Rendering Beeswax

[Liz123]

It's a simple enough procedure but don't use anything that has another purpose because you will never remove the wax.
Clean the cappings thoroughly,
etc

Your comments are very helpful, just one question please, my cappings are currently in a muslin bag which has been suspended in doors to allow any excess honey to drip out. Can the cappings stay in this bag to go into the hot water to save sieving it later?

 

[victor meldrew]

You could put them in a fast feeder and allow the bees to clean off all the honey !
alternatively you could rinse in tepid water , before rendering ! Preferably in rain water .

 

[Swarm]

The cappings can stay in the muslin bag provided you can weigh it down so it stays clear of the wax but make sure they are free of honey.

 

[Liz123]

It's a simple enough procedure but don't use anything that has another purpose because you will never remove the wax.
Clean the cappings thoroughly, I hang mine outside in a net bag and allow the rain to do the job. I then allow them to drip dry under cover. Long winded process but I'm in no rush and the cappings are like sawdust at the end, rain water is by far the best.
Heat some water in a pan, don't have it boiling a gentle roll is enough, add the wax. When it's melted down, pour it all through coarse material filter if there is a fair bit of gunk or a finer filter if the wax was clean looking (piece of hessian or pair of tights) into a container and leave it to cool. You should be left with a nice block of wax and can remove it fairly easy from the container due to the water underneath. How dirty the bottom of that block is determines how many times you melt it down in a bain marie and pass it through very fine filter like J cloth or lint.

My capping are currently in a muslin bag can I keep them in this when rendering, it should save having to strain it afterwards?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

My capping are currently in a muslin bag can I keep them in this when rendering, it should save having to strain it afterwards?

soak the whole bag in a vat of water for a few days, changing the water regularly to wash out any honey, leave to drain then melt the lot in a bain marie before filtering.
If you leave some water in the pan, the wax will float to the top so with care, you can avoid scooping upnthe slumgum when you do it.

 

[Liz123]

Thanks for your advice, I will go with that.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Thanks for your advice, I will go with that.

And try not to heat the wax much over 70°C as that can affect the quality of the wax