# Wax Foundation Mill



## Jelectech (Dec 4, 2016)

Hi Nick,

I purchased a mill and have had good luck with it. The unit has a 4.9mm embossing pattern. I make wax sheets and then run them through the mill to emboss them. The whole process took me awhile to get worked out since I didn't have any prior experience taking wax cappings and turning them around into foundation. It would be less time consuming for me to purchase wax foundation (which I have done in the past before getting the mill) but this approach allows me to make use of my own wax.

The money used to buy a mill could purchase quite a bit of factory-made foundation. If you have a small number of colonies it may be less costly to simply purchase foundation. I have slowly increased my colony numbers and find the mill to be cost effective for my operation.

Let us know if you get one and how things turn out Nick.
Joe


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## jean-marc (Jan 13, 2005)

Hello Nick. No and no. It is hard to compete with plastic foundation or plastic frames. Maybe someone can correct me but I don't think anybody sells beeswax foundation for beekeepers in Canada anymore. So basically the market is saying it does not pay to use beeswax foundation, never mind the added cost of milling the foundation. Assuming you have the equipment, the cost is in the labour. This part is just pure speculation on my part, but if you have to pay somebody more than $5.00/hour best to leave it alone. Who knows it could be $2.00/hour.

Jean-Marc


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## beekuk (Dec 31, 2008)

Nick Heydman said:


> Hi there,
> Does anyone use the wax foundation mill with success? Is it worth the additional labor using your own wax from the year?


Yes, we use a motorised mill and use wax tablets, rather than thin sheets, each tablet makes around 15 sheets of foundation, it takes about two hours to roll enough foundation to make 2000 sheets... and we make between 18,000 to 20,000 sheets a year from our own wax.


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## Roland (Dec 14, 2008)

About what is the foot print of the equipment, including the tablet equipment?

Crazy Roland


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## jean-marc (Jan 13, 2005)

Pete seems to have a commercial system... 2000 sheets/2 hours. I am wondering how come you purchased your own equipment to make foundation? It likely makes more financial sense if you make foundation for others.

Jean-Marc


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## Roland (Dec 14, 2008)

The key words may be "from our own wax". I am curious what the pesticide levels are in beeswax AFTER it is converted into foundation.

Crazy Roland


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

There have been studies on pesticide/miticide residue in wax. They can be found with a quick search on the web. The highest residues come from operations that used off-label pesticides such as paper towels dipped in fluvalinate. Beeswax accumulates significant amounts of pesticide from the environment, i.e. from bees foraging on flowers that have been sprayed.


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## Roland (Dec 14, 2008)

True that Fusion power. I am interested in what the levels are AFTER melting and processing. From memory, the studies are from raw comb. 

Crazy Roland


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