Many thanks Tim and Sandra, I tried this today and am really pleased with the foundation sheets I have made from my own wax. The trick I found to make this work seems to be having a paddle surface that is raw wood, one which is not painted or coated with anything. I initially had a frustrating experience with the wax sticking to the paddle that had a varnished surface, but then noticed that it was easy to trim the sides where it wasn’t varnished. So I sanded the base with coarse sandpaper to get it back to raw wood and now the paddle works a treat! Hope my girls like their new homemade foundation sheets. I really enjoy your approach to beekeeping and am looking forward to watching more of your videos. Cheers from Canberra, Australia.
This is just superb, I been tryin to find out about "aromatherapy candle making supplies" for a while now, and I think this has helped. Ever heard of - Cenadoelyn Candle Contemplation - (just google it ) ? Ive heard some decent things about it and my partner got excellent success with it.
Someone else mentioned this - about their cute lchat back and forth especially over the heater element from the coffee pot. Really like this video for both starter strips but certainly for craft projects due to the flexibility of the sheets. And definitely kudos for upcycling of household and scrap materials. I love ❤️ the chocolate idea! As he said, the insulated box might not be essential but it keeps the water warm, the element doesn’t have to run as much, but better is it keeps your counter surfaced protected. The only thing I would want is a thermostat so I could set it and forget it..it would hold the temp I set it on without testing it. Granted you can tell if it has gotten too cold but you certainly don’t want to burn the wax since you are reusing the scraps, you don’t want a possible fire, you want your sheets to be consistent and the chemical composition may be affected by high heat. With a thermostat no having to keep checking it. Every batch is the same. Also with further research, it is my understanding that Beeswax melts around 145 to 147 degrees Fahrenheit (63 to 64 degrees Celsius).and if making candles, you don’t want to go over 185F. If beeswax is heated above 85 °C (185 °F) discoloration occurs. The flash point of beeswax is 204.4 °C (400F). Just a FYI if making colored candles - Do not use crayons to color your beeswax candles. Crayons are made using pigment dyes that have very small particulates. When used in a candle, they often will clog the wick and not allow the candle to burn properly. In most instances, as the candle burns, more of these particulates will clog the wick, ultimately drowning out the flame.
It's so satisfying to watch the wax being peeled off. You guys are so creative! Just throwing together that genius water bath and reusing and recycling at the same time. Brilliant!
Entertaining / light-hearted commentary, gets straight to the point and most informative. I wish that all You Tube videos were made more like this one. PS So glad script didn't begin with the usual "Whasssup?" Looking forward to watching the next video.
Hello Tim. Last winter as I was preparing for my first season keeping bees, I found your video and made a medium form from some scrap plywood. I'm back to report that not only did it work beautifully but, when I used it in some of my frames the bees built their comb on it so readily that I plan to continue using it as starting strips next year. Thanks for the demo!
That is a great idea, I'm glad you posted this vid. Not only was it very informative, I loved the back-and-forth of the conversation, it made the video a delight to watch.
I think the process which makes the wax malleable is called annealing. When metals are cooled quickly as in a quenching, they get brittle, kind of like with the rapid cooling of the wax in the water. So metals are heated back up to a lower temperature to gain back that malleability.
this new format with you guys having a discussion while demonstrating and adding a bit of humor is wonderful...totally informative and entertaining. do you make a bit of mead with some of the honey? i received the seeds yesterday and thank you once again. i'll be sending something your way soon in return.
Thanks Terry - yes a new format and we appreciate your comments. We thought it might be easier than fiddling with all those subtitles. But now we have to find the time to sit together and focus on the video. We'll see how it goes!
This is an awesome video, and the voice over is great. It's provides more accurate information than a live recording, and the humor was fun. Please keep up the good work. I'm becoming more and more interested in visiting Ireland.
You two made me laugh. That by the way is probably the simplest and best wax sheet maker I have come across. I have subscribed. Greetings from the Blue Mountains outside of Sydney Australia.
I loved them. Educational funny. At the beginning I thought they were French later on I saw that they're from Ireland. I like very much Irish people they are very warm, intimate and amusing. And the comments....
The reheating of the sheets reminds me of a foundry (smelter) process that allows metals to release structural tension. And stops it from being brittle. I'm loving all the info on getting from these videos. Hopefully one day I can get myself a hive and try all this out.
Watched this video the other day and tried to perform this process from memory. Firstly, because I only had half a pound of wax, I decided to melt the wax and water in the same buffet tray to give me more fluid to dip into. I wouldn't recommend anyone else do that because I think it lubricated the wax too much. I also forgot about letting it stand to 75c, so mine was slightly more runny regardless of the water. Most pulls resembled Swiss cheese the first dip. I just dipped extra times to get coverage. Just really needed more wax but i didn't have any. When it came to rolling, I just used hot tap water as you didn't actually give a temp for the water. But I didn't soak the rolling pin. I figured there'd be enough water left on the wax. No. A little jiblet of wax came loose as I was rolling and embedded itself into the pin. It's in there now, in the pores. Mght add some dish soap to the water for extra lubrication. Still, all in all ended up with a few good strips of usable, flexible wax. far from perfect results, but for a rushed first try just to test it out it was fun. Expecting better results next time. Thank you for sharing the process.
Wow, so I can get a normal bee wax to become flexible by warming it up and pressing it!!! ❤❤❤❤ thank you. I actually thought I had to add some additives to it.
I just finished making foundation using your method, but i made a double boiler using roasting pans to melt the wax. It’s really as easy as you make it look! Thanks for a great, informative video!
I also just finished your book and have shared it/discussed the Rose method with my local beekeeping club. Here’s to hoping we can implement a better way of working with the bees!
I love the way you made this video, both of you discussing as nobody is present. I simply love this video actually I am subscribed now. Congratulations.
Outstanding. I've tempered and annealed metals but never before imagined applying that to wax. Bravo! You have opened a new door for me and to others. My highest compliment... subscribed and thumbs up.
Really a great video/tutorial plus it allows the bee's to make the cells the right size, and not your typical printed over sized cell foundation which is bad for the bee's.
Beeswax is one of my favourite natural products. There is something so beautiful about it. I’ve never seen how you do this so thank you. I love the geometric pattern given to it and always ask retailers if they have beeswax candles.Sadly many do not. Enough with the chocolate/ pasta references…??
Love the procedure in making the foundation. Need to find out if you have a mold for making the cells in the foundation or allow the bees to make them once placed in the hive. Thanks.
