Thats a nice setup. My rendered wax comes out like that piece left in the melter. I usually melt it down in a double boiler and pour it thru panty hose. This year i tried something different. I melted it thru paper towels in my homemade solar wax melter. It came out very clean. Enjoyed listening to Mr Ed and you on Lees live this morning.
Paper towels do a great job for sure. I need to use the cheesecloth for this wax so it will flow a bit better. I actually tried paper towels when I got it, but it drained to slow for the amount of wax. But no doubt, it does a cleaner work. Glad you enjoyed the stream. We had a great time visiting Lee.
Happy Saturday Mike! Great video today. I have been working on my equipment all day today trying to get ready for next season and bottling honey for the Ace Hardware. It will be a wonderful day when I can produce as much wax as you. I usually have to buy a few pounds to supplement my over winter frame waxing. Anyway, great video as always.
Takes a few years to get a good stash. I did a lot of hive removals in my first 4 years to where I always had some to at least wax frames and such, and honestly, that's one of the main reasons I continued doing one removal a year...for the wax. I give the bees away and keep all the excess wax.
darn good job, thank ya Jesus. Walmart sells what they call Flour Sack Towels that work great for straining, don't have to fold them like cheese cloth.
Great method of how to do it, thanks for sharing! I'll never be far enough along, I hope, to have to use it. But if I were I think I would prefer yours on this one. I hope this one gets out to more people; your site should be way higher them 9.5K people! Thanks for sharing!
Glad you are on the last leg of your season chores that has to be done. I think I am going to wait till next month before I start on my wax melting . I am covered up on the sale of my honey . I am having the best season I think with comb, chunk an creamed honey . People are loving it an purchasing very large amounts per person. It is blowing my mind an very very thankful. I did not get a chance to catch your Saturday video but people on here sounds like it was a hit . Thanks
Very interesting on your how to. I would like to see a video on your room. Is that a concrete floor, size. I'm getting ready to build me a honey work room
It’s 3/4” plywood for the floor. I built it 30’ X 12’. My recommendation would be to go wider than 12’. At least 14’. It was going to be a climate controlled storage shed, but things changed. Built the trusses myself to allow for a 6’ attic.
You can get white wax if you use hydrogen peroxide. I remember seeing the video on Cody’s Bee Lab. I’m partial to the bright yellow colors of the wax myself.
Another informative lesson in “how you do.” I have always used buckets for the wax. Are those red pans special for wax? Where did you find them? Your wax looked good. Still hot in Georgia but did not get to 90, only 87 on my thermometer.
Mike, that is a nice wax melter. What will you use the wax for -candles or ?? I have a hard time selling candles so I'm making beeswax hand lotion and it is selling quite well. 7 oz of wax makes $120 worth of lotion so it makes sense.
Russell, we do both candles and lip balms. Also just blocks of wax and some lotion bars. Candles are hot and miss. Some times we'll go week after week where I can't make enough, then we'll go 3 months and sell none. But thing is, when they sell, we get good money for them, so each sale is a good one.
Hi Mike, Can I ask what the distance is between the heating element and the first outlet and second outlet? To get one of those heating tanks here is expensive so I'm looking to get one made. Thank you
The total tank measurements are as follows: 24 inches tall by a diameter of 15 inches. The heating element is 2 inches off the bottom. The lower ball valve fitting is 9 inches from the bottom and the upper is 10-1/8 inches from the bottom. So the lower is 7 inches above the element and the upper and lower are an inch and an eighth apart. The upper outlet is a 1 inch NPT fitting and the lower is a 1/2 inch NPT fitting. There is also a drain plug at the bottom that is a 1/4 inch NPT fitting. Hope that helps.
Once it’s done, it really only leaves a couple small rings of wax and a thin film where the wax line was. So I put just a little water in it enough to cover the element by a couple inches and the I get it boiling and let it steam up really good. Then I turn it off and take a couple shop towels and wipe it out.
The building is just a 30’X12’ shed that I built. 3/4” plywood floor and I build the trusses myself so I could put in a 6’ attic space. That’s all it is. I did insulate it and used 1/4 paneling.
A few things. Why Cheese Cloth? It lets too much through. Get an old with sweat shirt from the Salvation Army or something like that. Cheaper than Cheese cloth. Run the hot wax through a piece of the sweatshirt with the inside (fuzzy side) up. It'll take care of the specks you're getting on the bottom. Your wax is nice. When you put the hot wax in water, make sure the water is hot too. It will stop the issue you had 18:58. Cold water will cause that issue. I would take good care of that capping wax. Nice stuff
I might try that. I used cotton once and it just held too much wax. but I'm willing to try your idea with a sweat shirt. For the issue at 18:58, that was 140F water that it was added too. Just happens and really not a big deal. I don't sell bulk wax, so when I melt it down for candles and balms, it all works out. But hot water does not prevent that unless it's boiling and that's not practical nor safe. Thanks for the insight and for watching.
Not down here. If there’s anything, it has never been enough to make honey for harvesting. They usually make a little bit that helps them bulk up for winter, but as far as making surplus, it’s finished in my area and pretty much the I-12 corridor and north to Mississippi.
@@MikeBarryBees thanks Mike I’m in Denham springs. And I have a double brood box with 1 honey super but I have a Queen excluder above 2 brood box. Should I remove excluder if I don’t plan on taking anymore honey.
@@chrisr7746 if the super has honey in it and you’re planning to leave it on for winter so they have food, then probably in November I’d take out the excluder so if we have a cold winter and they cluster, the queen can go with them to the food and cluster. If your second deep has plenty of honey, then you could leave the super and excluder on until the first of November and then remove both and maybe there’ll be some extra honey for you.
