Worldwide Beekeeping

Beekeeping => Products Of The Hive => Topic started by: Perry on December 05, 2013, 07:18:44 am

Title: How to deal with Beeswax (other)
Post by: Perry on December 05, 2013, 07:18:44 am

Now if the weather has gotten too cold and the solar melter isn't an option, this is what I do.
I dump all my cappings into a large metal pot, add a few inches of water and bring the whole works to a melt. I then run the works through some #8 hardware cloth with some cheesecloth on top into an ice cream pail and then just let it set till cool. You end up with lost honey and water mixed at the bottom. It can be fed back to the bees if you do that, or make mead if you want! :mrgreen:
(http://i664.photobucket.com/albums/vv1/PerryBee/Spinner006_zps9f0fd47f.jpg) (http://http://s664.photobucket.com/user/PerryBee/media/Spinner006_zps9f0fd47f.jpg.html)

(http://i664.photobucket.com/albums/vv1/PerryBee/2013wax005_zps49f36597.jpg) (http://http://s664.photobucket.com/user/PerryBee/media/2013wax005_zps49f36597.jpg.html)

Because of the all the lost honey in the cappings I've recently purchased a used wax spinner and hope to be able to reclaim most of that honey.
(http://i664.photobucket.com/albums/vv1/PerryBee/Spinner003_zps459bde65.jpg) (http://http://s664.photobucket.com/user/PerryBee/media/Spinner003_zps459bde65.jpg.html)

(http://i664.photobucket.com/albums/vv1/PerryBee/Spinner004_zps1a979238.jpg) (http://http://s664.photobucket.com/user/PerryBee/media/Spinner004_zps1a979238.jpg.html)

Title: Re: How to deal with Beeswax (other)
Post by: G3farms on December 05, 2013, 07:51:25 am

Perry just how does that capping spinner work?

Is the blade in the bottom fixed to the basket so they both spin together or does the blade spin faster/slower than the basket?

How exactly do you get your clean wax out? Just scoop it off of the basket?

This has to be too simple, I must be over complicating it!

Title: Re: How to deal with Beeswax (other)
Post by: Perry on December 05, 2013, 06:16:13 pm

:lol:  To be honest with you, I agree, it kinda doesn't make sense. The blades are attached to the basket. As the slum gum/cappings drop through the top opening they are chopped up by the blades. The cappings are then flung out to the outer screen, but the honey drops down to the bottom (remember, there is no centrifugal force on the honey yet). The whole basket affair sits up above the bottom, where the honey flows to and out the opening. I guess I'll have to see it working for it all to make sense. On this video showing the Davis Honey Farm, (Maxant promo video) there is a short moment where they show it being used, but they have just dumped in the first batch of cappings in so there is not much of a flow out of it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MzzeG4VZVo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MzzeG4VZVo)
When it gets full of dry cappings, you undo a wing nut, slide the top over, undo the eye bolt and lift the basket out. Simply scrape off "light, fluffy dry cappings wax".
We'll see!!  ;)
I now have everything in the video (Maxant and Dadant) except an uncapper.

Title: Re: How to deal with Beeswax (other)
Post by: G3farms on December 06, 2013, 06:23:48 pm

I did see the video and it was good.
Sure is a nice honey house he has set up, just 12 x 24 too.