Having a hard time cleaning BEESWAX? TRY THIS! 

Thanks!

I like that idea. I have actually started using a similar technique.

Wow, another great solution to straining beeswax. I was thinking about sewing up a filter for a bucket and you just used a pillow case. Brilliant.

What do you do with the pillow case when finished?

My preferred method is to use muslin. I reuse it until dirty and then move to a new piece though it could probably be heated up and cleaned somehow.

​@@jesseniagonzalez6104cut up and use as bbq lighters.

Great thanks! It’s a work in progress.

🎉

Great idea. Thanks for sharing!

Glad you liked it

Thanks. Hopefully this will help you streamline the process a bit!😎

Yes it works well. There is usually a little propolis on the bottom that needs to be scraped off but other than that it seems to work well and saves a few steps.

Yes it will make a mess! Thanks for the kind words

Good deal!

Where did you get the muslin?

I have had it for awhile but I think I got it at a local fabric store a few years back.

The Muslins will be upset you melted them.

I still have a bunch of extremely fine cloth that I used to get from the Surveyors department. It is the cloth core from very high grade cloth backed paper, probably about 1000 thread count per inch. Just soaked the redundant plans in a bath for a few hours and out came the cloth. A trip through the washer and dryer and they were done. I used a home made solar wax melter and 2 stages of filtering. First was fine zinc mesh fly screen on which the raw hive waste was tipped when ever I worked the hives, that caught the main debris, and dripped through onto a double layer of above mentioned cloth. The sun did all the work and you harvested from the bottom collector on a nice day and cast into rough blocks. All the filters were cleaned as needed and that cloth was used many times over. Worked very well for me

Yes works well. It’s good to hear from you!

Thanks!

You’re welcome. As with everything there are many ways to do it but this works well.

Yep. Pretty simple. Thanks!

Interesting information. Thanks for the tip!

www.mannlakeltd.com/1-lb-453-59-g-beeswax-bar-mold

Hmm. Sounds nice! I am not that creative. I actually just bought a solar wax melter but we need to actually have enough sun to melt the wax!

Yes if using for relaxing frames etc doesn’t need to be this clean but I keep a little around for various projects and sell a bit. Always looking for a more efficient way. Trying something new right now (solar wax melter). But it is raining too much!

Now that is a good idea!

I tried making lip balm but found it melt to quick. What ratio of wax did you use?

I don’t even know. Haven’t made lip balm in awhile. It is just a trial and error thing. Maybe will try again in the future.

​@@michaellepkowski3352 Most common recipe is 1/3 ratio. Beeswax, coconut oil, another oil Equal parts of each.

No doubt lol. We’ve had plenty of rain but that area needs to be de-thatched.

Thanks for the input. I may do that someday but in reality most of my bees are a cross of many different things. I order a few mated queens here and there which are more “pure bred.” But for the most part I have no idea where the genetics originate. I do like the idea though for sure and will keep it in mind.

@@brucesbees haha nice. well I just like talking to you and talking bees. you can do any topics and it'll be fun. Thank you.

To actually manipulate genetics you need to keep bees on Gilligan's Island and most of us don't own private remote islands in international waters taking risks to study honeybee genetics.

I agree in a sense that there are really no pure bred bees around but I disagree that you cannot manipulate genetics. If you re-queen with desirable traits, eliminate queens that do not make the cut and flood an area with drones from hives with desirable traits you can definitely move genetics in a favorable direction. I know folks who have done it. It will take time but can be done. I am working on it but still have a ways to go.

After your coffee right Brian. 😆

@@mattsara2802 That's right. . 🤣😅🤣

You are right. No water in the clean wax crock pot.

Thanks for the suggestion.

I just bought a solar wax melter and am going to see how it works. We just need the sun to shine consistently to melt the wax!

Sounds like a good plan. Thanks!

I am trying out my now solar wax melter now.

Wax is not my favorite thing to do for sure. Just bought a solar wax melter. Maybe that will make it even easier. Just need the sun to come out long enough to get a batch melted and see how it looks.

Water to the wax in the crock pot before melting.

I usually set it out and let the bees clean up any honey etc. Or you can wash it. I usually don’t.

I have never used it. Don’t know that much about it.

Yes I did put water in the wax in the crock pot.

I do but done have much left right now. Hopefully will have more soon.

Thanks for watching.

Never have. Just leave as is.

Absolutely! Ha! But I wouldn’t recommend it. Not the brightest thing to do…

No I did not.

For this crock pot I used a 5 gallon strainer.

Great idea. Thanks for the tip!

That is a great idea. Thank you!

Maybe so. Thanks for the suggestion. I just bought a solar wax melter and am trying it out right now but it keeps raining lol!

@@brucesbees weve been getting a lot of rain also. Keep the videos coming!

I tried straining butter through a paper coffee filter once; took FOREVER, I don't recommend it, never again lol! I can't imagine beeswax being any different (but then again I never tried it) I think Bruce's method here is most efficient, & what you scrape off the bottom of the puck can easily be reused in firestarters or cleaned up further in a smaller easier to deal with batch

@@mokshalani8414 I've been doing it for the past 4 years, but I don't have large quantities. But I don't have to remelt it again either. Pure yellow wax with zero impurities.

@@jonclemons1421 and it's a paper filter, not a fine wire mesh?

Yes. I forgot to mention that verbally but put a brief caption in the video. It is pretty important. Wish I had mentioned it. Thanks for the comment.

@@brucesbees thanks for the video, I usually end up with that thin layer of propolis and thought it was due my inexperience or filter material. Now I know it's an issue for everyone unless you get lucky. Any tips on scraping it off (i.e. type of knife or utensil that works well).

I just use whatever I can find. Haven’t come across a magic solution yet. 🙂

Yes I have a clean one for the final melt.

Water.

@@brucesbees thanks Bruce

Actually I added water to the wax in the crock pot and it separates as it cools. Water on bottom.

Yes

I use the wax to dip my glass Muth jars of honey in to seal them and for a nice presentation. It can also be used in all kinds of products since as soaps and lip balms etc. I don’t use much beeswax myself but some really enjoy using it to make various things.

Worth a try. Glad it worked out well for you!

I think I got it from Mann Lake but most of the big bee supply stores have them. I ordered a couple more a year or two ago. I think I got those from Rossman but not sure.

Thanks for the input. And yes not wearing shoes was NOT smart lol.

I am not sure. Probably a 2 qt

It’s pretty small.

Yes. Absolutely!!!

I think I got it from Mann Lake

@@brucesbees thanks a lot

You could give it a try!

I did it and the wax came out so clean

Great news. Thanks for checking in!

Yes.

It looks pretty nice but has plenty of flaws lol. I put a fair amount of work into it but it needs more. We have also had a lot of rain this summer which helps grass grow for sure🙂. Thanks for checking in!

If you have two queens why do you want it combine the colonies.

@@brucesbees because is not have enough bees each hive is 3 or 4 frames bees I afraid hive small betel get in

I think the best thing would be to condense them down into a nuc if you could. If you combine them then you will have to sacrifice one of the queens.

@@brucesbees no I can put one queen in one mini nuc I have mini nuc without queen all the time they will make queen cells for me I can put the queen there Just want to know if I take two queen out can I mixed them bee one time ?then ad queen

Yes. Smoke them good and give them a little time queenless. I think it will work.

Yes if you go through all the steps in the video it is perfectly clean. The mere risk used for the final strain is muslin. Once it hardens there may be a little residue on the bottom that needs to be scraped off. But very little.

@@brucesbees I’ve found double cotton shirts remove the fine particular matter that makes it candle grade. Otherwise, those particles will clog the wick, causing a small flame and a candle that will not burn all the way down to the base. Hard to see with the naked eye, real test is the candle burning down to base.

I’m thinking of using the blue paper towels they sell, very dense cotton.

It’s worth a try. Paper towels seem to work pretty well. Regardless odds are you may have that thin film in the bottom to scrape off but that is not big deal. Let me know how it goes. Good luck!

@@brucesbees with the process of straining the way I do it, there is no film at the bottom or particles. That’s what I shoot for when making candle grade wax.

What kind of spray do you use?

I'll have to ask my wife & daughter when I get home tomorrow. They spray the candles mold with spray to get the candles out of the molds. They make the candles I do the hard work 😡

My daughter just told me it's called 1080 mold release. They use it on all there candle molds.

Thanks for the heads up. I’m sure it would really help.

@@brucesbees Bruce, I use that release stuff and it comes in an aerosol can and you just spray some on your mold. Works great.

I think I left it overnight. Never really timed it before.

I’ve got a friend that has issues with bigger thicker candles so I was curious

Yeah I really don’t know. Have not really tried to do candles.

@@brucesbees overnight

I use Muslin I usually. Was the waste wax or trash?

Not a bad idea. Thanks for the input!

Not a bad idea. The large cock pot is not completely clean though. But it could work with a clean crock pot.

Not a bad idea. How do you keep the paper towel from folding in on itself?

@@brucesbees if it’s a full sheet just fold it in half and rip it. A half sheet fits nicely though and I haven’t had any issues with it folding in on itself. I usually melt the comb in a pan over propane if it’s full of brood and gunk from a clean out. Then I melt it back down in the crock pot. If it’s relatively decent comb (from my hives or a clean out) I use the crock pot method. I’ve never had to filter it again using the paper towel. I save the waxed towels for fire starters ;) One trick is to keep cinching up the paint bag on the lid as the wax melts down too.

Hmm interesting. Thanks!

I have never really tried it. But I’m sure there is a video somewhere on how to do it.

This is something I found. A full ay didn’t see a lot of videos on that topic. Great question. Hope this helps. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Zgou9s76t_I.html

No doubt haha. Definitely don’t recommend!

Nope. It’s part of beekeeping. Lots of people do it.