Cleaning And Filtering Beeswax In A Homemade Wax Steamer

Getting clean wax from old combs and frames is not that easy. I do it in two stages. The first stage -- Wax Extracting -- is covered here • Homemade Steam Wax Ext...
This is the second stage -- cleaning blocks of dirty wax to get the bits and pieces out.
If you just pour hot wax through a filter, it will cool instantly and solidify on the filter. That's why it's worth putting the whole thing in a box and heating with steam.
Of course the pillow-cases get clogged up. When that happens you could either pour the warm wax into a second case (a bit dangerous and heavy too) -- or you could wait till the block has set hard (the next day) and peel off the dirty case and scrape down the wax before putting it into a clean one.
This is an important part of beekeeping -- it's part of the process of recycling and accessing all that wonderful wax. Solar wax extractors just don't work here in Ireland (or, more accurately they work on one or two days in the year) and anyway they're too small for my needs -- so here's what I came up with. I hope it helps and inspires you. (Please like and share!)
Notes: 1. Hot steam will burn you badly, so be careful!
2. Doing anything with an old gas bottle is also potentially dangerous unless you are certain that it contains no gas. I find it necessary to remove the small frame that protects the valve so I can get at it with a spanner. The copper pipe fittings didn't quite match the thread -- but there's no pressure in the system so this isn't a problem.
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[@Dereck_Ryan]

Okay. Just came across this video in 2021. I started beekeeping 3 years ago and am finally getting around to rendering my wax. You have a video for everything! Thanks for sharing your lives, hobbies and work with us! Cheers from Canada!

[@WayOutWestx2]

Glad it was helpful!

[@furkanethem1005]

Merhaba , My name Abdüsselam from Turkey . " Firstly I pray I houp Freedoom soon for ' UKRANİAN peoples .. Secondly For BEE WAX I eould like say that ".Collectively this "methots" to extracting Bee Wax from the sediment or dirts really new ,easy , and inspiring job . But the methot of transitioning STEAM through (PVC) PLASTİC PİPES is LEADS to CANCER another İLLNESSES and health problems . I would like at proceeding this methots via helping of completely metal (İron or steel ) tools to forwards or transmitt the BOİLED WATER'S STEAMS TO MELTİNG THE WAX ...

[@SouthAfricanBeekeeper]

Brilliant!!! As a beginner beekeeper, this tip is just the ticket. Many thanks for your lovely videos, you guys. Keep them rolling.

[@mdmx92]

I just love your methods of getting things done, not just with beekeeping. So simple and effective...and (often most importantly) cheap! Im a woodworker/beekeeper in Trinidad and have been dreaming of transitioning to more natural, harmonious ways of living with the bees...like your rose hive method. Your videos have really reminded me that there's always more than one way to do things and to not be afraid of trying something different. Thank you for sharing and keep on doing what you do. Cheers to a wonderful 2021!

[@WayOutWestx2]

Thank you!

[@remodelassets6523]

Great sound bytes with the scraping, dripping wax. Very simple one step pillow case filter from thrift shop idea Bravo!! :) Beautiful flowers too!

[@MarekArawn]

WOW! What a great idea! Absolute genius - and a heck of a lot simpler than many other methods I've seen. THANK YOU!

[@Ulfgarius]

Over the years I have used many different methods for refining wax but this method must be the easiest and most efficient of them all! I think I have finally found my solution.

[@Zuconja]

This is just a great video, easy to understand, short and no philosophic talks.

[@Liusila]

Thanks for sharing this! I love beeswax candles so I've just grown an even deeper appreciation for them.

[@WilliamAdams-mt3my]

It takes apx. 8 lbs of Honey to make 1 lb of Bees Wax!

[@megandalessandro4290]

This is the best way I've seen it done! Cheers!

[@nicole-1855]

Nice set up! I'm cleaning wax for the first time today in my house. I'll use a pot on the stove with thick huge reusable filters. It's our first year with bees and it didn't turn out as we expected... The great news is we are adding 4 additional colonies and keep on going! We did take 2 frames from last fall to harvest honey for ourselves, so at least we were able to save some honey. The watery honey that was left will go to a the new colonies next month. I do use the wax to make candles, soap and other beauty products...

[@nicole-1855]

We plan on adding hives as we keep learning. Our hives are 200+ miles away on the most beautiful land because of it being 100% chemical free housing of any farms, mosquito/bug spray from the state of people spaying monthly poison on their lawns. It's worth the 2.5 hour drive 1-3 times a month to keep an eye on them during the summer. The small amount(15-20lbs) of honey we did harvest was the best honey I've literally ever had!

[@BeeToZFL]

A method I had not seen yet. Thanks for sharing!

[@ShirleyHunsberger]

You are such an inspiration . Thank you for sharing with us . I can hardly wait to try .

[@bellunderwood4272]

This is the best method i have seen😍! Awesome thanks for sharing!

[@crumb9cheese]

Wow you have ingenuity

[@kimfromnewzealand8768]

Very clever :-) Kim from New Zealand

[@elenacerasela]

Beautiful. I loved your ingenuity.

[@HHeirloomIA]

Ingenious! That is a terrific amount of beeswax!

[@WayOutWestx2]

Thanks, but never enough!

[@1d1hamby]

if you melt the wax in hot water and stir it it washes some of the water soluble contaminants into the water solution. after it hardens you can filter the wax through a tightly woven fabric, the way you did.

[@kristinabaker4433]

cool I love the end with the flowers...

[@Manuipe]

Glad to share, excelent job!

[@johncourtneidge]

Yes, please add a soap-making video? We did that at school.

[@HuntingCreatures]

This is awesome! a great affordable way to clean the beeswax and get it done in no time. I will copy it.

[@Zappyguy111]

It's crazy, I can still hear your voice in these videos.

[@scarletpeate]

Brilliant. I have a huge full of filthy wax to sort. Now I know how. Thanks. Do you think I could just put the lot in from the hive without pre cleaning ??

[@kaigrundmann9277]

I didn't know you also have bees. Awesome.

[@WayOutWestx2]

Lots of bees!

[@arielenriquez8750]

I always love to see operations that use the KISS method. Keep It Simple Stupid. But there's nothing stupid about that. thanks for the share.

[@muratsarcam5496]

ARIEL ENRIQUEZ 1

[@jupvanrinkhuyzen6213]

Hi I´ve made a setup for 24 frames 12x10" (one of the many Danish standard sizes) and used 2 steam wall paper strippers. It works, but that´s it. They just don´t produce steam enough, mind you it was winter. Your setup is much better and efficient.

[@WayOutWestx2]

Jup Van Rinkhuyzen Thanks Jup!

[@richardcich2018]

Its called field expedience ( old Army term) Excellent

[@thundercloud47]

WOW...that is so neat, TY for sharing! Don't know if you grow bayberry there, but around the Christmas holidays, a bees wax candle containing bayberry wax, is a wonderful aroma :). Mrs. Tc

[@bernicebernstein8477]

Thank you so much for this, I make my own furniture polish and I really appreciate this. Xxx

[@onexpressocafe1821]

I like your idea. I am wondering how to melt a block of pure bees wax that melted into a cardboard box I have? In water, weighting the cardboard? Oh I love your flowers, what kind are they? I had some pastel pink "Old wild Roses"? that looked like those blossoms.

[@chloeyen3077]

The flowers at the end were beautiful. what are they called?

[@WayOutWestx2]

Thanks, Chloe. They're roses (but I can't remember the type)

[@chloeyen3077]

+WayOutWest Blowinblog thank you for responding.

[@lynnitrobe]

@@WayOutWestx2 Rose of Sharon, I believe. Beautiful! Also, quick, to the point, instructional, entertaining video! :D

[@Peppermint1]

95% of Ebay sellers sell fake beeswax, mixed with other products including flagrance and color. The actual smell of real beeswax like the one in this video is a sweet honey flagrance that you can smell from several feet away.

[@blender_wiki]

You can do similar system with a simple sun oven And avoid to burn wood

[@manandnature2199]

Very nice

[@MEDONOSBY]

Good!

[@markdraeger4721]

You guys are great i just love watching your video's please keep them coming all your videos any kind of info you got i will watch thanks for all your time and effort i know its not easy

[@WayOutWestx2]

***** Thanks Mark - much appreciated : - )

[@mohammadayub1753]

+WayOutWest Blowinblog Ayuub

[@lass-inangeles7564]

What an inventive system, very creative solution! My question is - why did the finished wax block have dirt on bottom which needed scrubbing off? Container was not clean?

[@WayOutWestx2]

Very fine sediment that sank to the bottom. A finer filter would solve it too

[@HowToGrowAGarden]

I can't wait to have my own bees hopefully next spring. Then I'll be full of how to question for you for sure.

[@paulspydar]

very cool, much better than messing about boiling it up & straining over n over....nice job.

[@WayOutWestx2]

+paulspydar Thanks Paul.

[@lintonmacnamara1469]

That is so ingenious and clever thanks for sharing...an ol Aussie beek

[@redman007100]

wonderful ,Thank's Terrence

[@WayOutWestx2]

Cheers Terrence!

[@williamwolfe8954]

Hi again, I just re-read your description to the 2x videos. You use a 2x stage process to 1-extract from frames and 2-clean the wax. And you're working at-scale, with around 100 hives. Sorry for my questions. In my mind I had morphed the two ideas into alternatives. I was considering using the steam box cleaner as an approach for clearing the frames from just 2-5 hives [so a smaller scale than you]. Next question - At what scale does it make sense to recycle wax and make your own foundation? I hear that Bedfordshire BKA run an exchange/discount scheme with an equipment supplier in exchange for old wax, but I havn't explored this option yet.

[@WayOutWestx2]

Yes, I still use my extractor, William. And it cost little or nothing so you wouldn't lose much trying it at any stage. Unless you actually set fire to your wax or spill it on the floor, you can keep trying again and again to get the results you want. As far as I know, all the suppliers would also give you discounts for your wax - everyone wants it these days. Good luck!

[@williamwolfe8954]

Hi Tim, Thanks for sharing all these fantastic videos. Lots of smart and very helpful ideas in these. My question - I'm curious whether you continue to find this Steam Extractor/Cleaner box a useful tool after developing the "Homemade Steam Wax Extractor And Hive Sterilizer" technic? I'm starting out on the journey as a beekeeper, beginning to gather the equipment you need to make the process manageable. I'm going down the polyhive route for my first 4x colonies and I would like to recycle the 2 yr old combs to make my own foundation sheets [when I get to that stage].

[@rgufhjfvhfj9204]

Bravo merci beaucoup pour portage

[@gigicaly]

we use here solar heat to melt the wax. its alot less trouble and once you have it setup it is almost no trouble at all managing it. google solar wax melters or something like that you should find some really cool designs that melt and filter the wax at the same time pore it in a container. this is a good video to get the job done quick but the setup is just to much trouble.

[@WayOutWestx2]

You're lucky to have sunshine you can rely on. I set up a solar wax extractor once and it only worked 3 days through the whole summer - just not enough heat here

[@gigicaly]

WayOutWest Blowinblog oh didnt think of that. yeah you have a point. I didn't realize some people might not have access to sunlight for a long time. Here all we have is sun lol.

[@shakeelnasir7276]

absolute smart and nice way = thank you Sir

[@TizonaAmanthia]

hey, that's a great idea! cody labs will prolly enjoy this. I'll share it with him.

[@mohammadayub1753]

the

[@TizonaAmanthia]

Mohammad Ayub huh?

[@andreapickett3022]

Thanks for sharing. It looks like that wax will retain all its nutrients based on how you performed this.

[@valken666]

People say that dirt on the bottom is actually propolis, and one can sell for a good price.

[@JulieHiltbrunner]

great project!

[@user-rr9gh5ko1c]

Melting in boiling water much faster and more efficient in term of Cleanness

[@zolawilliams1]

I work in an office, in a big city, in a financial district and will probably never, ever do this (even though it looks fun), but thanks anyway for a great vid!

[@WayOutWestx2]

zolawilliams1 Thanks Zola. If you put up videos of what you do, I'm sure we'd all watch them too!

[@NintendoGamez24]

That's a lot of magician's wax

[@rainbowcollectionmall5261]

Impressive video

[@Teresasblaze]

Always an interesting vlog thank you

[@alexanderalexander2230]

What's the name of the flower where bees are foraging ?

[@audreystmedar4922]

very nice

[@pioneerspirit2926]

I'm hoping the particle board is formaldehyde-free

[@ethangiddings8073]

Cool

[@MrHollick]

great video!

[@lisateague-robe149]

Hi, beekeeper from Australia here. Just wondering how you remove honey from the wax blocks?

[@WayOutWestx2]

Not sure what you mean, Lisa. the steam melts everything and then the wax floats to the top of the mix so it's self-separating.

[@tealkerberus748]

If you have comb with honey you can't extract, put it on a tray inside the top of your hive - you may need an empty box to make room under the lid - and the bees will clean up all the accessible honey in a day or two. If it's slabs lying on the flat in the tray you'll need to turn them over so the bees can access both sides.

[@samn6498]

the thing i hear the most is this guy wheezing

[@MrVirginia1206]

Great video. Thanks! What type of tree is in the video? Bees must love it!

[@WayOutWestx2]

MrVirginia1206 thank you! That's a rose bush at the end, if that's what you mean? Yes, the bees love it!

[@stevesoutdoorworld4340]

Kiss system love it thanks for sharing!

[@jupvanrinkhuyzen6213]

Hi and thanks. Do you make your own foundation, if so how and will there be a video? Jup.

[@WayOutWestx2]

Jup Van Rinkhuyzen Hi Jup - yes, we do. Though mostly we use starter strips nowadays. I have made a video about the first part of the process -How To Make Thin Sheets Of Beeswax For Foundation, Starter Strips, Candles And Modelling. - but I will make some more sometime next year.

[@virginiachase6770]

love it

[@MrMemyselfandi415]

Hnaaa! I know those containers well. I get those little creme puffs and eclairs in a bin like that. Hopefully you have too and it's not just a coincidence. Check em out at Walmart or better yet...Costco has em in "family size" ....or what I like to call. "personal size" =0) Have a great day...and rockin video.

[@WayOutWestx2]

MrMemyselfandi415 No Walmart or Costco in Ireland - but we manage anyway : - )

[@MrMemyselfandi415]

Oh MAN! Now THAT'S a bummer. Well, no worries...just be sure to get some of them for yourself somewhere. They'll change your life. Ya know....like....there's marriage....babies....and CREAM PUFFS AND MINI ECLAIRS!

[@WayOutWestx2]

MrMemyselfandi415 And there we were, thinking we had everything!

[@adamabele785]

The wooden box will disintegrate and clogg up with wax on the inside.

[@davidbedjaoui1720]

Coucou j'ai fait des nouvelles vidéos sur KZbin comment faire fondre la cire avec la chaudière et multicouche tu verras bien tu regarderas les vidéos David apiculteur

[@chelseytyler88]

Oh Wow!!

[@johnryanatd]

Class!

[@elvir18]

Do you have the dimensions?

[@idekwtfthisis9820]

do you sell the wax? if so, how much for? I live in England

[@WayOutWestx2]

+Glugger Gaming EXTREME All out of wax at the moment GGE - sorry.

[@mrstratau6513]

eggsellent

[@QuillPen77]

Really cool.....I've ALWAYS wanted to get into bee keeping......................BTW, is that weed in the back?....lol

[@WayOutWestx2]

+QuillPen77 That's nettle. You could try smoking it but I don't think it would be much fun!

[@QuillPen77]

Ah yes.....very familiar with nettle here in the West Virginia hills......although...don't think I've ever come across any that big, and I don't remember it looking like weed either....lol

[@QuillPen77]

+WayOutWest Blowinblog But seriously though....much respect, and love what ya do.

[@andreitarba7817]

Hello, how can i make a steam installation?

[@WayOutWestx2]

Have a look at the other video in the beekeeping playlist about wax extraction - it might give you some ideas..

[@andreitarba7817]

@@WayOutWestx2 thanks

[@LimpStrudel]

Those weed plants in the background 😂😂😂

[@WayOutWestx2]

Do you need to get some glasses?

[@noemicarrion6883]

Hello if you sell your bees wax can you please let me know. I am interested in purchasing some.

[@WayOutWestx2]

I think it would only work if you live in Ireland. Where are you?

[@noemicarrion6883]

@@WayOutWestx2 that you for responding. No I live in the United States. In Philadelphia.

[@smokeydabeecharlescoleman8365]

What kind of tree is that ?

[@chriscosgrove2390]

Smokeydabee Charles Coleman

[@ocean374]

Do you sell the bees wax and if you do how can i purchase thank you

[@WayOutWestx2]

ocean374 Yes I do. But we're in Ireland. How about you?

[@ocean374]

Im in usa

[@cidizzle]

You're scrapping and wasting the propolis. Also The weak point in this design is the boiler/steam source. Maybe a 15 gallon steal keg with the top intact.

[@WayOutWestx2]

How do you mean CDizzle? What's weak about it? I could have used 2 different containers but I chose this one because it was long and big. Sometime I'll wrap it up in a chimney to improve efficiency from the fire, but it works fine. You're right about the propolis, but I collect that later in the year and I just can't use all I have as it is.

[@cidizzle]

Maybe I didn't clarify by what I meant by weak. I am talking about the construction of the boiler. If there was a simple way to get it there without having to get a scrap tank. and to some cutting on it. It would be a more viable thing to use for a small farm or honey operation. ....I was thinking about trying a used sanke keg.

[@cidizzle]

CDizzle by the way the internet can't really show emotion but I wasn't trying to be a jerk I was just commenting. I reread the comment and It looks bad but I was just trying to critique. I am thinking of building something very similar thanks for the inspiration.

[@itsmechristy2409]

Or you forgive and still love me?

[@levibarros149]

Beeswax + Gypsum powder = Medieval Plastic

[@slimshady8024]

would you be selling bee wax sir?

[@slimshady8024]

like one of the smaller blocks that would fit in a small flat rate box??

[@WayOutWestx2]

Sorry, Green Hornet, I never have enough myself

[@frenchcurse7287]

what the name or this tree kzbin.info/www/bejne/d6nUooqBqriNqsU

[@autodidact2499]

At 1:07: It's "chute," not "shute [sic]," Paddy! And at 3:19: That's not a question.