Presto !!!

[Perry]

My Presto Pot just arrived. 
Hopefully this spells the end of melting wax on the kitchen stove with a double boiler.
I bought the 6 quart model, and shipping doubled the price, but I'm looking forward to trying it. Everything I have researched tells me these are a huge time saver.
If anyone else has had any experience with them let me know.

[blueblood]

Like this? http://www.prestopotwaxmelter.com/

[apisbees]

Go big is my motto, my double water jacket pot is at least 60 quarts. It works great and fairly is fast at melting wax.

[brooksbeefarm]

Mine doesn't have a spigot, can a spigot be added? Jack

[Bakersdozen]

Like this? http://www.prestopotwaxmelter.com/

That looks like the old Presto popcorn poppers from the early 70's with a spigot added. I had one in my dorm room.(Pre light weight, affordable microwaves)  What's that basket for?  It looks like a fryer basket.

[efmesch]

I'm sticking with my "primitive" solar wax extractor---I don't know if it's any better, but it is certainly convenient to drop all those little chunks of wax collected on my visits to the hive.  Since they get melted down right away, there is no fear of wax moth development while witing for enough to accumulate to justify a big pot being put to use.  Then again, my solar energy bills are very low, to say the least.

[Perry]

That's the one Dave.

A spigot can be added if you're into doing it youirself Jack.
http://www.candletech.com/candle-making/tips-and-tricks/do-it-yourself-wax-melter/

I've been looking for a cheap wax melter for a while now and nothing has popped up Apis. If one does I may pull out the wallet (again), but for now this gets me out of the kitchen, and my wifes way.

Ef, I use my solar melter to melt all my wax and do a first refine, and then it goes into a double boiler or presto pot for a second time to pour candles, etc.

I have no idea what the basket is for Bakersdozen. 

[LazyBkpr]

Wife has about 50 of those on the shelf in her candle shop..   
   She has three, 10? gallon wax pots and one melting pot that I would have to guess is 50 to 60 gallons, plus the pots like Perry is showing. The melters she likes to use are the rectangular turkey cookers that plug in and set on the counter top.. like a big electric roaster pan. She has a dozen of those with the temp rheostat on them and almost always has two of them keeping wax hot.  I have found two of them at yard sales with price tags of $5.00 or so.
   It is amazing what this "hobby?" gets us into and has us trying to scrounge from other peoples useless pile.

[riverbee]

"I'm sticking with my "primitive" solar wax extractor"

i am with ef on this...........and run it through as needed to be very clean wax. 2, or 3 times.  best of all, how bleached or white the wax can get.  love it.  i know some don't have the time, or don't want to mess with this, and some color their candles, so it wouldn't matter,  but i enjoy putting my wax through the solar melter.   

[Perry]

"I'm sticking with my "primitive" solar wax extractor"

i am with ef on this...........and run it through as needed to be very clean wax. 2, or 3 times.  best of all, how bleached or white the wax can get.  love it.  i know some don't have the time, or don't want to mess with this, and some color their candles, so it wouldn't matter,  but i enjoy putting my wax through the solar melter. 

I understand the solar thing, but how do you heat it to pour candles? The presto pot is strictly for melting the wax to pour candles, not refine it any.
That, and for some strange reason the crude wax I have been putting in the solar melter the last week or so doesn't seem to be melting much. Days haven't gotten sunny enough as of late. Hope it's not a sign of an early autumn. 

[efmesch]

Perry, I have no better solution than yours for candle pouring.
When occasionally I have inadequate sun to heat my solar wax melter, I have used mirrors to increase the amount of solar energy focused on the extractor.  It works well, but you have to refocus the mirrors as the sun traverses the sky.

[LazyBkpr]

I have a solar melter another beek built..   He fixed the not so sunny day problem by mounting two heat lamps in the thing..  It is setting in my shed taking up space..    I like the idea, but prefer to melt the wax over my bench on a COLD windy winter day..   Then I set the buckets outside the door..  about fifteen minutes later I can bring the buckets back in and lift the wax out, scrape/clean remelt and filter again..  Have it clean and poured in cupcake tins in half a day.

[riverbee]

"I understand the solar thing, but how do you heat it to pour candles? The prest pot is strictly for melting the wax to pour candles, not refine it any.
That, and for some strange reason the crude wax I have been putting in the solar melter the last week or so doesn't seem to be melting much. Days haven't gotten sunny enough as of late. Hope it's not a sign of an early autumn.  "

oops perry, sorry, thought the presto refined wax as well.  my apologies. the little i do for candles is double boiler method after refining through solar.  i don't make the candles you do.  more lip balm.  this time of year, i really don't bother to refine wax, hit and miss. i like to do it when the days are longer before and after the solstice so that it goes quickly.

[Perry]

Had a decent market today, and almost sold all of the candles I had brought! 
I only had 4 skeps left!
I use this Presto Pot and I have to say it is the cat's "behind".
I was absolutely shocked at how quick the wax was melted. On the stove in a double boiler it took the wax a couple of hours, and this did twice the amount in less than 15 minutes. The only trouble I had was getting it to initially flow through the valve. I removed the elbow and just used a skewer to get it started, and once it did is worked perfectly. I will not replace the elbow, not even sure why it's there as I can see this being a continuous problem.

[LazyBkpr]

There is a "wrap" you can buy to put on the valves etc that "heat" them.. Wife has them in her candle shop on the pots.. Sounds like you have figured out the cheapest solution!

[apisbees]

Use a heat gun or a propane torch to heat and melt the wax at the valve.

[Retroguy]

Someone asked what the basket is for.  I think that's a deep fryer for french fries and such rather than the corn popper.  Looks like the one I have in the cupboard.

[Perry]

Someone asked what the basket is for.  I think that's a deep fryer for french fries and such rather than the corn popper.  Looks like the one I have in the cupboard.

I think you' right, but I found another use for it. When I melt down a big vat of crude beeswax, I use it with cheesecloth to pour all the crude stuff into large buckets.