cleaning wax

[darren64]

What is the best way to get rid of the rubbish in wax?I put all my wax scrapings in an old stocking and put it in a pan of boiling water,it filtered most of it but there are still some black bits in it.

 

[drstitson]

in oven suspended by a rack lined with old fashioned nappy liners.

 

[tonybloke]

too much info for easy answer on here, have a look at 'the national honey show' website.

 

[Heather]

I followed Polyhive's method. Have an old burco boiler with inlet pipe where the tap was. Boil water add wax, fully melt then force wax/water up (by introducing more water into pipe)through a net cutain (clamped over top)and pure wax drips out to collect in container. Sorted.

 

[Arfermo]

I followed Polyhive's method. Have an old burco boiler with inlet pipe where the tap was. Boil water add wax, fully melt then force wax/water up (by introducing more water into pipe)through a net cutain (clamped over top)and pure wax drips out to collect in container. Sorted.

Sorry but I do not understand. Making my Burco overflow as you say surely means the contents go in all directions? Can you please clarify (excuse pun) or identify the Polyhive link. Very fine net curtaining is perfect for the job of course, especially if one can put all the wax inside a bag of it then boil the whole thing. The wax oozes out and floats leaving the dross behind. The wax can then be skimmed off. Any left in the curtaining is easy to remove as there is hardly any wax left to deal with. Washing soda gives a final clean.

 

[RoofTops]

For small amounts let the wax cool floating on some water after filtering through the old sock. Remove the cake of cooled wax and most of the crud will be at the bottom where it can be scraped off with a hive tool. Melt again with water and strain through something fine like lint and again let it cool. A final scrape should remove the last of the rubbish if required.

Rain water is recommended for melting the wax in although I have used local tap water but this won't work everywhere I guess, especially hard water areas.

 

[tonybloke]

Sorry but I do not understand. Making my Burco overflow as you say surely means the contents go in all directions? Can you please clarify (excuse pun) or identify the Polyhive link. Very fine net curtaining is perfect for the job of course, especially if one can put all the wax inside a bag of it then boil the whole thing. The wax oozes out and floats leaving the dross behind. The wax can then be skimmed off. Any left in the curtaining is easy to remove as there is hardly any wax left to deal with. Washing soda gives a final clean.

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/video.php?do=viewdetails&videoid=67

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/video.php?do=viewdetails&videoid=68

 

[Hombre]

Sorry but I do not understand. Making my Burco overflow as you say surely means the contents go in all directions? Can you please clarify .

This isn't a Burco unless you were to significantly modify it.

Think of something like an old metal watering can, almost, with a collar around the top to collect the wax that comes over the top. This collar isn't just fitted of course, but is an integral part of the structure. It is tilted significantly to cause wax to flow to a discharge spout, on the left in the diagram. The original spout would be where cold water would be run in to lift the wax level.

By all means stick your wax and a brick in the bottom of such a device to take the major crud out. The filter on the top is made of surgical lint. A good head of water into the spout would provide a fair bit of pressure to lift the wax through the filter.

You will have to imagine the slum gum, because in my example I only had very clean wax to work with, of course..

Is it a little clearer now? The technique, not the wax.

Oh, a watering can as mentioned would probably have a bottom that is too thin for the application.

Shame about the Burco, Just use it for making tea . . .

Of course with a Burco, an overflow pipe near the top would probably suffice to take the wax off and is possibly what Heather does, but I don't know for sure.

 

[Heather]

Yes, but I adapted by getting an old Burco for a quid - I dont need any other heater under- it works fine. Not as posh as I have a 'frilly' metal flange around the top to gather up the wax but a bend in the metal made a spout and - it works.

 

[Hombre]

I think that your solution is excellent Heather and the price paid is obvoiusly just brilliant.

You at least have a grasp on the way that things work.

 

[Tim1606]

It all makes sense if you watch the videos by poly hive