10 drums of slumgum

[rainesridgefarm]

I have ten drums of slumgum I need to get the wax out of. any thoughts? I do not have a wax press.

[Tom G. Laury]

Find someone who does wax rendering in your area, usually you pay a percentage of the yield, for slum it would likely be 50% or more. You have to press slum under hot water to get the wax out.

[kokomodreamin]

Without a tank to heat it in and a press you won't get all the wax out of it. Depending on how you collect it when you drum it, you could get upwards to 75 to 100 lbs of saved wax per drum if you have it pressed.

[The Honey Householder]

I press all my slum out in July when it is hot outside. How much slum do you have? Slum saves for years. The moths don't like it as much. I get 75-95 lb from a barrel. I only produce 1-2 barrels a year so, if I don't need the wax I just store for another season to render out.

[BMAC]

Find someone who does wax rendering in your area, usually you pay a percentage of the yield, for slum it would likely be 50% or more. You have to press slum under hot water to get the wax out.

Why does the slum need to be pressed under hot water to get the wax out?

Wouldn't you be able to press the wax out if you had a way to heat your press to above the melting point of wax?

[sqkcrk]

The boiling water is how you get everything up to heat, so the wax can be seperated.

[BMAC]

Understanding the point that hard wax will not press out of the junk if you took already hot liquid slum and dropped into into a heated press couldn't you just press out the wax slowly to bring out the rest of the wax?

Is there another advantage to using water with pressing that I am not understanding?

The reason I am asking is I am considering building my own heated press so I can process my own slum.

[sqkcrk]

I believe that one will get more wax out of the slum gum using steam heated water and a press, than one would by simply pressing hot slum gum.

What is the heat source you are considering?

[BMAC]

Im considering taking a new (old) apple press I have hanging around and having a local metal smith create a hotwater jacket to replaced the wood cylinder along with all a water jacket to the metal bottom for the press. I was considering using the 5 gallon steam kettle Im using for rendering now to remelt the slumgum and just pour into the hot press and press away.

Of course both would be hooked up to my outside wood fired boiler.

Im not sure it will work well but it seems like it should be fairly effective anyway. Hard telling without having experience squeezing would slum already. I also considering using a piece of expanded metal with fine opening on the bottom so it doesnt just squeeze it all out the bottom.

[fat/beeman]

look on u tube there's 2 German brothers doing just that.shows there press and how to do it.
Don

[BMAC]

Thanks Don. I will checked it out. I get why they are using the water now. It just helps transport the wax out of the junk. Makes complete sense. So that still doesn't take special equipment. I can still do it with my press. I guess I will have to bolt my press to the floor and grab the ol cheater bar out to really crank up the pressure on that sucker.

[Tom G. Laury]

The pressing is a slow process, you can't speed it up with excessive pressure. In fact, you must repeatedly relax pressure, allowing water to resaturate the material, then squeeze again. Burlap will retain the unwanted stuff while allowing the wax to pass through and float to the top. Best thing to do is go see what someone with a slum rendering set up is doing. With out the right set up you will spend a great deal of time to obtain a tiny amount of wax.

[Roland]

And if the wax has sat too long, with the right set up:

you will spend a great deal of time to obtain a tiny amount of wax.

I agree with the burlap bag under water method as being the best that is cheap.

Crazy Roland

[Tom G. Laury]

Roland is correct; as slum sits, it dries out and loses wax content. The cakes that are left after pressing out slum are great for the garden or flower bed. A burlap bag filled and tied off, submerged under just barely boiling water can be squeezed with two 2X4s attached at one end with a hinge or strap. Very doubtful though as to whether it is worth your time.

[BMAC]

I really appreciate all your input on this. It makes better sense now. My slum isnt that old as in the past I have just chucked it in the woodstove for heat. I thought I would try and capture what I can from it. Burlap bags is the way to go then. It wouldn't be difficult to build an effective press that has an electric element in it for boiling the water. Or maybe have the local Amish metal smithy make me one that is wood fired.

Unfortunately I don't know anyone around me that presses slum. Im sure they do I just dont know who they are so I will learn from trial and error. I am sure there will be plenty of the latter.