> and aluminium is said to make the wax dull and mud coloured.
First, with all due respect, I wouldn't trust anything in print from a person who can't spell aluminum or color!

(Just joking.) I think he's referring to the old industrial pots and pans that were were made from an aluminum alloy that was subject to oxidation (no longer available.) They have a very dull finish on them. Polishing results in a dark residue on your polishing rag. You can easily tell if this is what you have by bringing vinegar to a boil in one. If it leaves a real shiny area that the vinegar was in contact with, probably best not to use it for wax (or cooking for that matter.) Also, if your hives are in an areas that suffer from acid rain (mine are), your wax could be a bit on the acid side "dissolving" that aluminum oxide into your processed wax.
The heavy duty "aluminum foil" disposable pans and sheets are resistant to that type of oxidation, otherwise they would be banned for use with food, much like the old pots and pans are.
I never say never, so unless there's a metallurgist in the group to say otherwise, I think we can use these disposable aluminum pans in our solar melter without fear of having "dull or mud colored wax."
My wife wrote in a card she gave me for Valentine's Day the I was "handsome"....just proves you can't believe everything you read!:lpf:
Steve