Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
as they may impart a dark color to the wax. If in doubt, first test with a small amount of
wax to see if the color changes.
If rough wax (from the wax melter, chunks of comb, old candles, etc.) is being
melted for the first time, I filter it as I'm pouring it from its melting container. Ex-
traneous material, such as dead bees, cocoons, wood, and various unrecognizable ob-
jects can be removed with a coarse sieve. The next round of filtering can be through old
sweatshirt material (fuzzy side up), milk filters, or even a few layers of paper towels.
(Wax-soaked paper towels can be used later to light a smoker, after melting off most
of the wax.) Tulle fabric also works well, as do a variety of other fabrics. The finer the
mesh, the slower you have to pour. Increasing the surface area of the filter by using a
larger catch pan speeds up the process, as does using a filter that concaves itself almost
to the bottom of the receiving container. For small lots I use a smaller water pan and a
single burner.
This is the setup I have in my garage. Far from fashionable, it is extremely functional.
From left to right: frames to be waxed, a pitcher and a pan for holding clean, melted
wax, the turkey roaster half full of water, a small aluminum sieve, a large saucepan for
melting chunks of wax. Surrounding it are blocks of clean wax to be melted, knives, and
a hive tool for breaking the larger blocks of wax to fit the pan.
When the bench is set up, the electricity source safely secured and grounded, the hot
plate positioned, and the water pan(s) about half full of water, place your wax in the
containers that are sitting in the water and turn on the heat.
Keep the heat on until the wax melts and becomes clear. (This may take a while.)
Have your receiving container ready with the filter in place, either supported or held in
place with paper clamps or rubber bands around the container. Make sure the filter is
secure—the filter will become heavy with cooling wax.
When melting rough wax the first time I heat it until it is clear and then pour it
through a double layer of paper towels directly into a pan that I can reheat it in again.
When finished, I put this second pan back in the hot water and heat it until clear. Then
again pour it through the finest filter I have into a storage container. This way, there is
no debris in the wax, and I can accomplish it all in one sitting.
