# How to easily filter pollen from beeswax.



## Encaustic Mark (Nov 20, 2021)

Help needed please.
We teach Encaustic art workshops in Australia. (Painting with Beeswax medium and oil pigment)
Slightly yellow wax with a small amount of pollen is ok for making coloured paint.
But for white paint or collage work we need perfectly white wax that sets clear.


I have been washing and filtering wax through muslin cloth. Which is perfect for the light yellow wax.

Until recently I have been buying the pure white clear refined wax with all the pollen removed (expensive)
But I can no longer get it.

I have seen 500mesh nylon or stanless steal for sale online or 25um paper discs
Would they work or just clog up.

What size mesh would I need to get an almost white wax?
I have seen charcoal mentioned in order to make white wax could I use range hood charcoal or aquarium filter to get it pure white?
I have also seen Diatomaceous earth used in conjunction with filters??? 

What technique or equipment would you suggest.

Any advice on the best way to filter out all the pollen would be greatly appreciated

Mark


----------



## Gino45 (Apr 6, 2012)

You might try melting the wax in a water bath, then pouring off the wax and some water into a pail and letting it solidify. Any impurities would end up as slumgum on the bottom of the new wax cake. Finally you could remelt and pour the hot wax through whatever kind of filter material you have. Try and see.


----------



## Encaustic Mark (Nov 20, 2021)

Thanks Gino45
Yes that is what I have been doing with very dirty wax, mixing it with boiling water when you let it cool, all the dirt sits on the bottom and can be scraped off the wax at the top is lovely and clean but it's still a light yellow, it's the pollen that gives the wax its yellow colour, as pollen is between 2um and 100um in size with the average size being around 25um I was thinking of buying Some nylon or stanless Steel mesh, I can get it from alliexpress a 500mesh will filter 25um
I might give it a go.
I have also seen that Diatomaceous Earth as used in pool filters is supposed to trap the pollen so I was think of making a small nylon bag with some DE in it and filter the wax though that but don't know if it will just clog up.

I have been buying pure white wax flakes but the supplier doesn't have any I have found a suplyer of almost white perfectly clean beeswax but it still has a slight creamy tinge I would love to filter out.
Just wondering if anyone has achieved this without expensive commercial equipment.
Kind regards
Mark


----------

