# why and how does this beeswax filtering system work?



## Bizzybee

The particles heavier than the wax will precipitate out of the wax. Hopefully they will also be heavier than the water and will also fall to the bottom. Anything heavier than the wax but not the water, will be found between the water and wax. If the wax is allowed to cool and harden, those particulates will be found on the bottom of the wax and can be scraped away and saved for the next time you melt wax.

The longer you allow it to sit the better as some particles make take some time to settle out of the wax. This way of cleaning wax doesn't remove any particles that are lighter than the wax and will still be suspended in the wax.

Most of those particles will likely be very small but numerous and will require further mechanical filtering or some means of coagulation such as peroxide for removal.


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## ekrouse

*Peroxide?*

Bizzybee,
Can you provide more specifics on the peroxide approach?

Thanks,

-ekrouse


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## Bizzybee

After removing the larger particles from the wax it can be further cleaned by using peroxide. I have done it in a presto pot and in a double boiler. (Just for riverrat  ) After melting the wax, add peroxide to the wax in small amounts. Leave the wax level below the top of the pot well enough to allow the foam to rise to the top without spilling over. The worse the condition of the wax, the more foam will be generated. 

I don't think that the peroxide fits the term coagulant properly as more I believe the particulates to adhere to the large numbers of tiny bubbles created by the peroxide. The resulting foam can easily be skimmed from the surface, making a huge difference in the color of the wax.

I don't know that anything near (white) wax can be obtained. But dark wax, even gray wax can be taken back to a nice light yellow without a tremendous amount of effort.

I know that Honeyman has used it successfully and is likely to have done it more often than I have because he's into making candles. I believe he has posted a couple of times about it's use in the "products of the hive" forum. You might try a search there and get some more insight about it.


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## riverrat

there you go again bizz PRESTO you have a wax fire. you ole pyro you. Im going to send you a double broiler before you take the house down

Question if you bleach the wax with peroxide it cant be entered into fairs or other competions. Is this correct


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## honeyman46408

"Question if you bleach the wax with peroxide it cant be entered into fairs or other competions. Is this correct"

You can enter anything you want to BUT the Judge can disqualify it too 

rr you are sounding like you have a pile of PHDs talkin bout "Presto" pot and fire


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## riverrat

honeyman46408 said:


> "
> 
> rr you are sounding like you have a pile of PHDs talkin bout "Presto" pot and fire


Yep I be the doctor of presto pot safety


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## Bizzybee

And what's wrong with being a pyro???? huh huh huh??? 

It might be splitting hairs a little to call it bleaching?? Where bleaching is actually oxidation, as it is referred to commonly where chlorine bleach is used to discolor or remove color/stains.

While there are many ways to cause rapid oxidation. The process involves the destruction of materials as a result of the chemical reaction with oxygen.

And while peroxide is a wonderful way of causing that reaction (H2O2), and that may be happening to some degree with the contaminants (suspended particles) the primary action resulting in the cleaner wax is the adhesion of those particles to the surface of the bubbles. Given you could find a way to produce the inject ambient air through a diffuser at a great enough rate and with the small bubble size. You would likely get the same results of stripping.

So I don't know that bleaching is really a correct term to use with this method of cleaning wax?

Now whether you are allowed to clean wax or not for competitions, I haven't a clue?? I'll leave them shady dealings up to you fellars....


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## tig

a great way of getting clean wax out of old combs is to put them into a jute sack and submerge the sack into boiling water. the dirt gets trapped in the sack and the clean wax floats out of the sack into the water which you can easily scoop out.


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## HVH

Has anyone on this thread used Fullers earth and activated carbon to clean wax? Or has anyone on this thread filtered hot wax through a hot filter press?


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## honeyshack

there is a company in Manitoba which uses clay diamotasious earth and charcol to remove the impurities from the wax. This process generated white wax. It's a three part process. I tried to used the diamotasious(sp) earth as a start and it plugged my filtre real bad and made a huge mess


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## DCH

Not getting something on the peroxide treatment. Are youpouring the peroxide into the melted wax whil eit's still hot? Do you keep applying peroxide until it doesn't faom anymore? How do you know when to stop? Do you remove the "foam" before the wax hardens?


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## Kat

Great thread - thought I'd bump it up and see if we get any more answers - inquiring minds want to know!!


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## Duboisi

I have little experience with bees, but quite a bit with aquariums.

In many applications Sodium percarbonate can be used instead of hydrogen peroxide. It's easier to store, and will release hydrogen peroxide, salt and carbonate when put into water.

I doubt the increased KH/PH is of any importance to beeswax, and if the small amounts of salts are a problem, it can probably be dealt with by re-soaking/melting.

You can find sodium percarbonate(normally mixed with some sodium carbonate as a filler.) in any grocery store. Just look in the detergent section for something called "oxi action, oxygen cleaner, oxy bleach" etc. It should be without any other ingredients than percarbonate(look for 70% or more) and carbonate.

This might be a little experiment for the more adventurist beekeeper.
I assume that there is little that can go wrong, but treat it as a dangerous substance, and take precautions on first few tries.

BTW: If wet percarbonate is allowed to stay on skin for some time, it will give a chemical burn(Like hydrogen peroxide in high consentration).


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## Kat

Hi Duboisi,

I have been having great luck with the peroxide so far - lots of trial and error, but its working beautifully now!

I looked up sodium percarbonate on the web - I like the fact that it is a solid - seems safer and easier, but when mixed it releases/breaks down into oxygen, waiter and soda ash.

It's the soda ash that concerns me - will I be able to get this out of the wax? I am guessing it will be way to small to filter out, probably dissolved, so it would have to come out with the water in a subsequent wash. Unless of course, it stays suspended or dissolved in the wax itself.

any thoughts?


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## Duboisi

I am a complete beginner with bees, and have not had any wax to melt yet.

But I doubt that the carbonate will do any harm. I would be more concerned about the sodium.

But I guess there is only one way to find out.

The sodium Percarbonate have the advantage in beeing a dry powder that is relatively safe to handle(as long as your hands are dry). It also have the advantage of having a much longer shelf-life as long as it's kept air-tight. (Whereas hydrogen peroxide breaks down in the bottle over time, and have to be kept cool and away from sunlight.)


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## HVH

honeyshack said:


> there is a company in Manitoba which uses clay diamotasious earth and charcol to remove the impurities from the wax. This process generated white wax. It's a three part process. I tried to used the diamotasious(sp) earth as a start and it plugged my filtre real bad and made a huge mess


I have seen the industrial filters used in Roger Morse's book but I would like a gravity method. I really doubt that gravity will work unless the particles are quite large.


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## HVH

Kat said:


> Hi Duboisi,
> 
> I have been having great luck with the peroxide so far - lots of trial and error, but its working beautifully now!
> 
> I looked up sodium percarbonate on the web - I like the fact that it is a solid - seems safer and easier, but when mixed it releases/breaks down into oxygen, waiter and soda ash.
> 
> It's the soda ash that concerns me - will I be able to get this out of the wax? I am guessing it will be way to small to filter out, probably dissolved, so it would have to come out with the water in a subsequent wash. Unless of course, it stays suspended or dissolved in the wax itself.
> 
> any thoughts?


I would be careful. The pH of percarbonate can range between 10.5 and 11. Although, this is far below lye, you will likely get some saponification of your wax. Beeswax is about 50% saponifiable (if I am recalling correctly) and will produce some soap if reacted at high pH. At a pH around 11 I am not certain how much of a problem this is but it is something to consider.


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## Duboisi

Hi

Had not thought of that, thanks for the warning.:thumbsup:


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## bbbbeeman

??????? I can get the trash out of the wax ,but can any one tell me how to get the chem' out so it dont leach into the honey, A beek sent wax to maryland and it had a very high concentration of fluvalinate which is in apistan strips. I have made molds for foundation but I dont know how to filter out the chem'. good luck rock.


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## HVH

Short of activated carbon and a hot filter press I am stumped.


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## max2

"
I have seen the industrial filters used in Roger Morse's book but I would like a gravity method. I really doubt that gravity will work unless the particles are quite large.
Reply With Quote"

I melt my wax in a solar melter on a hot day. By 11am the wax bubbles and I add some boiling water.

The next morning the dirt has settled at the bottom of the wax block. I use the hive tool to scrape the dirt off and may repeat the process. Gives me near perfect wax.


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## HVH

Yes - with wax that is not adulterated by colloidal particles held in the wax phase, phase separation into water is normally enough. Some of us, however, end up with some batches where separation into water does not remove components tightly held by the wax. On a commercial level, fullers Earth and activated carbon are added, mixed thoroughly, and then removed with a hot filter press. Since most of us cannot afford the commercial set up we are left asking for alternatives.


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