Wax cappings

[Murox]

Depends how crudy it is - I usually put it in an old cotton pillow case boil it and then run the very hot waxy water into another container straining as I go second time with either a finer mesh bag or even another old pillow case. let it cool overnight, voila. Bin or burn the pillow cases.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Depends how crudy it is - I usually put it in an old cotton pillow case boil it and then run the very hot waxy water into another container straining as I go second time with either a finer mesh bag or even another old pillow case. let it cool overnight, voila. Bin or burn the pillow cases.

Cheers Murox that sounds like a nice and easy way.
When you say fine mesh would big coffee filters do?

 

[Amari]

Filtration.

• 
  Arfermo
• 9 minutes ago

Seen you post about wax rendering using a Burco. I have a very old Burco Boiler circa 1950 vintage and have used it for rendering wax but the stuff I got out was rubbish. I have another 3-4 kg of cleaned wax that is ready for rendering. So what is your secret please, boiler temp etc. A pal suggested putting all the wax in a bag and sinking it with a brick at 60C and then cooling it until the wax solidifies.

I'm no expert but I put the cappings

• 
  Arfermo
• 9 minutes ago

Seen you post about wax rendering using a Burco. I have a very old Burco Boiler circa 1950 vintage and have used it for rendering wax but the stuff I got out was rubbish. I have another 3-4 kg of cleaned wax that is ready for rendering. So what is your secret please, boiler temp etc. A pal suggested putting all the wax in a bag and sinking it with a brick at 60C and then cooling it until the wax solidifies.

 

[Amari]

I'm no expert. If I have a pile of cappings in my tray after uncapping, say, 12 supers I have two choices: scoop the cappings into a 30 lb honey bucket and heat to 65 C in my warming cabinet for 24 hours. Hopefully the wax and honey separate and I feed the 'bakers' honey back to the bees or give it to my local publican to make mead (first sample promised this coming Saturday). Or I might put the whole lot into a laundry bag https://www.amazon.co.uk/Washing-Du...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU= and immerse in my Burco boiler at setting '5' - one short of max - for a few hours. The bag needs to be weighted.
In both methods the wax yield is coarse - good enough for trading in but needs further refinement for candles etc.
There are many on the forum with more experience.

 

[Murox]

Cheers Murox that sounds like a nice and easy way.
When you say fine mesh would big coffee filters do?

If they don't melt or disintegrate they probably would - I have used cheap "jelly" bags or fruit press bags in the past, guess it depends on how clean you need it.

 

[Curly green finger's]

If they don't melt or disintegrate they probably would - I have used cheap "jelly" bags or fruit press bags in the past, guess it depends on how clean you need it.

I think the coffee filters are strong enough we don't use them and they have been in the pantry for years.
we've decided to use our wax for making candles to give to family and friends as Christmas presents.

I've never made scented candles before so if you have any methods or recipes that would be great.

Or if anyone wants to put a link or there own methods on here that would be even better.
Cheers

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

If they don't melt or disintegrate they probably would - I have used cheap "jelly" bags or fruit press bags in the past, guess it depends on how clean you need it.

I use a large (gallon) bain marie to render cappings down, it's never perfectly dry after washing a few times but that doesn't matter,I have a bean tin with both ends removed with a double layer of ladies stocking stretched over one end and held in place with a rubber band I melt the whole lot down, then use a ladle to scoop off the top layer of wax, pour it through the stocking into a plastic 1 litre jug, this gets poured into my'mould' (a 1Kg stork margarine tub is ideal) you can tell when you're getting near to the water and slumgum, at this point I ladle all the liquid through the filter and pour the filtered stuff into a wide deep bowl and leave to cool so that you end up with a thin disk of the remaining wax with a bit of dirt particles on floating on the dirty water.
I usually find that this is clean enough for candles, but if unsure, clean the bain marie and melt this filtered wax down again and pass through a clean stocking filter. If it's for showing, use a finer filter such as surgical lint.

 

[pargyle]

• 
  Arfermo
• 9 minutes ago

Seen you post about wax rendering using a Burco. I have a very old Burco Boiler circa 1950 vintage and have used it for rendering wax but the stuff I got out was rubbish. I have another 3-4 kg of cleaned wax that is ready for rendering. So what is your secret please, boiler temp etc. A pal suggested putting all the wax in a bag and sinking it with a brick at 60C and then cooling it until the wax solidifies.

If you have the very old Burco and it has the galvanised steel inside you really need a stainless steel pot that sits inside .. for some reason beeswax seems to take on a grey shade when heated in a galvanised container.

The best thing is to find a pot that will sit in the top so the Burco acts as a large Bain-Marie and render the wax in the inner vessel.

Filtering... the best medium for filtering beeswax is old flannelette sheets (cut into circular discs and sat in either an appropriate sized seive or colander. You need plenty of the discs and just keep re-filtering the wax until the discs have no more staining. Don't throw the discs away as they will be impregnated with lots of wax .. put them in an old saucepan of water, heat them up in the water - the wax will be released - put a large pebble on them to hold them on the bottom of the saucepan, let it all cool and the recovered wax (ready for more filtering) will rise to the surface and set when cold.

 

[North End Bees]

If I have a pile of cappings in my tray after uncapping, say, 12 supers I have two choices: scoop the cappings into a 30 lb honey bucket and heat to 65 C in my warming cabinet for 24 hours. Hopefully the wax and honey separate and I feed the 'bakers' honey back to the bees or give it to my local publican to make mead

Seems a shame to waste the good honey from the cappings. I put my honey/cappings in a colander over a bucket in the warming cabinet at about 30°c for a few hours.
The honey is then runny enough to drain through whilst the wax stays in the colander, ready to be processed further.
At this temp the honey is not damaged at all so doesn't become 'bakers' honey, and the retained wax is quite dry, ready for washing.

 

[Amari]

Good thinking - I'll try that

 

[fiat500bee]

This is way advanced beekeeping issues for me, having recently started with two nucs; but it's possible that an item I have used in paint spraying might come in useful. These are available in several variations of mesh size and are very effective at removing small particles.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/50-x-Fin...311837&hash=item2859f59719:g:qSQAAOSwn7JYD18H

 

[pargyle]

This is way advanced beekeeping issues for me, having recently started with two nucs; but it's possible that an item I have used in paint spraying might come in useful. These are available in several variations of mesh size and are very effective at removing small particles.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/50-x-Fin...311837&hash=item2859f59719:g:qSQAAOSwn7JYD18H

I would worry about these being food grade and 190 micron is very very fine and will almost certainly block.

 

[1amanda1]

I pour the melted wax into silicone baking moulds. I also use one to catch the wax in my solar extractor. They're cheap in the discount stores and supermarkets and wax doesn't stick so no more trying to crack wax out of a plastic tub. The sun doesn't seem to affect them (so far at least...it's only been in use since march and this is North Wales!)

 

[fiat500bee]

I would worry about these being food grade and 190 micron is very very fine and will almost certainly block.

Fair points, but when I saw items such as cotton sheets and nylon stockings being suggested, food grade wasn't even one of my parameters.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Fair points, but when I saw items such as cotton sheets and nylon stockings being suggested, food grade wasn't even one of my parameters.

That was for wax not honey

 

[MerryBee]

I see these paint strainers come in 190 micron, 250 micron and 400 micron (ebay).
Has anyone tried these for filtering beeswax?

 

[fiat500bee]

That was for wax not honey

....as was my suggestion...following the title of the thread; I wondered where food issues came into it. I suppose that whatever you use, it's a race against the wax solidifying again before fully passing through any filtration medium.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

....as was my suggestion...following the title of the thread; I wondered where food issues came into it. I suppose that whatever you use, it's a race against the wax solidifying again before fully passing through any filtration medium.

I think it was because the post previous to yours discussed 'saving' the last bit of honey from the cappings before washing

 

[pargyle]

....as was my suggestion...following the title of the thread; I wondered where food issues came into it. I suppose that whatever you use, it's a race against the wax solidifying again before fully passing through any filtration medium.

That's why flannellette sheets are better for wax as you can put them in hot water and wash any solidified wax out of them when you are finished. It's not usually a problem when you are filtering the wax as it passes through quickly whilst it is hot and as you top up with more hot wax it keeps it liquid. Once you stop filtering the remnants do solidify. I have a lot of these discs and as I use them I just put them in a box and when I have a few I 'boil' them all up together in a pan of hot water - obviously, you don't need to boil beeswax - I use the term in a general way.

 

[Curly green finger's]

So I've received an email about my wax cappings yesterday.
I've been offered £4 a kg for my wax from a candle maker, unrendered £3 a kg.
So I've agreed to sell at £4 a kg.
Sound OK?