# Rendering wax



## Hiwire (Oct 19, 2014)

I have about #200 of cappings to render. Here is my plan. I would love opinions from people that have tried this or can see why I shouldn't proceed as planned. I have a Maxant 25 gallon bottling tank. My plan is to melt down the cappings in it. I have replaced the no drip valve with a typical ball valve. Since a lot of the uncapping was done late, I know there is a lot of honey in these cappings. My plan is to leave the valve open, set the temp on the tank to about 140, and strain the first time through 2 or 3 layers of tulle material. The honey will of course be not as good as usual but should be saleable as "baking honey". The wax should float and harden in the bucket of honey. I may hang a rope in the wax to make it easier to remove. My plan is to just use a 5 gallon honey bucket. After removing the wax from the honey bucket, I will plan to remove slum gum from the bottom of the block, remelt it and strain it through a paper towel, t shirt, or something else you suggest. The second time around I will strain it in to smaller, more manageable blocks so it can be melted in smaller batches for candles and block molds. At present I only have a few molds so I don't want to be melting 10 lbs of wax at a time to fill 3lbs of molds. Does this all sound like it will work? I'm all ears!
Rayopcorn:


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## Tenbears (May 15, 2012)

That should work. I leave my capping to drip at 100F for a couple days, then wash them and make mead from the first wash, works good. Makes an 80 gallon batch.


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## Eikel (Mar 12, 2014)

I'm with Tenbears, wash 'em and make mead


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## Andrey Limonchenko (Mar 29, 2013)

For straining it I use a strainer like this






. After a second re-melt you should not have any particles in the wax, whatever is stuck to the wax just scrape it off.


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## The Honey Householder (Nov 14, 2008)

I have used a Maxant bottling tank for years to melt capping. I had a SS screen made that hold the sum back from the drain and allow the honey to come out first and then the wax. Comes out clean the first time and is molded into blocks for retail. The sum filters the dirt and the screen holds all the big floating things out. DON'T WASH YOUR CAPPING. After starting to melt your capping just drain the honey every hour or so, as your capping melt and save your honey. The only melter honey I get is the honey that has cooked all night in the sum (DARK HONEY). The melter honey is still a sellable produce.


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## Bee Bliss (Jun 9, 2010)

Hiwire,

Keep in mind that beeswax melts at around 145 to 147* F.


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## Hiwire (Oct 19, 2014)

Well...probably not too bad for my first go at it. From 2 big trash cans of cappings I now have about 3 buckets of something. It looks like a lot more honey than wax! I have screened it through a layer of tulle. I'm sure the wax will have to be screened at least 1 more time. At that temp, the honey looks more like dirty dishwater but I tasted some and its not too bad The last of it is melting pretty slow so I left it for the night. Id say there is another bucket. Someone in another thread said to expect 2% of your honey in wax. I had cappings from 2000 lbs of honey. That would be 40 lbs of wax. There might be a little more but not much. I guess Ill know when it hardens up so I can remelt it and re strain it... to be continued


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## Bob J (Feb 25, 2013)

Tenbears said:


> That should work. I leave my capping to drip at 100F for a couple days, then wash them and make mead from the first wash, works good. Makes an 80 gallon batch.


This is what I do as well.....


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