Wax question

[Julie in Ash]

Cannot find the appropriate section for wax questions, so here goes...

This is my first time rendering my own wax (have done wax work before with bought in wax). Anyway, today I did a small crush and strain honey harvest, the residual comb and wax was put in a Bain Marie to separate it from the remaining honey and debris. I heated it for just long enough for all the wax to melt. I have seen this done many times off YouTube channels, but my results were different.

What I was left with was a disc of normal but dirty looking wax still in need of some filtering as I expected, but underneath that there’s a thick slurry if grainy textured sludge. I know it can’t be sugar granules as that has a lower melting point than wax. I suspect it’s very small particles of wax that somehow separated from the main block. Would not mind but it’s a considerable amount, 50/50 wax block to horrible grainy slurry.

Is this normal or did I do something wrong?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Cannot find the appropriate section for wax questions, so here goes...

This is my first time rendering my own wax (have done wax work before with bought in wax). Anyway, today I did a small crush and strain honey harvest, the residual comb and wax was put in a Bain Marie to separate it from the remaining honey and debris. I heated it for just long enough for all the wax to melt. I have seen this done many times off YouTube channels, but my results were different.

What I was left with was a disc of normal but dirty looking wax still in need of some filtering as I expected, but underneath that there’s a thick slurry if grainy textured sludge. I know it can’t be sugar granules as that has a lower melting point than wax. I suspect it’s very small particles of wax that somehow separated from the main block. Would not mind but it’s a considerable amount, 50/50 wax block to horrible grainy slurry.


Is this normal or did I do something wrong?

It's propolis and honey
Just scrape it off and refuter the wax

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

sounds like slumgum, perfectly normal.
I do it differently - wash the wax in loads of fresh cold water - I have an old settling tank, fill it to the top with water, leave the wax settle on top, drain water out then repeat a few times. The last time, drain and leave for a few hours for all the water to drain out (there will still be quite a bit of water in the wax) transfer it all into a bain marie, melt it all ensuring temperature doesn't exceed 70 degrees C it will probably be about 60% wax 40% water.
You can ladle out the wax and filter it throuch a piece of stocking stretched over a bean tin with both ends removed, if you only skim off the top you shouldn't get any water in it - you will see when you only have a little wax left in the mix of slum gum and water (your ladle will meet a mass of fibrous like gunk) at this point, drain the whole lot through a stocking filter into a separate bowl or other container - most of the slumgum will be left as a jellyish mass in your tin. When it cools you will be left with a bowl of dirty water with a thin disk of wax floating on top, the bottom side of whick will still have a bit of slumgum attached which you can scrape off before meling the disk down and filtering once more.

 

[Julie in Ash]

sounds like slumgum, perfectly normal.
I do it differently - wash the wax in loads of fresh cold water - I have an old settling tank, fill it to the top with water, leave the wax settle on top, drain water out then repeat a few times. The last time, drain and leave for a few hours for all the water to drain out (there will still be quite a bit of water in the wax) transfer it all into a bain marie, melt it all ensuring temperature doesn't exceed 70 degrees C it will probably be about 60% wax 40% water.
You can ladle out the wax and filter it throuch a piece of stocking stretched over a bean tin with both ends removed, if you only skim off the top you shouldn't get any water in it - you will see when you only have a little wax left in the mix of slum gum and water (your ladle will meet a mass of fibrous like gunk) at this point, drain the whole lot through a stocking filter into a separate bowl or other container - most of the slumgum will be left as a jellyish mass in your tin. When it cools you will be left with a bowl of dirty water with a thin disk of wax floating on top, the bottom side of whick will still have a bit of slumgum attached which you can scrape off before meling the disk down and filtering once more.

Thank you very much, JBM. I’m very grateful as had no idea. Was so looking forward to working with my own wax, would have been disappointed if this was my fault and I’d ruined it. I will try doing as you suggest next time.

 

[Bakerbee]

Hi julie, i do mine using an empty large tropicana carton. Cut off the top, pop all of the wax into it and put in the oven on its lowest heat (mine is 50c) once its melted take out and let it cool. Peel off the cardboard carefully down to the wax line. The wax is in a nice square block at the top the sludge and debris can be cut off from the bottom.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Thank you very much, JBM. I’m very grateful as had no idea. Was so looking forward to working with my own wax, would have been disappointed if this was my fault and I’d ruined it. I will try doing as you suggest next time.

Yes, listen to JBM
He wins prizes with his wax
Best in Royal Welsh this week

 

[Bakerbee]

I agree with ericA , congratulations JBM, i only use mine for furniture polish, smells divine.