Rendering

[Jonnyl]

Hello all. Looking for advice on wax cappings. I've read previous posts and they've served me well but I've another couple of points which I couldn't find an explanation for. After the muslin bag trick, it served me well, I'm left with the disc. I've lifted it out but theres still a very little bit of black fleck through the ivory disc. I've broken it up and into a silver food container and will do the process again to melt it and then strain it through another muslin bag again? Should I now throw away the muslin bag I used full of slum gum and the bag I will use to filter it? Any tips on storage etc, how to make it brilliant white? Or anything I've missed or have done wrong? Thank you all.

 

[Murox]

Yes throw the bag with the slum glum. Try using a finer mesh than muslin for a pristine end product.
My way is - keep capping wax separate from old comb and process it independently.
Process old comb in a bag, an old pillow case works for me, and throw the bag away. Reprocess and use a finer mesh repeating as often as it takes to produce the clarity you want - usually only one more. My final strain is through an old piece of fine net curtain I reckon its around 200 microns. ( a grain of pollen is approx.25 microns.) but I'm not aiming for perfection.

 

[Jonnyl]

Yes throw the bag with the slum glum. Try using a finer mesh than muslin for a pristine end product.
My way is - keep capping wax separate from old comb and process it independently.
Process old comb in a bag, an old pillow case works for me, and throw the bag away. Reprocess and use a finer mesh repeating as often as it takes to produce the clarity you want - usually only one more. My final strain is through an old piece of fine net curtain I reckon its around 200 microns. ( a grain of pollen is approx.25 microns.) but I'm not aiming for perfection.

So it's not damaging the wax by reprocessing it Murox? Was worried it may degrade. Yes, I do frames through the thornes steamer gadget, works quite well but it's 'industrial' stuff. Ive kept the cappings from my first 3 years until now in a bucket as, like you suggested, I hoped for a better product. I'll melt it again once I have found some cheesecloth or similar as you said. Thanks again for your help.

 

[understanding_bees]

. . . . theres still a very little bit of black fleck through the ivory disc.

The problem is that the smallest particles settle out very slowly, and they will not settle out at all if the wax congeals before those impurities have had time to settle. You will either need to use a very fine filtering medium, OR provide conditions for your wax to cool VERY slowly. Depending on the purity you require in your finished wax you may need to do both. My own experience is that very slow cooling of the wax achieves quite a good result without using any fine filter at all

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Any tips on storage etc, how to make it brilliant white? Or anything I've missed or have done wrong? Thank you all.

You won't get it 'brilliant white' unless you bleach it, if you want to store it for show etc. keeping it in an airtight container will preserve the aroma. I don't do any if this rendering it in a pan of boiling water/muslin bag mullarkey. Surefire way of spoiling the wax. Render it down in a bain marie, filter it through a double layer of stockings/tights stretched over a bean tin with both ends removed, maybe do it twice, then do a fine filter through a sheet of surgical lint with the fluffy side inside the tin. Don't try and 'recycle' any of the filters.
Never leave the wax get to a temperature much higher than 70°C. And the fewer times you heat up/melt the wax the less chance of the wax getting darker.

 

[pargyle]

This is the method I use for processing my wax. You lose very little wax by reclaiming the wax from the flannellette dicss and they really work very well as filters and can be re-used time and again.

http://www.southamptonbeekeepers.co.uk/index_files/notes/wax.pdf
Andy Willis has processed wax that was used to make the candles presented to the Queen by the Worshipful Company of Wax Chandlers so the method comes highly recommended, he has won many prizes for his wax and candles at the Honey Shows.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Andy Willis has processed wax that was used to make the candles presented to the Queen by the Worshipful Company of Wax Chandlers so the method comes highly recommended, he has won many prizes for his wax and candles at the Honey Shows.

Andy Barnes-Willis now.
His cut comb he shows is wonderful too

 

[Jonnyl]

Thank you all. First bit done. Now I need to get some kit for the second filter. Looks pretty good to my inexperienced eye though. A little debris but that should come out after the 2nd filtration? Cheers everyone. Please forgive the xmas tray. . Its old so SWMBO allowed its use.

 

[Jonnyl]

You won't get it 'brilliant white' unless you bleach it, if you want to store it for show etc. keeping it in an airtight container will preserve the aroma. I don't do any if this rendering it in a pan of boiling water/muslin bag mullarkey. Surefire way of spoiling the wax. Render it down in a bain marie, filter it through a double layer of stockings/tights stretched over a bean tin with both ends removed, maybe do it twice, then do a fine filter through a sheet of surgical lint with the fluffy side inside the tin. Don't try and 'recycle' any of the filters.
Never leave the wax get to a temperature much higher than 70°C. And the fewer times you heat up/melt the wax the less chance of the wax getting darker.

Read about bleaching this morning and I'm thinking why not? It recommends grating it down and leaving in the sun? However, as I live in Scotland then that'll have to wait for the three days in July next year then.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Read about bleaching this morning and I'm thinking why not?

pure cheating. If you are going to show and the judge sees white wax, the first thing they'll assume is that it's been bleached and will mark it down.
Why would you want your beeswax to look like paraffin wax?

 

[Jonnyl]

pure cheating. If you are going to show and the judge sees white wax, the first thing they'll assume is that it's been bleached and will mark it down.
Why would you want your beeswax to look like paraffin wax?

I'm an absolute novice JBM and that's the reason for the ignorance I display in spades. In my mind candles are white, it was ever thus. Granted, the really impressive ones I saw and extinguished every week and more as a callow youth were the exclusive property of churches and yes, you're correct, they bore more resemblance to my initial effort at beeswax rendering. From that viewpoint, and the fact that I shall probably give any candles that I do make away as gifts, I would expect others to fall into my own special category of ineptitude. In short they would expect white. It was not my primary intention to educate the general public. The wax isn't for display, neither is my honey. I'm not that way inclined. Plaudits, medals and laurel wreaths impress me not. My motive is always the same, to do the best I can with the resources I can manage. However, once again and most assuredly not for the last time I am indebted to the benefit of your back catalogue of knowledge. Its yellow now and yellow it will remain. One more filter and I'm done and any recipients of my future wax products will like it or not as they see fit. If they comment adversely I will point to your valuable input along with the high alter of St Peter and say bugger 'em. Whichever they prefer.

 

[Brenda]

It is true that the more you render Beeswax the darker it becomes. Bleach to my mind is a No No, as beeswax holds smell which a judge will pounce on. Good beeswax only smells of itself, however exhibitors sometimes display it in containers which have a slight aroma, this would mark it down for judging. The whitest wax comes either from Oilseed Rape Comb or Ling Heather. Never throw away contents of Filtering as it should be added to your compost heap.