Comments on: Beekeeping – Melting and Filtering Wax http://www.johncall.com/blog/beekeeping-melting-and-filtering-wax/ Woodcarving, gardening, beekeeping and country living. Mon, 24 May 2010 13:44:39 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Bee Keeper http://www.johncall.com/blog/beekeeping-melting-and-filtering-wax/comment-page-1/#comment-580 Bee Keeper Fri, 15 May 2009 02:52:48 +0000 http://www.johncall.com/blog/beekeeping-melting-and-filtering-wax/#comment-580 Problem is that YellowJacket cup.. Get rid of it and your life will be golden. (Now is that Old Gold or Vegas Gold or) Problem is that YellowJacket cup.. Get rid of it and your life will be golden. (Now is that Old Gold or Vegas Gold or)

]]> By: Kevin http://www.johncall.com/blog/beekeeping-melting-and-filtering-wax/comment-page-1/#comment-518 Kevin Fri, 02 Jan 2009 02:53:55 +0000 http://www.johncall.com/blog/beekeeping-melting-and-filtering-wax/#comment-518 I use and old $2 garage sale crock pot and melt it twice. First time I place about 1 inch of water in the crock pot and pack it full of wax and place lid on and heat on low or med depending on pot. Takes 4-5 hours to melt a packed full load and really leaves a nice smell in the air. I then turn off pot and let wax cool fast as I can so wax cracks. If fall or winter set pot outside to cool and it cools in no times and wax cracks nicely. I then remove the clean harden wax and pour out waterand trash. 95% of the trash will settle in the water and the clean wax floats. Second time I heat just the wax in the same pot with no water on low heat. I have 2 pots I use. One is to warm on low with lid so I leave lid off of it. The other needs the lid on to melt on low. I suppose it is due to age and type of burner in the pot. then once wax is melted I pour either through a coffee filter or an old sweat shirt. By old I mean a old cheap one, The cheap thin ones as a nice thicker one is toslow to filter. Using this method I get some of the cleanest wax I have seen. I use and old $2 garage sale crock pot and melt it twice.

First time I place about 1 inch of water in the crock pot and pack it full of wax and place lid on and heat on low or med depending on pot. Takes 4-5 hours to melt a packed full load and really leaves a nice smell in the air.
I then turn off pot and let wax cool fast as I can so wax cracks. If fall or winter set pot outside to cool and it cools in no times and wax cracks nicely. I then remove the clean harden wax and pour out waterand trash. 95% of the trash will settle in the water and the clean wax floats.

Second time I heat just the wax in the same pot with no water on low heat. I have 2 pots I use. One is to warm on low with lid so I leave lid off of it. The other needs the lid on to melt on low. I suppose it is due to age and type of burner in the pot. then once wax is melted I pour either through a coffee filter or an old sweat shirt. By old I mean a old cheap one, The cheap thin ones as a nice thicker one is toslow to filter.

Using this method I get some of the cleanest wax I have seen.

]]> By: prrofessor http://www.johncall.com/blog/beekeeping-melting-and-filtering-wax/comment-page-1/#comment-275 prrofessor Fri, 12 Dec 2008 03:36:03 +0000 http://www.johncall.com/blog/beekeeping-melting-and-filtering-wax/#comment-275 Rendering wax can be fun. I used to use a food stainer screen to get the junk out but finally gave that up and now just pour it out in a somewhat narrow, deep container and after it cools extract the plug and scrape or cut off the junk end. Usually get a fairly clean piece of wax and after a few more "dirty" chunks are obtained I do it all over again. If you do the melting outdoors over a Coleman stove on a nice warm, sunny, bee day, you'll learn all about how well they pick up the odor from a distance. Maybe you have experience in that already :-) Rendering wax can be fun. I used to use a food stainer screen to get the junk out but finally gave that up and now just pour it out in a somewhat narrow, deep container and after it cools extract the plug and scrape or cut off the junk end. Usually get a fairly clean piece of wax and after a few more “dirty” chunks are obtained I do it all over again. If you do the melting outdoors over a Coleman stove on a nice warm, sunny, bee day, you’ll learn all about how well they pick up the odor from a distance. Maybe you have experience in that already :-)

]]> By: Ann Rein http://www.johncall.com/blog/beekeeping-melting-and-filtering-wax/comment-page-1/#comment-208 Ann Rein Sun, 07 Dec 2008 00:05:12 +0000 http://www.johncall.com/blog/beekeeping-melting-and-filtering-wax/#comment-208 I've added a bit of water to the beeswax when I was melting it, that way the dreck will be at the bottom of the wax - you just lift the wax scrape off the dreck and if you want, remelt and refilter it. If you want truly clean wax you can use a coffee filter, but as you've heard, pour it fast through so you don't lose much to the filter. I’ve added a bit of water to the beeswax when I was melting it, that way the dreck will be at the bottom of the wax – you just lift the wax scrape off the dreck and if you want, remelt and refilter it. If you want truly clean wax you can use a coffee filter, but as you’ve heard, pour it fast through so you don’t lose much to the filter.

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