# Old brood comb for wax?



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>but the older darker combs don't seem to be melting. They have reduced somewhat but they have yet to completely melt. Will these eventually melt into a usable wax or are they a disposable by-product?

Old brood has a lot of cocoons in it. The cocoons absorb wax so you often get nothing from old dark brood combs without a press to squeeze it out.


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## Rich M (Apr 9, 2005)

Ah, that explains the paper like texture. I'm planning on building a honey press, now it will do double duty. Thanks again.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>now it will do double duty

If you can put the press in a tub of boiling water and put the combs in a burlap sack and press it, you can extract a lot of wax from old brood combs.

Walter T. Kelly sells a wax press. Unfortunately it is expensive.


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## girl Mark (Oct 25, 2005)

I used to press wax in a cloth bag by putting it between two boards and using c-clamps, suspended over a bucket.

Mark
the cheapskate beekeeper

[ May 11, 2006, 03:32 AM: Message edited by: girl Mark ]


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## Rich M (Apr 9, 2005)

Great idea, thanks Mark! I'm planning on building one from a scissor jack per the James Satterfield design but I have c-clamps, boards and a bunch of brood comb so I will try that first. Thanks again.


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## dcross (Jan 20, 2003)

Now you've got me wondering about putting it between boards and parking my car on them...


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## Jon McFadden (Mar 26, 2005)

Kudus, Mark. I'll have to give that a try, too.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>Now you've got me wondering about putting it between boards and parking my car on them...

How will you catch the wax?


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## dcross (Jan 20, 2003)

Thinking ahead takes all the fun out of it Scrape it off the boards, or pick it up off the gravel and then run it through the solar melter, I suppose.


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## drobbins (Jun 1, 2005)

maybe something like this?

http://www2.gsu.edu/~biojdsx/press.htm

Dave


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## dcross (Jan 20, 2003)

Nifty!


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