# Help with this wax separator



## tikkay (Feb 10, 2017)

djfoodstamp said:


> Hi. I picked up this wax separator this summer and the woman didn’t really know how to use it (it belonged to her husband who has passed away last year). No makers marks.
> 
> Could anybody give me some ideas on how to use it? Looks like you put 5 gallons of water into its “belly” (above the drain plug) and heat it up. Uncap on top and let cappings fall in and heat separates the wax and honey pours out into second smaller bucket? Is that ballpark correct? How hot should the water get inside?
> 
> ...


Is the water below the wax?
Kind of like a heated floor? If so, does it function like a double boiler in a sense? Water below wax gets hot, wax melts and drains off?
If so, it seems it might function better as a wax melter than it will to use while uncapping.
Then, how do you get wax out of catch bin? Would you be better served draining into a large “mold” that you can thump the wax out of?
Also, it might be worth exploring ability to prop melter up on the drain side to stop/slow down flow of melted wax if need be.
Good luck. It sounds like some fun winter tinkering is in your future.


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## charliez (Sep 30, 2021)

have you tried....

1.Add wax

2. Plug in

3. Turn on

It looks simple


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Typically wax melters use water as a means of conducting heat to the wax. I would suggest _NOT_ putting wax in direct contact with the heater. Potential fire hazard!

While I have no reason to believe that the melter pictured in post #1 is a Maxant, the PDF attached here should be useful in understanding how to use a wax melter.

Those instructions came from this Maxant page:





Maxant Industries | Beekeeping Equipment & Supplies


Maxant Industries produces high quality beekeeping equipment and beekeeping supplies using 100% American stainless steel.



www.maxantindustries.com


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## charliez (Sep 30, 2021)

Disclaimer, I don't have bees yet, but it looks to me as its may be home made. And it looks like the heater is under the pan. I tlooks like t will probbaly work pretty good, and that someone who has done this a time or two has worked out the bugs ij his own system. Notice the way it would drain and the screen.


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

Best I can tell, there is a water jacket under it which gets heated, and the theory is it melts all the honey and wax into a slurry which then flows into the second tank. where the wax is supposed to float and the honey be drained off the bottom?

If so, it is nicely engineered, but a very poor design.

But let's know if I understood that right, or if wrong where so we can work this out.


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## mgolden (Oct 26, 2011)

You may find this video helpful.


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