Moggs
Field Bee
I've put together a Wax Reclamation Boiler, design based on the PH Special. It consists of a Home Brewing boiler with simmerstat, into which all my dismantled comb is thrown. Water is added to bring the whole mass up to about 2/3 full.
When boiling nicely, the heat is switched off and the filtration device is pressed into service (literally). It's a circular frying-pan spatter-guard mesh thingy, that fits very snugly down into the top of the boiler, sitting horizontally just above the boiled goo.
Then, using a garden hose, reverse flow cold water is gently applied to the boiler drain tap, the effect being to force the liquid wax through the mesh to solidify into a clean block of re-usable.
Boil 1 and 2 resulted in some very satisfying blocks of wax that will be sent to the candle making section of this operation. However, the third run brought mystery and intrigue. The boiler was duly recharged, this time with some decidedly grotty black comb that had seen much service. The boil commenced and quickly resulted in a predictable seething dark porridge that frothed and bubbled menacingly; Hecate's finest.
When it was done, the filter was applied as before and the clear water run in at the tap. To my great dismay, the only wax that appeared was in the form of a few wisps of yellow, midst the evil brown liquor.
So "where's my wax?" The remaining sludge consists of a load of larval cocoons and other grot. Perhaps the wax has become inextricably bound to this. I might try to get some more direct heat on it to see if it will break down but I'm not too optimistic.
It was all going so well...
When boiling nicely, the heat is switched off and the filtration device is pressed into service (literally). It's a circular frying-pan spatter-guard mesh thingy, that fits very snugly down into the top of the boiler, sitting horizontally just above the boiled goo.
Then, using a garden hose, reverse flow cold water is gently applied to the boiler drain tap, the effect being to force the liquid wax through the mesh to solidify into a clean block of re-usable.
Boil 1 and 2 resulted in some very satisfying blocks of wax that will be sent to the candle making section of this operation. However, the third run brought mystery and intrigue. The boiler was duly recharged, this time with some decidedly grotty black comb that had seen much service. The boil commenced and quickly resulted in a predictable seething dark porridge that frothed and bubbled menacingly; Hecate's finest.
When it was done, the filter was applied as before and the clear water run in at the tap. To my great dismay, the only wax that appeared was in the form of a few wisps of yellow, midst the evil brown liquor.
So "where's my wax?" The remaining sludge consists of a load of larval cocoons and other grot. Perhaps the wax has become inextricably bound to this. I might try to get some more direct heat on it to see if it will break down but I'm not too optimistic.
It was all going so well...
