How to Process Beeswax
Beeswax can be found in candles, soaps and in several beauty products, and it can be used for many things in and around your home. Processing or rendering beeswax may seem difficult, but with the right supplies, you can be successful. When processing wax, keep in mind that the tools you will be using cannot be used in the future for food-related items.
Things You'll Need
- Two stainless steel pots
- Double-burner
- Empty juice carton
- Nylon stockings
- Cheesecloth
- Newspaper
Instructions
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Place large pieces of burr comb into one of the stainless steel pots. Burr comb is the part of honey comb that produces the best wax; it is the part of the comb that bees draw off the beekeeper frames. Large comb pieces are more likely to produce more wax.
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2
Pour water in the pot. Make sure the pieces are completely submerged. Leave some room at the top, so the water doesn't overflow.
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3
Place the pot on the stove and turn it on high. Boil the mixture for 30 minutes. Make sure that you are in a well-ventilated area when boiling this mixture. Cover it slightly so bits of wax don't shoot out of the pot. Keep an eye on the pot, making sure it doesn't boil over. You can turn the heat down after several minutes, but make sure that it remains boiling.
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4
Place several layers of cheesecloth over the other stainless steel pot. Use a rubber band or some sort of string to hold the cheesecloth in place.
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5
Pour the mixture slowly through the cheesecloth and into the second pot. The liquid will go into the pot and the debris from the wax will stay on top of the cheesecloth.
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6
Allow the liquid to sit in the pot overnight. During this process, the beeswax will come up to the surface and harden. Once that occurs, remove the harden wax from the top and discard the liquid.
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7
Break the hardened wax into small pieces and place it into another stainless steel pot. You can use one of the pots you used earlier. Place the pot on top of a double-boiler. When melting wax, using a double-boiler is the safest option. Melt the wax on very low heat, between 145 and 185 degrees Fahrenheit. Never leave the pot unattended.
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8
Cut the top off of an empty juice carton. Place a nylon stocking over the carton. Once the wax has melted, slowly pour it through the nylon stocking. If the stocking begins to clog up, stop pouring, remove the used stocking and replace it with a new one. Do not squeeze the stocking to get more wax into your container; during this stage you may be adding "crud" into the wax if you squeeze the stocking.
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9
Allow the filtered wax to harden overnight. Once hardened, the wax is ready to use in candles, soap and other beauty and specialty products.
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Tips & Warnings
Place sheets of newspaper down so you don't damage your work area.
References
- Photo Credit Dos abeja comiendo 10609 image by pablo from Fotolia.com
