Getting your Beeswax yellow

[Bradley_Bee]

Is it the honey in the wax that keeps it yellow or the lack of ?

For some reason our wax is not yellow but more of a grayish tint. Can anyone help to explain?

[oldenglish]

You dont say how you are melting your wax ?

In general, pale wax is from cappings and deep yellow from the brood nest, at least that is my experience.
From your description it sounds like you are getting it too hot when melting it.
Try taking what you have and re-doing it through a solar wax melter (if not too late in the year) I find that this can help and the sun will somewhat bleach the wax, although mine appears to darken back up over time.

[HVH]

Wax color can be affected by nectar source but it is more likely a case of impurities co-purifying with the wax. Just as many substances are soluble in water because they are hydrophilic many substances partition into the oil/wax phase because they are hydrophobic. The solar wax melter may help to bleach the wax to a lighter color but it will not get rid of the impurities. Without getting into boring chemistry, holding the wax at around 160-170F above a slightly acidified layer of water, with occasional stirring, can facilitate driving some of the impurities into the water. Without the aid of activated charcoal and/or Fuller's earth, however, it is unlikely to become bright yellow. I am still trying to figure out a cost effective way of utilizing the filtering aids mentioned above.

[beedeetee]

Cappings out of my solar melter are bright yellow. The color will fade to off-white over time though (a year or so). Year old candles that I made from bright yellow wax will be the off-white shade in a year or two.

[HVH]

Cappings out of my solar melter are bright yellow. The color will fade to off-white over time though (a year or so).
Likewise, my capping's wax is yellow right out of the boiler. I also have a bunch of gray colored wax that is accumulating form other sources and hope to one day process it to a nice yellow color. The only way I have read to do this is with fining agents like activated carbon and Fuller's earth. The process requires equipment for hot filtration of wax which I simply can't justify.

[J-Bees]

filter it thru the coffie maker:}:}

make sure to use the filter.


JB:}

[Bradley_Bee]

You dont say how you are melting your wax ?

In general, pale wax is from cappings and deep yellow from the brood nest, at least that is my experience.
From your description it sounds like you are getting it too hot when melting it.
Try taking what you have and re-doing it through a solar wax melter (if not too late in the year) I find that this can help and the sun will somewhat bleach the wax, although mine appears to darken back up over time.


Your right, i didn't . well, Most of the wax is cappings. And its an uncle of mine who melts it. He does so in a electric wax melter and I do believe that is the problem. When we solar metled it it was a fine yellow color. I guess the greyish color isn't so bad, but this year I plan to use some of it in candle and soap making and sell it at a farmers market... so i wish that i could revert it back to a yellow color that people expect.

thanks for all the tips!

[Tom G. Laury]

You can lighten wax by adding sulphuric acid while it is molten, then let the acid drop out with the water while it cools ( in a large vessel ) The gray color is usually from contact with iron at a high temperature.

[Bradley_Bee]

You can lighten wax by adding sulphuric acid while it is molten, then let the acid drop out with the water while it cools ( in a large vessel ) The gray color is usually from contact with iron at a high temperature.

how can I let the acid drop out of the liquids while it cools?

[Tom G. Laury]

The acid is heavier than water. You melt the wax with say 4 or 5 times more water. Mix in the acid, stir, and let the whole thing cool slowly, without agitation. The acid and impurities will be closest to the bottom, next the water, and then the wax on top.

[Bradley_Bee]

ok, thats what i was thinking but i thought i might have been wrong. Thanks for clearing that up. I'm going to try it. sure thing.

[Tom G. Laury]

BradleyBee

Don't know if it will turn the gray yellow. I have used it for wax from pressing slum or melting out old comb, which makes a dark brown wax. Won't hurt to try.

[tecumseh]

mr laury writes:
You can lighten wax by adding sulphuric acid while it is molten

tecumseh:
97% hydrogen peroxide will accomplish the same task. after melting add 1/2 cup per gallon of liguid wax.