melting wax

[Marty68]

got wax from a hive that died out this winter so far. was wanting to melt the wax down. some is dark and some is light. do i need to seperate the colors or does it matter. also looking for a method of doing it. i have never done it before so i'm looking for some directions. ty for the help

[Perry]

I like to keep the dark and light wax separate, but it all depends on how much wax you have. Once you decide, take the wax and put it all into a large pot (think lobster size pot), add about an inch of water, and then bring it to just under a boil. You want the wax to melt but not really bubble. Once you have done that, pour the whole works through some cheesecloth into another vessel, like a slightly tapered (again, depends on how much) ice cream pail, or yogurt container. Let it cool.
You will find all the crud will settle down into the bottom layer with the water. Once cool just pry out your wax. You will find some of the crud will have formed a thin layer on the bottom of your wax cake, but that can be scraped off.

If you want to then go another step in refining, take the wax that you now have, use a double boiler system and melt it down again and strain it through an old t-shirt. In the pictures I just used a "trivet", something to keep the container off the direct heat. Fill the pot a couple of inches over the height of the trivet with water and then set it on your heat source.








Your wax at this point should be ready to use. Here is the difference if you keep your capping separate from the dark comb wax.

[Jen]

Nice picture instruction Perry. And, I remember last year when I was winging it with melting wax for the first time. I didn't have the trivet set up, and the wax was in a pot on the wood stove. Hubby would have caught that and helped with setting it up right, but he was gone that day. Anyway, you jumped right on the post I was making with my progress... and helped with these same instructions which in turn helped me not burn my house down ~ Thank you for that 

[pistolpete]

also, whatever pots you use for the wax will be almost impossible to clean, so get some dedicated ones from a thrift store.   I basically do the same as Perry, but I use way more water, like 4", for the initial melt.  Also I just let the whole thing cool in the original pot after the first melt, so I have one less thing to clean. 

Keeping the wax separate really depends on your intended use.  If you're after cosmetics grade, then you really want just cappings.  It you're using it for painting plastic frames or making furniture polish, then it really doesn't matter that much.  Any really dark wax, just toss, it's not worth the trouble and likely full of pesticides anyway.

[Marty68]

where can i find a trivet

[Perry]

Most cooking supply stores would have them I imagine, probably walmart, etc.

[Jen]

In our town, it would be Walmart or the big grocery chain store, Winco maybe also. Look in the cooking section.

This is an example of a trivet. I think I would like a smaller one tho, or knock the handle off of this one.

[Perry]

Thinking about it, almost anything could work. A few stainless steel nuts in the bottom of the pot, anything to keep the vessel your wax is in off the bottom to avoid direct heat. Maybe even a thin brick?

[iddee]

Do you have a home canner? They have a piece to keep the glass jars off the bottom.

[Jen]

Both great ideas! The nuts idea... how easy is that? 

[rwlaw]

I found a 4 buck crockpot at goodwill. About 3 inches of water in the bottom, pack it full and set it on low (don't try to rush it on high, it'll scorch the wax), come back in a couple hours and strain it thru a tee shirt that's rubber banded to a bowl. The wax will firm up over the water as it cools, ain't pretty but all the solids are out.
The crockpot's nice because I can put it outside, let it catch fire out there if it wants.

[Jen]

rwlaw "The crockpot's nice because I can put it outside, let it catch fire out there if it wants."

That cracked me up! 

[neillsayers]

Jen,
When I set up a double boiler I drop several canning jar rings in the water. This provides a nice stable base for my inner pot.

[Jen]

Ooo, another good idea. Ya know, I'm pretty ingenuitive, but I didn't come up with nuts and canning rings 

[rwlaw]

I was a setup man in a plastic injection shop and we used carnuba wax as a mold release on some of the molds, one of the operators decided to hasten the wax melting by sticking a propane torch in the can instead of under it and then decided to throw the can towards the door when it caught, luckily no one was in the way when he did. Having a healthy respect for burning wax is an understatement LOL.

[Jen]

Good Gravy!

[Marty68]

i'll go to goodwill and see if i can find an old pressure cooker so i can have everything that i need. ty for all the input

[Wandering Man]

Are the T-shirts or paint filters trash once they've been used? Or is there a way to recycle the cloth once it's been used to filter wax?

[brooksbeefarm]

They make great fire starters, i use them in the wood stove in my shop to get going. Jack

[riverbee]

like jack said.......great firestarters!.......