Home Made Solar Wax Extractor

[Andre cardona]

not shore how it works can you tel me thanks

 

[drstitson]

"not sure how it works can you tel me thanks"

wax in tray gets hot and melts. midget hiding in the box below pours wax into moulds and when set turns the wax blocks out ready to be removed via the sliding door.

if you pay/care for them well they can also be persuaded to make candles too - although that may need a bigger housing.

i'd add a big handle on the side to rotate internal leather paddles to provide "encouragement" when deemed necessary!

 

[Hivemaker.]

i'd add a big handle on the side to rotate internal leather paddles to provide "encouragement" when deemed necessary!

Semi automatic flagellation....and nobody expects the Spanish inquisition.

Tried the feather duster or the soft cushion.

 

[TBRNoTB]

i'd add a big handle on the side to rotate internal leather paddles to provide "encouragement" when deemed necessary!

Semi automatic flagellation....and nobody expects the Spanish inquisition.

Tried the feather duster or the soft cushion.

Semi automatic flagellation....and nobody expects the Spanish inquisition.

...or dress in military uniforms and have a private party, or are we straying into murky car racing games!

 

[The Apprentices]

Looks better designed and made than the one recently bought by our association. loads of design flaws. but then again italian manufacturers don't need to design to harness every last ray of feeble UK sunshine.

Cheers for that.

I still have to drill the outlet pipe tomorrow, and fit the collector bowl, we are going to use a large glass mixing bowl and steer away from plastics if we can.

At high temps plastics start to release their PCB's and other nasties, like those found in hot water kettles made of plastic, ours went the way many years ago, nicht good.

As soon as the sun comes out I will take a reading to see what the external and internal temps are on the day.

Maybe experiment with air gap spacings to find the optimum, in tests by other home makers readings have reached in excess of 240°f.

I think the melting point for beeswax is around 145, but don't quote me on that.

Maybe I will crack out the old LP by Ambrose and his orchestra singing the sun has got its hat on, for encouragement

 

[darren64]

I made one using a double glazed unit,I lined the box with some 20mm king span,it gets so hot that I burnt my fingers on the inside of the glass

 

[Andre cardona]

"not sure how it works can you tel me thanks"

wax in tray gets hot and melts. midget hiding in the box below pours wax into moulds and when set turns the wax blocks out ready to be removed via the sliding door.

if you pay/care for them well they can also be persuaded to make candles too - although that may need a bigger housing.

i'd add a big handle on the side to rotate internal leather paddles to provide "encouragement" when deemed necessary!

thank you

 

[The Apprentices]

I made one using a double glazed unit,I lined the box with some 20mm king span,it gets so hot that I burnt my fingers on the inside of the glass

Can you remember what thickness the DGU was outside diameter.

 

[The Apprentices]

Done tests on solar extractor in full sun for 25 mins was best duration on readings.

Top photo shows the reading inside top box compartment on yellow Fluke meter and lower reading outside ambient temp black meter.

Bottom photo top reading is inside top box compartment and bottom reading inside lower catchment box.

The wax did indeed start to slide away around 137-140.

I slid the filter bar up to the top of the chamber which gave a slight advantage of about 3 degrees higjer at 183 F.

 

[darren64]

22 mm,I got it from a job I did,where they were having a downstairs toilet put in,so the glass needed changing

 

[The Apprentices]

22 mm,I got it from a job I did,where they were having a downstairs toilet put in,so the glass needed changing

Cheers darren.

 

[jhbee]

Hi guys, i'm thinking to build one myself. how do you filter melted wax to remove all debris and unwanted stuff?

 

[peterbees]

Wax from the solar extractor should be pretty clean. All the crud / slumgum will stay behind.
I use a roll of car polishing cloth to fine filter my wax. I stretch the cloth, still on the roll, over two loaf tins, hold it down with a brick each side, and fill both loaf tins with wax. Cut off the piece of cloth and use it for lighting the wood stove. The wax will pop straight out of a loaf tin, and it's usually clean enough for making cosmetics.

 

[JamezF]

I allow some of the rubbish to build up against the filter in mine (dead bees, the remains of melted brood frames and such like). That seems to do a good enough job of filtering the wax for candle-making or exchanging for foundation.

James

 

[oliver90owner]

Do they work well at this time of the year?

 

[JamezF]

Do they work well at this time of the year?

This year there's not been much time when it would work at all, hence my recent bodging together of a steam extractor.

James

 

[jhbee]

thanx guys.