Problems Filtering Wax

[PhilK]

So far when I have been rendering wax down I have a double boiler set up - pot on stove with boiling water and metal bowl on top with wax and water. I wait for the wax to melt then pour it through multiple layers of muslin cloth (cheese cloth) into a container, wait for the wac to harden on top of the water layer and remove it.

1. I find a lot of the wax is 'absorbed' into the muslin cloth, hardens, and therefore is wasted
2. I still get very fine particulate matter in the wax making it look dirty

Any recommendations how to improve my system? I want to make a solar wax melter (Australian sun shouldn't have too much trouble melting wax!) but that's a project for a quiet few days.

Cheers

[Michael Bush]

Water in the wax helps get some of the dirt out both by solution and by causing it to end up at the bottom of the wax when it hardens.  Some of getting wax clean is by the layers it ends up in.  Using something more tall than wide for the container to pour it in makes each layer deeper allowing you to waste less wax.  Hence, a pint milk carton works better than something wide and shallow.  Then you can scrape a lot of it off of the bottom.  The waste is always frustrating.  Only a press can resolve that issue complete, but if you save all the waste (slumgum etc.) and occasionally put it in a muslim bag in the bottom of a pot of water with a brick on it, you can boil some of that wax out.

[Rhino86]

The solar wax melter idea is interesting, some cooper pipe painted black would easily heat water in Queensland. Have a look at deriving the solution from solar hot water systems.
Also look at quality bee keeping supplies at Sumner Park, they have a solar wax melter for $54 aud.

http://www.qualitybeekeepingsupplies.com.au/index.php/catalogue-2/50-wax-melters-and-cappings-reducers

[AUSSIE POM]

The solar wax melter idea is interesting, some cooper pipe painted black would easily heat water in Queensland.

G'day,
As Pauline would say " Please explain"? What is hot water to do with the Solar Melter?
I am thinking of making a Wax Melter Boiler.  I normally melt all my capping's and strain the wax through a cooking sieve into 4 lt Ice-cream Container.  When I do that I end up with black gunk on the bottom.  I though about melting the wax in a water boiler. Have a outlet tap just above the water line. Pour the wax into containers.  That way all the gunk would stay in the water ( Right)?
Cheers Perry   

[divemaster1963]

in doing that hope that you have enough wax each time to keep the level of good wax above the fuacet.


john

[PhilK]

Maybe try straining through something a little finer than a kitchen sieve

[Frances]

I live in France and ir has been in the top 30's so I thought a solar oven was ideal for cleaning the dirty wax and ending up with beautiful clean wax. I made one, I used a strip of aluminium to put the wax on that I found in the local hardware store and left it for a couple of days. The result was not as good as I had hoped,I don't think that it was in the sun for long enough.  I gave in and put the old wax on the aluminium strip in the Halogen, water in a dish at the bottom meant that I ended up with a beautiful round disc wax. The temperature was best at 150.

[Acebird]

I though about melting the wax in a water boiler. Have a outlet tap just above the water line. Pour the wax into containers.  That way all the gunk would stay in the water ( Right)?
Cheers Perry

Not quite.  The outlet would have to be 1/8 to 1/4 higher then the water level.   If you just scrape off the gunk until you get clean wax you won't waste as much.  The gunk floats on top of the water so it will always be in the wax.  I use like a crock pot (fryer) that has a temp control.  At its lowest setting it is about 200 F water doesn't boil.  I turn it up to melt wax fast but you have to watch it when it hits the boiling point.  Using a kitchen sieve I do this three times.  The third time the wax has just a thin layer of gunk on the bottom that you can scrap clean.  The gunk you can chop up and use for beetle bait in your tray.

[BeeMaster2]

Frances,
I also use a solar wax melter. If the wax is light colored and you use metallic colored metal, it often times does not get hot enough. I added black colored metal steal blocks in the bottom of the pan to melt the wax enough to go through the filter. Eventually I will paint the pan black so that it gets hotter.
Jim

[jalentour]

I use a crock pot and water. 
The pure wax rises to the top and the impurities go to the bottom.
I slice off the impurities and keep the good wax, repeat until happy.
This is not my idea, found it on line from a bee site, wish I could attribute the author. 
Works well for me, found a cheap crock pot at Good Will. 
Best of luck.

[minz]

I boil my wax with water in a Wok. Pour it through a nylon. As Bush points out the scum that remains goes to the bottom so the thinner container you loose less wax.
If you have a lot of debris or bees in it (if you let the bees clean it up) use a window screen. the trick to this is to pour boiling water through the screen before the wax so it is hot. 
If you just add water to your capping wax (just a cup or so) rather than letting the bees have it first, the water on the bottom of the wax is thick and the bees will suck up just like honey. You still give them back the honey and you do not have to sort out 2 pounds of dead bees.