Beekeeping > Do-It-Yourself Plans and Prints

solar wax melter

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rober:
here's the 1st one I built. the size was based on a piece of glass that I had on hand. I based the angle on one that I borrowed which was not steep enough & left the wax in a shadow which stopped the melting process. if I build another it will be bigger & have a drawer. the wax is held in a strainer lined with either papers towels or a restaurant grease filter. I found the open ended baking sheet in a thrift store. the catch basin is a holding pan from a steam table. the strainer & baking sheet hang on screws. i riveted a piece of aluminum angle at an angle to the baking sheet to help direct the wax into the pan. the wax drops thru the strainer & runs down the baking sheet into the catch pan which is 1/3 full of water.









this is the strainer.  i lucked out & found it when the local Aldis had them on special for $6.00
https://www.amazon.com/YKL-Expandable-Stainless-Strainer-Vegetable/dp/B010NDOD9M/ref=asc_df_B010NDOD9M/?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid={creative}&hvpos={adposition}&hvnetw=o&hvrand={random}&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl={devicemodel}&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583589101910417&psc=1
also-if you watch the free section on craigslist you can find free used windows for glass. with a glass cutter & straight edge you're set. if you break some pieces consider it practice. nothing lost since it's free.

tedh:
Is that a full size steam table pan?

rober:
yes it is full sized. the box is 16" wide ( o.d. ). next time i'm by it i'll measure the pan . i'm melting wax as I write this. at least this heat wave is good for something. I got the pan at a restaurant supply. they're actually fairly inexpensive. a disposable aluminum pan would work too but would need to be replaced periodically.
I also got lucky as the baking sheet was a perfect fit.
  i have also used a styrafoam food shipping cooler with a piece of glass on top. they are 4" thick & hold temperatures well. this melter works better but i still use the foam box to melt crystalized honey.

tedh:
How much wax can you put in to melt at a time and can/do you just keep adding more as it melts down?  Is it insulated?  Just hanging out and curious, avoiding the heat today.

rober:
it can handle 2-3 #'s. if i'm melting burr comb I find the filter tends to clog & I rotate the strainer 180* 1/2 way thru the process. if the I free of debris wax can be added throughout the day. honey is the hardest thing to clean out of the wax & usually requires several trips thru the melter. I set burr comb with honey out in a bucket & let the bees rob the honey & then wash it before putting it thru the melter & it still requires being melted 2-3 times to be free of honey. sometimes I put the wax in a pan on my hot plate after running thru the solar melter to get rid of most crud & filter thru a restaurant grease filter that's perched on a bucket of water. it does a good job. this came from a restaurant supply & was 10.00. the filters are 12.00 per 100. here's a photo.

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