bees wax

[bgosh]

How are you separating the left over honey from the wax so the wax can be used? Thanks Stan

[fixtureman]

we extract it with a radial extractor it spins the honey out of the wax

[Alaric]

Set it in a covered bowl and put it in a window where the sun shines on it for a short time, not long enough for the wax to melt. You can then strain out most of the rest of the honey. After that you need to rinse the wax (you'll loose a few teaspoons of honey that way.

Finally, I take a few tiny spring clamps (clothespins will work) and use them to clip a coffee filter to an disposable aluminum pan. I put about an inch of water in the pan. Then I set it in an old ice chest and put the wax in the coffee filter. I cover the ice chest with a pieced of glass and set it out in the sun. A 2x4 under on end tilts it towards the sun a little. In about four to five hours the wax will be have melted and passed through the coffee filter, leaving all the propolis and dirt behind in the filter. The wax will float on top of the water. Any honey settles to the bottom of the wax and is dissolved in the water. Let it cool in the evening until the wax sets up and then throw away the black goo in the coffee filter, retrieve the slab of wax from the pan, and dispose of the water. You'll have clean yellow beeswax ready for whatever you want.


Beeswax is a good finish for wooden bowls. It also give you a nice smelling bowl.


edit to add: I don't use a large ice chest, just a small drink ice chest.

[JimReed@Tallahassee]

I quickly checked that world famous auction site and found beeswax ranging from $5 to $10 per pound. It is available in block and granule form.

[jp4]

If you are by a hive, place it out front. The bees will clean it off.

[Humanbackhoe]

bgosh said:

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How are you separating the left over honey from the wax

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Kids do not try this at home!!!!

Late one summer, my housemate and I collected the honey from his many beehives. We put the honeycombs in plastic trash bang and made plans to take it to a centrifuge.

It so happens there was a hammock in the porch that was right above the honey.
Late one Friday night ...me and my girlfriend were getting busy in the hammock. The attaching hook pulled out from the wood post and we dropped four feet into about 300 pounds of honey.

It took a second to realize we wern't hurt and then we laughed pretty good about it......Over the next couple days, bees came from several counties over to clean up the spilled honey that leaked out of the bags....My housemate was pissed.....


Andrew

[Admiral]

Humanbackhoe said:

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[blockquote]bgosh said:

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How are you separating the left over honey from the wax

---

Kids do not try this at home!!!!

Late one summer, my housemate and I collected the honey from his many beehives. We put the honeycombs in plastic trash bang and made plans to take it to a centrifuge.

It so happens there was a hammock in the porch that was right above the honey.
Late one Friday night ...me and my girlfriend were getting busy in the hammock. The attaching hook pulled out from the wood post and we dropped four feet into about 300 pounds of honey.

It took a second to realize we wern't hurt and then we laughed pretty good about it......Over the next couple days, bees came from several counties over to clean up the spilled honey that leaked out of the bags....My housemate was pissed.....


Andrew

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[/blockquote]

Gives a whole new meaning about getting yourself into the "honey pot."