Beesource Beekeeping Forums banner

melting wax?

3K views 14 replies 13 participants last post by  kc in wv 
#1 ·
I have wax that I need to melt,but I do not have a solar wax melter or any other kind of wax melter.Is there a way I can get it melted another way?
 
#2 ·
How many hives do you have?

For years I used yard sale Crock Pots, I just bought a used Kelly wax melter for melting the cappings.

Look in candle makeing for the thread about throwing away the doubble boiler for an interesting way to melt for candles ect.
 
#3 ·
Small amounts I melt with a little water in a plastic container in my microwave oven (without grill!!!!).
It works fast and easy but you will have to watch the process.
And its't producing only few wax from brood comb but for cappings it's very okay.
 
#4 ·
How do you seperate the wax from the other junk.I only have a small amount of capping wax. i melted it n the double boil method with a little water with the wax. I now have melted wax and a bunch of crumbley brown stuff(honey?)
I can't seem to render it to just clean beeswax....
 
#6 ·
The trick is to allow the wax to cool down very slowly. Than there is enough time for the crumbly parts to sink down all to the bottom.
When I have large amounts I put them in old deep freezer for isolation and they will need nearly a week for cooling down.
 
#7 ·
A good wax melter for up to about a peck of old combs, cappings or any other form of substance containing beeswax can be made from any type of shallow metal rectangular box (old refrigerator bottom drawers work fine) with a sheet of glass laid on it. Raise the north end of the box by putting a piece of 2x4 under it, put the wax inside, glass on top and set it in a protected place with the sun shining directly on it. (In winter, set it up indoors by a south-facing window). Leave it alone for a couple weeks. You'll find most of the beeswax fairly clean at the lowest part of the box/tray. To have nature further clean up the melted/rendered wax, put whatever form of wax you want to render out on a piece of clean metal screen and lay it right in the box. The melting wax will run through it while leaving most of the old cocoons and other foreign matter on or in the screen. Cut another piece of 2x4 to fit inside the box and tack the screen to it. Nail or screw short pieces (2-3 inches) of 2x4 at each end of the second 2x4... the melted wax will run under the board and into the lowest part of the box.

[ October 17, 2006, 07:00 AM: Message edited by: Star G ]
 
#8 ·
You guys down south have it too easy.

Up here in Toronto, the not yet frozen north,
by Sept 1st solar melters don't work.

1) the sun is seldom hot enough
2) the angle is so low that the bottom of the melter tray is always in the the shadow of the box. The little bit that melts from the top runs down, hits the cool stuff in the shade and piles up.

It's a summer sun activity up north.

[ October 17, 2006, 07:53 PM: Message edited by: brent.roberts ]
 
#10 ·
Yard sale crock pot - $3

Pour it into as tall and narrow a container as you can. The junk either floats or sinks, and you can cut it off with a knife once solidified. With a narrow container you lose less wax when you cut off the junk.

I plan to build a "piston" that fits into my crockpot so I can really squeeze my old comb to get out all the wax. Anybody try anything like this?
 
#11 ·
I have found that you really need to melt it twice. I mix a good amount of water with the wax the first time. Heat it and then let it cool. This sort of separates the junk out. I remove what I can but a lot of the crumbly stuff is still left. I then melt it again and when it is liquid pour it thought a four fold thickness of cheese cloth. Very little junk get through the second time. I use mine to make lip balms and it is fine for my purposes. Theresa.
 
#14 ·
Thnx Michael. I never mix the goodstuff with that old junk. But I was hoping to get whatever I can from the old comb. Maybe I can use it in a furniture polish? But you said there's no wax there. What can I do besides take it to the landfill?
Happy
 
#15 ·
Just a comment about melting wax this time of the year.
I built my solar wax melter so that the main box's rear elevation can be changed. Then I made the pan inside so the angle can be changed also. I also face the melter so that the sun is directly in front of at at around 1 to 2 oclock.

This set up allows me to catch the sun when it is low in the horizon. This year I melted wax starting in Feb by raising the angle of the box and droping the angle of the pan (to slow the wax run out).
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top