Author Topic: Solar wax melter (Read 8708 times)

tedh · « **on:** April 19, 2016, 09:10:03 am »

My brother Tim (Timmy to the family ) is a heck of a craftsman. He's an engineer by education and occupation but more importantly, he's an engineer deep down in every cell of his body. Had I given it any thought as a teen I'd have known it was his future to be such. He always liked to tinker with stuff, find ways to make it better. Anyway, he built us a solar melter.

I put it to use a week or so ago and Timmy and I spoke afterwards. Being who and what he is he's working on the second version (2.0). He will incorporate a few improvements, including a thermometer port, just for fun. Other improvements will include size and insulation. Ted

apisbees · « **Reply #1 on:** April 19, 2016, 09:31:31 am »

Looks good Ted What are some of the design details? Glass or plexi top? Some wire to hold back the slumgum? Is the spout on the tray protruding enough?

LazyBkpr · « **Reply #2 on:** April 19, 2016, 09:32:43 am »

Dang thats sweet! HEY! I have a bunch of wax that needs refined a time or two if you want to give those melters a run for their money!

tedh · « **Reply #3 on:** April 19, 2016, 10:01:12 am »

Thanks apis! It's glass. Timmy did some research (of course he did!) and found that glass is way better than plexiglass as far as allowing the blah blah rays through to blah blah blah. The details escape now but yes it's glass. A screen "fence" to stop the crud frome sliding down and blocking the melted wax "chute" will be another improvement on 2.0. The first time I used it the wind was blowing steady at 35 mph with gusts over 50. I think the wind didn't let it get warm enough to melt at a high enough temp. Hard to explain. I'll add a pic of the first run.

Lazy: I say we give it a try! Certainly won't cost anything. I wonder if it'll lighten the color and make it more yellow?

tedh · « **Reply #4 on:** April 19, 2016, 10:08:00 am »

Apis here's the pics that brought about the improvements.

tedh · « **Reply #5 on:** April 19, 2016, 10:18:30 am »

Sorry, I'm bouncing between devices. As you can see the wax kind of puddled up right there at the chute so 2.0 will have a bit longer chute and more of an angle (45*) from each side of the chute to funnel the wax down better.

I did run the wax back through melter 1.0 this weekend (higher air temps and less wind) with absolutely no problems. It really worked like a charm. I called Timmy and explained this and his reaction was, "it only cost $20 to make, have enough sheet tin for many more, and it was kind of fun. Besides the improvements will be great!". As I've said, engineer deep down in his being. Ted

tedh · « **Reply #6 on:** April 19, 2016, 10:20:52 am »

You'll be better off laying on your side to look at the pics. Sorry. I think I know how to take them now having reread Riverbees "how to post for smart phones". Ted

apisbees · « **Reply #7 on:** April 19, 2016, 11:05:24 am »

At this time of year and temp with wind chill Insulation will help. In July August and September it will not mater. It looked like glass it looked to clear. the chain to support the glass lid I would lean it back a little more when it is open. You don't want the wind to blow the lid closed on it It may shatter the class A piece of wire mesh in the wax tray will keep the slumgum from sliding down and allow the wax to flow out easier.

tedh · « **Reply #8 on:** April 19, 2016, 11:20:16 am »

Thanks for the tips apis! I'll have brother add them to the upgrades on 2.0. Ted

neillsayers · « **Reply #9 on:** April 19, 2016, 03:58:27 pm »

Very impressive, Ted

He could market these to keeps in your area.

riverbee · « **Reply #10 on:** April 20, 2016, 10:59:07 am »

ps fixed the pix ted...........

apisbees · « **Reply #11 on:** April 20, 2016, 12:32:49 pm »

One more thing shiny metal is reflecting some of the rays back out through the class Paint it black and it will absorb the heat better and make it hotter.

tedh · « **Reply #12 on:** April 20, 2016, 04:56:42 pm »

Thanks riverbee! Rodger that apis!

efmesch · « **Reply #13 on:** April 23, 2016, 04:43:21 pm »

Is the melter made with a single or a double pane of glass. Does Tim have any recommendations about the relative efficiency of one or the other?

Barbarian · « **Reply #14 on:** April 23, 2016, 06:59:02 pm »

I have recently made myself a new solar wax melter.

The base and sides are made of foil coated dense styrofoam sheet (Kingspan, Ceoltex ...) as used in buildings. The top is a sheet of glass.

I copied the design from post no. 6 of the thread "Hoping to make a wax melter" on a UK forum in February.

www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=35987

Beware this is a rambling thread with 74 posts.

tedh · « **Reply #15 on:** April 23, 2016, 07:15:55 pm »

That's a good question Ef. I don't have the answer but will talk with brother Tim sometime tomorrow and see what he has to say. I'll report back.

Chip Euliss · « **Reply #16 on:** April 26, 2016, 07:59:58 pm »

For what it's worth, I have a couple of solar wax melters I bought from Mann Lake back when I ran singles; I used them to clean and recover wax from metal-bound queen excluders. They were double panes, I suspect for a couple of reasons. Insulation to buffer against ambient temperature change and the secondary heating from the space between the panes as a heating area to further buffer temperature change. Solar energy trapped between the panes keep the between pane space warm but enough passes through the 2nd pane to heat the inside where the actual melting occurs. I see some melting on cooler days and on the really hot days, you can pour the liquid wax out of the collection vessel or you can wait till it's cooler and take it out solid. My only recommendation is to keep the glass as clean as possible to make heating more efficient. Many years ago, I picked up a home made one that had a single pane but it was heavily insulated. It heated fine but I don't think it got as hot as the ones I have now. Mine came with a stand that you can rotate so you can change the relative angle to the sun and that is something you might consider since it's easier to spin the melter to a new angle relative to the sun than physically moving the entire melter. I modified the ones I have to mount on waist-high stand so I don't have to bend over too much. Also mounted the whole shebang to a pallet so I can move it inside with the forklift for winter.

Great work. Tell Timmy he would be welcome in North Dakota anytime

riverbee · « **Reply #17 on:** April 27, 2016, 10:36:39 pm »

this is my solar wax melter..........(have a couple of them):
work great..........
built them myself, and fine tuned straining wax through them........

Riverbee's Solar Wax Melter

tedh · « **Reply #18 on:** May 17, 2016, 08:19:35 pm »

Just talked with Brother Timmy about the "new and improved" solar melter (2.0). We were fine tuning and verifying the changes and I happened to mention Chip Euliss's melter on a stand that can be rotated with the sun. Not that I wanted that, or more precisely, not that I NEEDED that, just wanted to mention it. He ran with it! Of course he did! I could almost feel the gears turning over the phone. He's thinking along the line of a small motor (battery powered) that would turn the melter to match the movement of the sun! I assured him there was no need to go to that much trouble, it wasn't necessary, to much work, etc. Timmy's reply? "Teddy, you just don't seem to understand how much I ENJOY doing this kind of stuff". "Besides", he said, " what else would I do with all my time?". We should all understand, Tim's philosophy is, I'm going to be up for at LEAST 16 hours a day, I might as well be doing something. I've only seen him watch TV once. In my life. That cat's a go getter! Anyway...

Chip Euliss: Got any pics of your melter stand that you'd be willing to share?

Ef? It's single pane glass. Two sheets separated by, he was going from memory, 1/8th inch. I would have gotten back sooner but the company he works for was on "shut down". He's been very busy for the last few weeks (long shifts) and I didn't want to interrupt him. Ted

efmesch · « **Reply #19 on:** May 18, 2016, 01:26:42 am »

Thanks Ted, for remembering my question from way back when. I was given a solar wax melter with a frame setup grooved for two panes of glass. Both were broken and I wanted professional advice on whether it would be adequate to replace just one. So I guess I got my answer. Now the repair will be half the cost of what it could have been had I not asked you.