With a clean out of some hives recently I found myself with a box full of burr comb, old frames and random wax waste, so I decided it was time to try my hand at wax rendering. There are lots of methods online so I've tried a couple to come up with what I hope will be easy, effective and repeatable. A couple of things to be aware of:
Wax is highly flammable, so be careful if you are heating wax with an open flame. I initially tried using a gas camping stove, but then upgraded to an electric frypan.
Wax is messy. Don't do this in your kitchen because the wax gets everywhere! Also you will need specific wax tools - saucepans, jugs, stirrers, etc because you won't be able to re-use these implements in your kitchen.
Don't wash anything down the sink. Even if the wax is melted, contact with cool water will turn it back into a solid, and this will probably happen in the s-bend of your sink. Having dealt with a kid who tipped a melted candle down the kitchen sink, trust me on this one : )
Wax is filthy when you first get it. Wash as much excess honey and grit out as you can before you start. Then expect you will have to melt, filter and clean the wax a couple of time to get it nice and clean. I found wire strainers were too coarse and coffee filters were too fine. Cheese cloth, paint strainers, nylon stocking and even t-shirt material are all about the right thickness.
The pics below show the initial wax after the first pass, then after the second melt and filter. The first pass was in a pot half full of water, with all the wax added in a cheese cloth bag in stages, then tipped into an old ice cream container and left to cool and solidify. Second pass was in an electric frypan on low heat to prevent burning, then filtered through cheese cloth into silicone moulds and allowed to solidify. I did have to scrape some fine residual sediment off the bottom of the cubes, but I was pretty happy with the result. Next stage will be trying to make surf board wax, candles and some moustache wax. Stay tuned.
Rough wax after the first pass. The wax sits on top of the water and hardens. Dump the water out and clean the residue off the bottom before re-melting to clean a second time.
After the second melt and filter, in silicone moulds. No water this time, and melted in an electric frypan on low heat.
Finished product to sell as is, plus I will be using some to make beeswax products and candles.
Comments