Nice work. It does take time. You might want to try freezing them. If the wax is frozen you can use the bent side of your hive tool and the hard wax flies right off. I also use an old awl that I heated and bent at the tip for the grooves. I've seen them sold here and there. I don't worry about bacteria or bugs since that's all natural in a hive. Either way works if you have them time!