Wax recovery

[Steve H]

6 Litres of milk
If you can't get non-homogenised then use skimmed and cream at 11:1 proportions.
Heat slowly to 90˚F ....I just put a large saucepan on a low gas with a diffuser over the flames, then add a pinch of cheese culture (google ?)
Incubate for 45 minutes at this temperature (I simply turn off the heat and wrap the saucepan in a towel).
Then add rennet..... animal or vegetable and leave to set for an hour.
Then....cut up the set curd into bits in the pan and put back on the heat, taking about 30 minutes to get to 100˚F, stirring occasionally so that the curd doesn't clump into large bits.

Now.....you need to sieve the curds through some muslin or a jelly bag and leave it hanging over a jug for an hour. I had a lot of whey left over and, not having any pigs, I gave it to the dogs. They loved it...............but the next morning they really had the shits!!!!!!

The next bit is the complicated bit.
You need to mash the drained curds with your hands and add some salt then press them.
This is where you need some kit....a cheese press.
Wrap in cheesecloth ...........
5Kg pressure for 10 minutes, flip your cheese in the press and press at 10Kg for another ten minutes. Flip again and press at 20Kg overnight.

Let the cheese dry for a week or so somewhere cool...top of fridge will...turning a few times daily so that one side doesn't become waterlogged.

Then wax and leave to mature for at least four weeks.
Once you have mastered "cheddar" ......blue is your oyster!!!!!!!


PS , sterilise eveything!!!! you are keeping milk at bacteria culture temperature so don't poison yourself....good luck

You make it sound So easy !

 

[Tremyfro]

I am going to try this....imagine serving up you own cheddar...how cool would that be? Thank you so much.....It will be the new Cheddar...what shall we call it?
Welsh Valley Cheese?

 

[pargyle]

I think my solar wax melter is over-performing !

Hmmm ... First it blew up the thermometer and now it's really decided to finish it off !!

If you want an efficient wax melter then this has to be it... it wasn't even that hot today !

What lovely yellow wax I've got as well .. I even put the slightly brown(ish) wax that I had previously recovered by the more usual 'boiling in water' method in there and it's all coming out this beautiful yellow colour. Filter medium, as usual, is just a J-Cloth. It baked the rubber bands holding the J-Cloth in place and I had to replace them as they had gone brittle - more expense !

 

[Steve H]

Wow Impressed

 

[Laz]

6 Litres of milk
If you can't get non-homogenised then use skimmed and cream at 11:1 proportions.
Heat slowly to 90˚F ....I just put a large saucepan on a low gas with a diffuser over the flames, then add a pinch of cheese culture (google ?)
Incubate for 45 minutes at this temperature (I simply turn off the heat and wrap the saucepan in a towel).
Then add rennet..... animal or vegetable and leave to set for an hour.
Then....cut up the set curd into bits in the pan and put back on the heat, taking about 30 minutes to get to 100˚F, stirring occasionally so that the curd doesn't clump into large bits.

Now.....you need to sieve the curds through some muslin or a jelly bag and leave it hanging over a jug for an hour. I had a lot of whey left over and, not having any pigs, I gave it to the dogs. They loved it...............but the next morning they really had the shits!!!!!!

The next bit is the complicated bit.
You need to mash the drained curds with your hands and add some salt then press them.
This is where you need some kit....a cheese press.
Wrap in cheesecloth ...........
5Kg pressure for 10 minutes, flip your cheese in the press and press at 10Kg for another ten minutes. Flip again and press at 20Kg overnight.

Let the cheese dry for a week or so somewhere cool...top of fridge will...turning a few times daily so that one side doesn't become waterlogged.

Then wax and leave to mature for at least four weeks.
Once you have mastered "cheddar" ......blue is your oyster!!!!!!!


PS , sterilise eveything!!!! you are keeping milk at bacteria culture temperature so don't poison yourself....good luck

One thing I'd warn of is not to make Cheese and bread/beer at the sametime. The yeasts & bacteria seem to love getting into the wrong substrate, great for them, not so hot for us!

 

[Tremyfro]

Hmmm ... First it blew up the thermometer and now it's really decided to finish it off !!

If you want an efficient wax melter then this has to be it... it wasn't even that hot today !

What lovely yellow wax I've got as well .. I even put the slightly brown(ish) wax that I had previously recovered by the more usual 'boiling in water' method in there and it's all coming out this beautiful yellow colour. Filter medium, as usual, is just a J-Cloth. It baked the rubber bands holding the J-Cloth in place and I had to replace them as they had gone brittle - more expense !

You are such a vandal....you could have used an oven thermometer! I wrapped up my wax in the j cloth and tied with string....put it in the slow cooker...when melted....poured it into a foil container with a little water in the bottom.....i used an old wooden spoon to squash the rest of the wax out...then binned the rubbish parcel in the j cloth....i am sure someone will tell me I should have saved it for some reason......mine was a bright yellow too....easy way to do it but only for smallish amounts.

 

[B+.]

.i am sure someone will tell me I should have saved it for some reason.

Apparently, beeswax (including horrible old slumgum) makes terrific firelighters...if anyone has an old fashioned real fire anymore?

 

[Tremyfro]

Apparently, beeswax (including horrible old slumgum) makes terrific firelighters...if anyone has an old fashioned real fire anymore?

Oooops! Don't tell hubby! I will save future old black comb for that as people say it's not worth melting the wax off.

 

[B+.]

I will save future old black comb for that as people say it's not worth melting the wax off.

Theres a use for your wax soaked j-cloths!

 

[Russel]

Screwfix are selling their Titan TTB419STM 2000W Wallpaper Stripper for £19.99

 

[Tremyfro]

Screwfix are selling their Titan TTB419STM 2000W Wallpaper Stripper for £19.99

I have a big steamer which I used to use for steaming hay for the horses....I am thinking of using it to extract the wax...when I start to recycle the frames. I don't have any old wooden hives that I could use but I am sure a plastic storage box could be used. I see there are long oblong ones for sale...which I am sure would accommodate my 14x12 frames...just need to make a frame holder for the inside and something to collect the wax.

 

[mrchips]

Somewhere and I'm not sure where I saw it, I believe I saw a suggestion that when recovering dirty wax from brood frames etc, it is advisable to soak the wax in water before putting it into a bain marie. Is this correct or did I imagine it?

I have bought a bain marie and put some wax in it just as a tester really and before I 'go for it' seriously I thought I'd ask the question.

 

[bpmurray]

Somewhere and I'm not sure where I saw it, I believe I saw a suggestion that when recovering dirty wax from brood frames etc, it is advisable to soak the wax in water before putting it into a bain marie. Is this correct or did I imagine it?

I have bought a bain marie and put some wax in it just as a tester really and before I 'go for it' seriously I thought I'd ask the question.

For dirty wax, I simply heat it in water, pour the melted wax+ water through a sieve and leave it to cool when I scrape the junk off the bottom of the cooled wax. That way I get the cocoons and other stuff out. I do this twice to get as much of the junk out as possible. Only then do I melt the wax itself and pour into moulds.

 

[madasafish]

I put ALL my old wax into my solar melter. It has a filter so the nasty stuff gets caught. For really clean wax, I run it through 2-3 times with different filters...

 

[Teemore]

Somewhere and I'm not sure where I saw it, I believe I saw a suggestion that when recovering dirty wax from brood frames etc, it is advisable to soak the wax in water before putting it into a bain marie. Is this correct or did I imagine it?

I have bought a bain marie and put some wax in it just as a tester really and before I 'go for it' seriously I thought I'd ask the question.

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=38199&page=4 - reply ~36

 

[Poly Hive]

An old tip but still a good one is to chat up a double glazing firm for a redundant window unit then build a box to suit.... works very well.

PH

 

[REDWOOD]

6 Litres of milk
If you can't get non-homogenised then use skimmed and cream at 11:1 proportions.
Heat slowly to 90˚F ....I just put a large saucepan on a low gas with a diffuser over the flames, then add a pinch of cheese culture (google ?)
Incubate for 45 minutes at this temperature (I simply turn off the heat and wrap the saucepan in a towel).
Then add rennet..... animal or vegetable and leave to set for an hour.
Then....cut up the set curd into bits in the pan and put back on the heat, taking about 30 minutes to get to 100˚F, stirring occasionally so that the curd doesn't clump into large bits.

Now.....you need to sieve the curds through some muslin or a jelly bag and leave it hanging over a jug for an hour. I had a lot of whey left over and, not having any pigs, I gave it to the dogs. They loved it...............but the next morning they really had the shits!!!!!!

The next bit is the complicated bit.
You need to mash the drained curds with your hands and add some salt then press them.
This is where you need some kit....a cheese press.
Wrap in cheesecloth ...........
5Kg pressure for 10 minutes, flip your cheese in the press and press at 10Kg for another ten minutes. Flip again and press at 20Kg overnight.

Let the cheese dry for a week or so somewhere cool...top of fridge will...turning a few times daily so that one side doesn't become waterlogged.

Then wax and leave to mature for at least four weeks.
Once you have mastered "cheddar" ......blue is your oyster!!!!!!!


PS , sterilise eveything!!!! you are keeping milk at bacteria culture temperature so don't poison yourself....good luck

Admin
Can you make this a sticky please

 

[peterbees]

See my write-ups on Cleaning beehive frames here: http://tinyurl.com/of36vpk
and Preparing beeswax for sale: http://tinyurl.com/qya7cxk