Comb to Candle : Quick, clean, easy ! :)

[Maryland Beekeeper]

Just finished the wax recovery process, here is what I did :

Got the old crab pot boiling, remove from heat, dumped in comb and stir a bit til melted, dump through head hole in old T-shirt w/ waist tied, into 5 gal bucket, twist/squeeze cocoons dry, put bucket in ice bath, or not, let cool, scrape junk off bottom, melt in pyrex in microwave, pour to rim in pint, smooth sided, mason jars. When cool they will pop right out and burn for almost 2 days
Cheers,
Drew

[sfisher]

Drew what is avg time for nuking wax. Do you do it on high, does it splatter much or any. Thanks Steve.

[Maryland Beekeeper]

Steve,
-full pyrex bowl(broken pieces) 8 min, no spatter, paper plate top just in case

[sfisher]

Sounds good

[jmgi]

Maryland Beekeeper, old t-shirts are great for straining wax through, as long as there's no holes in them!

[Acebird]

Nuc-ing time will depend on the amount of wax, the temperature it starts at and the power of the microwave. If I remember correctly a pound of wax took about 3 to 5 minutes total. I think our microwave is 750 or 900 watts.

*If there is water in the mix you could have serious splashing so you have to keep a protected eye on it.

[Maryland Beekeeper]

Ace,
Are you nuc-ing comb ? Or getting splash from pure wax ?
Drew

[Acebird]

I have done both but not in the raw state, meaning I get as much of the honey I can out of the comb first. I see almost no wax extraction from brood comb unless you compress it while heated above melt point.

The last time I rendered wax I brought a pot of water to a boil and then stopped the boil. Then just poured the whole pot through a metal strainer (I use just for wax) into another pot and let solidify. The water and crud goes to the bottom and the wax solidifies on top. You can filter again with a finer mesh if you like or just remelt and pour off the top.

If I were to try and make the process continuous I would make a vessel with a spout just an inch or two under the top. An old tea pot might work just dandy but you have to close off the spout with a valve. Melt the wax so it is above the spout and then crack the valve open. You have to add more wax or hot water to maintain the level above the spot so you don't get impurities off the surface. If you are adding hot water at some point you will reach water or crud coming out of the spout.
You will need to keep the spout and valve warm enough that the wax doesn't solidify.

[RobWok]

Maryland Beekeeper, old t-shirts are great for straining wax through, as long as there's no holes in them!

How can you consider it old until it DOES have holes in it?

[mike haney]

Would the OP share the size and type of wick used and how it was kept centered in the jar ?
Thanks,Mike

[fat/beeman]

I have a series of videos on cleaning wax.
utube========fineshooter
Don

[Maryland Beekeeper]

Seen 'em all Big fan ! Can't wait for NatGeo show ! Much oblige FatBMan.

[Maryland Beekeeper]

Mike,
Good question ! First the wick :
- I happened to find B-1 candle wick buried deep in the dark recesses of the b-lab It is recommended for candles under 2"
-I simply dipped a few times to get weight and propped against stick across top, it did end up slightly off center but burned evenly enough
-I assume cotton string would work the same ? but I remembered see'in the wick

Now I think, I'll try later, that it would be quicker/easier, for me anyway, to forget the wick until dry and drill hole then, thread candle w/ wick and secure with few drops melted ?

[Acebird]

I think you have to wet the string with melted wax or it will just burn up before it has a chance to wick the melted wax up through the string.

[SSmithers]

I found on a candle site that you can braid cotton into wicks, the braids helps pull the fuel, and then soak it in a boric acid solution to keep it from burning up. use it after drying. Dipping it in wax both stiffens the wick and primes it.

[Acebird]

then soak it in a boric acid solution to keep it from burning up.

Ah that is the trick. Last year I made candles with my nephew's using the warp threads from a old jean material. I braded three strands and it worked pretty good. WE made a wooden mold about 1" in dia and 2-3 inches long. The candle burned through dinner. The boys were excited. I had fun too.
I hate the smell of burning candles but the bees wax was very pleasant.

[Bee Bliss]

Beeswax candles are wonderful. We will never burn paraffin candles indoors again due to their toxic nature.

Beeswax has a higher melting temperature and this requires a thicker wick than is necessary for other waxes. Be careful making your own wicks. Quality wicks are important. We use square braid wick in various thicknesses depending on the candle diameter. Wicks cost pennies compared to the cost of the beeswax so why skimp and end up with an inferior candle?

Be sure to look for the glowing ball that surrounds the wick of a burning beeswax candle. Easiest to see this in a dark room. Beeswax candles give off full spectrum light.

Beeswax candles are cheaper to burn than paraffin due to their longer burn time. A standard BW taper will burn about one hour per inch. I make birthday candles (4/0 wick) that are 3/8 inch in diameter and they burn 30 minutes plus there is a stub left over.

What is necessary for a quality beeswax candle? Clean beeswax (do not blend with other waxes) and a quality wick!!