[jimbo3]

Is there a solution to over “mashed” mash and strain.
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This was my second year of extracting and I expected to use a new extractor. It wobbled too much and was useless. I had to crush and strain. I may have over crushed. I used a bucket with holes over another bucket and used a paint stirrer( attached to drill) to mix it up good and then let it sit for two days to drain. Now after filtering with cheese cloth and a strainer it still has ???? in it. I think small wax particles. Any solutions.? I have about 2 1/2 gallons. It’s dark and has particulates in it.

My solution is to just use it all for Mead if all else fails.

I do the same bucket method but just lightly crush it with a potato masher and use a double sieve stainless strainer. Works great. I'd restrain/ refilter again if I were you. You don't want to mix the wax up into fine particles like you did.

That being said I'm going to start looking at extractors next year if I think I'm going to have more than a couple of supers to extract. The advantage to crush and strain is that I'm able to scrape around the uncapped honey so I know I'm only getting ripe honey.

What extractor did you buy (so I know not to)?

Actually, screw all that, mead sounds like a great plan!

edit: you sure that's not just fine air bubbles?

 

[GregB]

..... It’s dark and has particulates in it.

My solution is to just use it all for Mead if all else fails.

Give me all of it.
Kids and I will eat the stuff and make no fuss of it (if it tastes any good; but dark honeys are usually good and strong).
Seriously, nothing wrong with your honey to waste it into mead.
Just eat and enjoy the darn thing - the real raw and lightly filtered (the only kind that I make for home use).

 

[elmer_fud]

I would let it sit for a few weeks and see how it looks. Depending on how fine the wax is and how thick the honey is the wax may float to the top. If you still have the honey in a 5 gallon bucket with a gate on the bottom I would try this because you can fill jars with wax free honey from the bottom and leave the wax floating on the top.

I have also had good luck separating wax from honey with heat, but it does affect the honey. I have taken my cappings after they have sat draining for a few days and put them in an oven at 160 (or as low as it would go). The wax melts and floats up, and the honey sinks. I would not start with this though, and I am not sure how well it would work with fine particles. I do label the honey that I collect this way as "hot" and use it for baking since it is different and no longer "raw".

 

[jimbo3]

Who knows, you might get people to pay more for it!

 

[Oldtimer]

To me, that looks like fine air bubbles. They do not rise cos the honey is too thick.

So warm the honey to around 105 degrees and hold it a while, which thins the honey and the bubbles should come to the top.

 

[Nelsonhoneyfarms]

To me, that looks like fine air bubbles. They do not rise cos the honey is too thick.

So warm the honey to around 105 degrees and hold it a while, which thins the honey and the bubbles should come to the top.

Yep. My honey sometimes gets this way in a bottle or two because that portion of the 5 gallon bucket was scraped off the bottom before it gets poured into a bottle. After sitting in my honor stand for several days in the 90 plus weather, the bubbles clear right up.

 

[John Davis]

Probably also pollen that was stored in the cells as well. Crushed up and now mixed in. It does not float up as much wax and air bubbles.

 

[Fivej]

A few suggestions from my limited experience: Cheapo extractors will wobble. Make sure your frames are about the same weight to reduce wobble. I have also learned you really don't have to crank it to wobble speed to get most of the honey out. Don't stir the honey, you are just making bubbles and breaking up wax particles. Try using a 5 gal bucket strainer for paint instead of cheesecloth. Cheesecloth is "linty" and the particles will get in your honey. Let the bucket set for a few days to allow the wax to float to the top, then put cling wrap on the top and remove. It will grab most of the wax particles. J

 

[AR1]

I crush all my honey. If you leave it sit the greatest amount of stuff will collect at the top. Use that to spread on toast! I eat it all. Even honey in the fridge will separate, but of course more slowly.

 

[Hogback Honey]

A few suggestions from my limited experience: Cheapo extractors will wobble. Make sure your frames are about the same weight to reduce wobble. I have also learned you really don't have to crank it to wobble speed to get most of the honey out. Don't stir the honey, you are just making bubbles and breaking up wax particles. Try using a 5 gal bucket strainer for paint instead of cheesecloth. Cheesecloth is "linty" and the particles will get in your honey. Let the bucket set for a few days to allow the wax to float to the top, then put cling wrap on the top and remove. It will grab most of the wax particles. J

Yes, use Paint strainers, or micron filters for 5 gallon buckets. First year I crushed and used a paint mixer, but I strained with one of those 400 micron filters that fit into a 5 gallon bucket. Next year I went ahead and splurged on a 2 frame extractor. It wobbled, I was very frustrated, and just did the crush and strain again. The NEXT year, I paid attention to how I loaded the frames, I do believe that the year prior I may have loaded them wrong. The extractor did still wobble some, and I had to practically sit on it. I made sure the extractor was nice and warm, and that the honey I was extracting was nice and warm, so I did not need to spin the extractor very fast, that helped.

 

[Michael Bush]

Some of that is pollen. It's good. Leave it. If you filter it out it won't be as good...