HillCo's solar beeswax melter. Unboxing and put to the test.

[@360sblulev]

idk mr. ed at $185 before tax it seems to be a gimmick. you could get much better value investing in another device. or even just stove top and cheesecloth would be better than this. if you didnt put that blue tissue there would be much more gunk in the bottom tray

[@JeffHorchoff]

Trust me, there is no gimmick here. This is a product that really produces and is an extremely easy way to render beeswax. True, the process of rendering wax can be done in dozens of different ways, and depending on the mindset and skills of the individual beekeeper, tools developed and made for this specific purpose will vary widely. Still, for an "out of the box" piece of equipment that is simply assembled and put to use right away, it will have a great appeal to many, many beekeepers....just not all of them. Thanks for watching. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@trapjohnson]

Assumed counterpoint, the "Set it and forget it" convenience of this setup probably carries much appeal, rather than more involved and attention requiring heat based melt methods.

[@Cent51]

It works pretty well, and you don't have to be around, you put it in and come back later..

[@edgufler1122]

@@JeffHorchoff what amazes me.. all that wax was produced by your Bees . bless you

[@researcherAmateur]

It's a shame that they don't produce them big enough to put two full frames in with wood and all. For people who do foundation less.. or like in Europe where most of us uses wax sheets. You can melt old frames and at the same time the frames get impregnated with wax and propolis. Makes it easy to clean the wire and make it ready for new sheets. We use only solar melters over 50 years. I can put 4 frames in mine and fill it with wax from extraction. A filter cloth bag gets put immediately in a big tray and you get clean wax out of it ... some people have them big for 20 frames and a pipe on the bottom to let the wax off in a bucket

[@628DirtRooster]

You're welcome for the wakeup crow. I like how you bare handed the bee mud off that wax. Hope you washed up before lunch. Nice melter review.

[@JeffHorchoff]

I got a kick out of videoing the rooster knowing I was going to use him and you in the video. On a side note, seeing how good the rooster looks with his red feathers, you may consider wearing red as a way to accentuate your finer features, after all, it works for him. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@captbriansbees]

@@628DirtRooster I like that he named one of the Roosters after you. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@Matt-dc8lp]

Hearing "hello, Mr Ed here" just makes me smile and helps my day go better. Thank you Ed for your continued happiness that you bring to the world.

[@scottfortune9016]

I really like the fact that it's a cost free way to melt the wax, and it's the cleanest wax I've seen from you that didn't have to be melted down a few times. The fact that this is a much cheaper way for the backyard beekeeper is exciting.

[@JeffHorchoff]

The reason I posted this video was to show how simple it really is to render wax, and, it is not necessary to have the equipment I use to do the job. Plus, like you said, I did it only once and got some beautiful wax. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my over 600 bee wrangling/ bee rescue adventure videos and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace Scott. Mr. Ed

[@janhemmer8181]

I think this would work much better if the box was insulated. The temperature in an insulated box can easily reach 120 ° Celsius.

[@philaandrew100]

Nice and simple. a black plastic tote would really kick it along.

[@JeffHorchoff]

I think that would be a great addition, it should help keep the internal temperature constant and possibly help with heat absorption. I am going to suggest that to Mr. Hill. Thanks for watching and for your suggestion. God's peace Phil. Mr. Ed

[@cheneysherry50]

Nice new toy. It's not yet Halloween for you to get out the caskets God bless you and all your staff and your wife and hopefully y'all made it through this next storm God bless.

[@JeffHorchoff]

Thank you Sherry. Early predictions have the storm headed to Florida so we are ok, it them that will need our prayers. Thank you for your blessings and continued support, God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@cheneysherry50]

@@JeffHorchoff yes it looks like it's going to hit Georgia pretty hard and that's where we are

[@michaelpariera4328]

Made one 9 years ago and still using it. Carrying it is a 2 man job. I have 2 other beekeepers that use it. I use weed barrier cloth on the tray for clean up

[@JeffHorchoff]

Solar wax melters are just so cool, simple design and VERY effective in doing their job melting beeswax. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my over 600 bee wrangling/ bee rescue adventure videos and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace Michael. Mr. Ed

[@krissaann333]

Good Mornin! I JUST had an ephiphony watching this......why not put the melter in a vehicle!!! I use a deep box with a brick to prop up a little on bottom, large aluminum pan with a slit at one end, a bread pan to catch wax, and a glass cover. I put it on our pool deck on top of a glass table(this seals the bottom). But NOW, imma have to try it in the back of my van. LOVE my bees and LOVE this channl! God bless yall!💜💜💜🙏🙏🙏

[@JeffHorchoff]

You are just all kind of full of idea, go girl! Thank you for your blessing and for following along with all my bee wrangling adventures. Until the next one, God's peace Krissa Ann

[@Joeybagofdonuts76]

Beautiful uh boxes behind you in the beginning. You can see the love the brothers put into their work.

[@JeffHorchoff]

I have been volunteering building caskets here at the abbey since 2009, and in that time, I have to say, we have come a long way and the end product really stands out. Bee safe in your travels, and thanks for watching. God's peace Shawn. Mr. Ed

[@Manuherikiabeekeeping]

👍👋 that's a cool little walk away solar melter from hillco, man I'm really impressed with the quality of thier products and if i was a north American beekeeper they'd be my go to supplier. Beautiful clean wax is really important to me, id definitely recommend that melter for "fire and forget" wax processing when you are doing something else. Great suggestion Mr Ed and nice to see ol dirtrooster there every morning 😂 still cold weather in southern New Zealand but i got new queens in a few days ago and today im going to check them and put in more varroa treatment 👍👋😃

[@JeffHorchoff]

Keep at it brother, the bees need you. We got our first taste of fall this morning, it was 60 when I walked out the house. Thanks for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@benjamindejonge3624]

Love the last longhives on the back ground, yes the solar wax melters are great, have two off them in hot southern Spain, greetings. btw the side xtr honey is very useful for mead.

[@JeffHorchoff]

And I bet you get great results with the heat and sun shine you have in Spain. Thanks for watching. God's peace Benjamin. Mr. Ed

[@irrelevantmrna3400]

i'm such a big mr ed fan, reminds me of my sweet southern family

[@JeffHorchoff]

And Mr. Ed loves his fans as well, thank you so much for taking the time to follow along with my bee wrangling adventures. Until the next one, God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@carolewarner101]

Beautiful blocks of wax! With the paper towel added, it's amazing just how clean the resulting blocks came out. So no need to reprocess them a second time. Like you said, you could always fabricate a larger box to catch more wax in, but given the size of the melting tray, it actually seems like the perfect size. I'm not familiar with the impact of heat on silicone calking, but they do make silicone baking "pans," so I imagine it can handle heat pretty well. A little silicone calking on the main melting box should seal up those cracks that leaked out some wax. But with the tub beneath it to catch anything it's really no big deal. Very useful piece of kit for those of us with really small scale apiaries!

[@JeffHorchoff]

I plan on using a silicone tray to catch the wax in the future, but I had not considered using it to seal the corners. I'm going to do that as well. A great product for the hobbyist beekeeper for sure. Thanks for watching. God's peace Carole. Mr. Ed

[@robertharker]

Great to see a low cost wax melter. Thanks!

[@JeffHorchoff]

You are very welcome. This melter is just one of many on the market, but in my opinion, a very good one for the price.I agree, and for a very simple device, it produces extremely high quality beeswax. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my over 600 bee wrangling/ bee rescue adventure videos and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace Robert. Mr. Ed

[@heatherwilliams624]

I wish I could go to there too, because "Jeff has bees"! ❤ I made a solar wax melter from a $2 aluminum cook tray (for turkey?) with a plastic snap on lid that came with, cut a slit and duct taped in a bit of mesh from an old strainer I sacrificed, threw all my stuff in it and tilted it, into a pan. Set it out at 100+ degrees here in summer and wowie wow! It needs a second clean up because I didn't rinse anything or add water, bees and wasps and hornets found my harvest though so fair warning! They cleaned up the wet bits nicely though. 😁👍

[@JeffHorchoff]

Now that's building a solar melter on the cheap, great job! Plus, you even had a clean up crew....just like me. Thanks for watching. God's peace Heather. Mr. Ed

[@heatherwilliams624]

@@JeffHorchoff I would be your clean up crew any day Mr Ed! Love you Jeff, thanks for being you.

[@RangieNZ]

Mr Ed does product placement! :) Cool little machine. It would be simple enough to melt them again, to make them into 'nice' blocks - the second time it wouldn't have the honey in it.

[@JeffHorchoff]

When I see products that I think could be useful to viewers I post a video on them. I don't do to many of them as I would rather make videos on bees and bee rescues. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my over 600 bee wrangling/ bee rescue adventure videos and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@thenodiggardener]

I can see something like that being useful for smaller operations. It's the kind of thing my Son and I would come up with between us if I could keep Bees... and if we also got any decent sun in the UK. I love things that can be left to do a whole job whilst I'm getting on with something else.

[@JeffHorchoff]

Solar melters are about as simple as it can get, and like you said, it's something you set and forget as you go about your other chores. Thanks for watching. God's peace Suzanne. Mr. Ed

[@macguinn5563]

I've been using mine for two years now. For someone who is on a budget, it is the ideal piece of equipment. I didn't much like rendering my cappings in the house.

[@JeffHorchoff]

That is so awesome to hear you have been using one for 2 years, a real testimony to the efficiency of the melter as well as it's construction and durability. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my over 600 bee wrangling/ bee rescue adventure videos and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@wranther]

When Friday morning comes around, I know Mr Ed will appear! Of course this Friday includes a new gadget to add to your tool assortment too. lol Glad that you keep on making more enjoyable videos as I hope you have a wonderful weekend! -Bob...

[@lambbrookfarm4528]

80s for highs and 60s at night, sounds like summer in NH. We might have a couple more weeks of flowers, then I hope it gets cool and the bees cluster up and stay that way till March. I saw Joey has one of those solar wax melters, they look slick. Much lighter than the one I put together this morning. Great to see another one of your vids, thanks for all you do. Peace, Brice

[@Phil_86]

I really like that Solar Beeswax Melter! Thank you for demonstrating this new product for bee keepers. God Bless!!

[@JeffHorchoff]

Looks like HillCo knocked another one out of the ball park with this great product. I know for certain there will be a lot of interest in this melter. Thank you so much for your blessings and for being a member of my channel Phil, God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@viahoneybees]

We love our HillCo Solar Wax Melters we have three and they work all summer melting down cut out comb!

[@JeffHorchoff]

You can't go wrong with HillCo. God's peace Tom. Mr. Ed

[@jguevarar95]

Mr Ed! Hello from Costa Rica. Me and my girlfriend we are big fans of your channel. Thank you so much for doing what you do

[@JeffHorchoff]

Delighted to hear you both enjoy watching my adventures, it truly is a joy for me to share all the fun I have keeping bees. Thanks so much for taking the time to watch and leave your comment. Until the next one, God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@TracysBees8713]

Do love your wax videos.

[@brucekaminskimd3417]

P.s. What a fantastic commercial at the end!!😂😂 "Im gonna click on it when on get home"

[@thomasrape4616]

A solar wax melter is the easiest, most efficient, trouble free way I've tried to recover wax. I built mine from bits and pieces I had laying around. Mine is about double that size because it was made to fit the glass I had on hand. I put about a 5 degree tilt on my melting tray which allows the wax to slowly run off leaving the slum gum behind on the tray. I have an 1/8 inch hardware cloth screen at the end but it doesn't do much because the solids don't run down with the wax. It'll hold about 5 gallons of scrap comb. I get really clean wax with almost no trash, plenty good enough to wax foundations with. If you put a little water in your catch pan it will deal with the honey residue and make the block turn loose of the pan easier. It's sure easier, more efficient, and a lot less messy than the other methods I've tried.

[@JeffHorchoff]

I have to agree, easy to use, cheap, and very effective. Awesome hearing how much you enjoy using your home made version. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my over 600 bee wrangling/ bee rescue adventure videos and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace Thomas. Mr. Ed

[@thornehauser9511]

The brothers are working hard. Love to see it. God bless

[@JeffHorchoff]

That the are, God's peace Thorne. Mr. Ed

[@edgufler1122]

Amazing video Mr. Ed . Wow that wax was dirty and had a lot of trash in it. Looks like the Solar Melter works fine .

[@JeffHorchoff]

For an out of the box and ready to go product, this solar wax melter is the real thing. I know for certain this product will make a good fit for a lot of beekeepers. Thanks for watching. God's peace Ed. Mr. Ed

[@thornehauser9511]

Wow Jeff that looks like it worked really well for a small time bee keeper such as myself.

[@JeffHorchoff]

It is for beekeeper such as yourself that I had in mind when I made this video. Here is a product that really works and is ready to go. Of course, you could always build one for yourself, but this is just another option. Thanks for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@richardgrumpywelsh2485]

It looks like you are having all of the fun playing with your greate equipment, I am back from the hunting camp we got there in a sno storm and came up theriver in a snow storm. I never shot anything but I didget my share of the meat and I have it processed and in the frezer. Have a great day and god bless you and all of your helpers.

[@JeffHorchoff]

Glad to hear you got your share of the meat, I'm guessing it was moose? To bad the weather was a bit rough, but I'm sure you still enjoyed the outing. Also, glad you are back safe and sound watching my videos. Thank you for your blessings and for watching. God's peace Richard. Mr. Ed

[@Hannebv]

Beeswax is such an interesting "bee-product", my favorite videos through the year is melting of wax. Keep it up, Ed!

[@JeffHorchoff]

I have to agree, next to the honey the bees produce, the wax is such an interesting product. For me, refining it and then reusing it always such a cool thing. Thank you for your support and for being a member of my channel. Until the next one, God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@birdnest5814]

Pretty awesome contraption. Thanks for sharing it, Mr Ed.👍😊💕🤗😎🙏✌️

[@BrianCooper901]

I like ours, it works great for our size operation. Thanks for sharing! I like that they upgraded the handles too that's a nice touch.

[@coloradotulips]

So interesting! Thanks for showing us how this works.

[@JeffHorchoff]

You are very welcome, a truly simple and effective way of rendering beeswax. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my over 600 bee wrangling/ bee rescue adventure videos and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@pretzeltime3900]

Hi Mr Ed. That’s some beautiful bees wax!

[@JeffHorchoff]

I agree, and for a very simple device, it produces extremely high quality beeswax. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my over 600 bee wrangling/ bee rescue adventure videos and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@jamesnunn5452]

I saw watching about a solar wax melter, and you start talking about coffins. That’s the last thing I need.😇

[@JeffHorchoff]

The question is frequently brought up as to my various volunteering duties at St. Joseph Abbey by many new viewers, and since I was standing in front of the caskets we produce I took advantage of that situation and spoke about them. Sorry if you took offense at what I said, it certainly was not intended to do so. Thanks for watching. God's peace James. Mr. Ed

[@davidhanson2351]

Good morning Jeff. From reading the comments, it seems people don’t understand that the plastic cover magnify the sunlight which is melting the wax. Sitting in the plastic box and all is just a collection device. The melting comes from the plastic top because it magnifies the sun, and then the sun rays heats the wax.

[@JeffHorchoff]

You are absolutely correct, thanks for making that point and explaining very well. Thanks for watching. God's peace David. Mr. Ed

[@tammywillgohs5514]

Nice tool. Good to set it and leave it.

[@JeffHorchoff]

That is the real beauty of this melter, the simplicity of the product, and the beautiful piece of wax that comes from it. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my over 600 bee wrangling/ bee rescue adventure videos and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace Tammy. Mr. Ed

[@EvanHofmeyer]

Exelent thorough reveiw. God bless ❤

[@JeffHorchoff]

Thank you Evan, and thank you for your blessings and for watching as well. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@karenwhitley7211]

Hi Jeff. This is a great idea, solar melting, but maybe it needs to be refined to more easily to remove the wax from the mold, think spring form pan. Seems maybe a good idea for much smaller operations.

[@JeffHorchoff]

It was a bit difficult to remove the wax block from the metal tray, but I already have the issue resolved, I'm using a silicone tray and the wax just pops right out. Thanks for watching. God's peace Karen. Mr. Ed

[@spider2914]

If would put paper towels under the wax capping's it makes real easy cleanup. I use one of these and love it! I also put a little water in the pan. Great video Mr. Ed!

[@JeffHorchoff]

Great idea about putting paper towels under the cappings, I know that would help. After seeing how good this melter works, I'm not surprised at all hearing how much you love it. Thanks for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@roberthilliard9162]

Good Morning , from Denton Texas and Brushpopper's bee Wrangling .

[@JeffHorchoff]

Hey Robert, thanks so much for taking the time to watch. Until the next one, God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@MegaDavyk]

Jeff get an old bath propped off the ground a bit so you can get a pot underneath it and put an old glass door on top for a lid. It only works when its really warm but it does work.

[@JeffHorchoff]

Now THAT"S a super sized solar wax melter. Thanks for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@rachelstone4967]

A silicone collecting tray would make getting the wax block out easier. I am in the process of making one from an old esky [Aussie-speak] / cooler-box / chilly-bin [Kiwi-speak] + glass shelf tray from an old fridge both picked up from roadside rubbish + was planning using a mesh office paper tray lined with a painters paint-straining bag + Al-foil tray underneath. I'm hoping the added depth will allow me to stack up the comb & forget about it for a few days but wonder if the process works better with a thinner layer.... Be fun exercise testing it out like you have done. I've been using the painters bags for awhile in my large water-boiler & they are great for collecting all the c*** in the cut-out combs. A carpenter in our local club has just made me a wooden one - probably only half the size of yours. But I thought it would be good to do a second melt through to clean the wax up a second time filtering through cloth.

[@JeffHorchoff]

I agree, a silicone tray is the way to go, and I will be replacing the metal tray with one for the very next batch. Playing around with different methods is always a great learning experience and on top of it, sometimes we wind up making the process easier and cleaner. Thanks so much for your idea and for being a member of my channel Rachel, it is greatly appreciated. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@fionam3554]

@@JeffHorchoff would an inch or so of water help? little bit in the pan? Capping will have honey as a lubricant, but dryer stuff...

[@BryanCorner-x3h]

Looks like a really great tool for the small beekeeper, and really not expensive. I would also think that it would work in northern regions just as well, especially as someone else pointed out with a black tub. There was one point when you moved it it came apart, if there was a second hole on the sides you could push the rod through a little farther. You need that second hole on both sides for left and right handed operators.

[@JeffHorchoff]

I thought the same thing. Some way or another the pin should be held so it can not be so easily be knocked out. Still, you can not argue with the end results, some beautifully rendered wax. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my over 600 bee wrangling/ bee rescue adventure videos and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace Bryan. Mr. Ed

[@jillschantz7342]

Cool! And since I came to watch your video as a break as I'm trying to get the harvest buckets etc. all cleaned up.... one of my least fav. jobs....I was most interested in Brother John and the drum clean up ;)! Bless HIM!!

[@JeffHorchoff]

I'm so lucky to have quality help with the nasty jobs. Yes, bless him. Great hearing from you Jill, and thank you so much for your added support by being a member of my channel. Until the next one, God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@geckoproductions4128]

I have one of these and LOVE it. Texas sun does the trick with no power cords. Load it and leave it. For what it's worth, I also have one of John's power extractors and it also works GREAT. IMHO HillCo sells a good product at a fair price. (I have no affiliation)

[@JeffHorchoff]

I will always say, you can't go wrong with HillCo...and they have the best warranty on their products out there. Thanks for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@mrsspeech]

Praying you are safe along with everyone else.

[@JeffHorchoff]

Thank you, and please continue your prayers for all that were killed during the storm as well as for all the suffering it has left behind in it's wake. This will be a very hard experience to put behind for oh so many. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@ggerkits882]

Impressive that it is that clean.

[@JeffHorchoff]

I was very surprised myself. I'm used to melting it at least once more to get it that clean. Thanks for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@JJDigitalartStudio]

LOL Jeff. Here in the desert for 7 months of the year, it is warm enough to defrost anything. You said this is solar powered. My automatic defroster is the sun. When I say please put this in the automatic defroster, I mean outside on the patio table. We have solar generated things here. How to melt chocolate. Leave it outside when it is 102 out and it melts perfectly. Ha ha. This looks like it is great thing. I love the sun's power. When they make cars that run on solar power alone and have the same dashboard as we had in the early aughts THEN I will buy an electric car. All the stuff in the new cars is a distraction. It beeps and whistles and talks to you. How do you keep all that going and still look forward to drive We have a heat warning today. Ozone and pollen. Mike has to have colon test. I have to be out in this heat. Yikes. Keep up the great work Jeff. GBY

[@JeffHorchoff]

I'm just happy I don't live with the temps you put up with for 7 months, give me the humidity and the heat. Mike will be in my prayers, God's peace JJ. Mr. Ed

[@JJDigitalartStudio]

@@JeffHorchoff Thanks. BTW God answered our prayers. GA is still there. Some lost power but they are on it and Mike is clean. Diverticulitis and a couple of non cancer polyps. Yay God. Thank you Jesus!! GBY Jeff.

[@bartomax]

Jeff, love your videos. I am not a bee keeper but I thought of your predicament on how to measure your wax in solar melter. If you use the bottom tray as a scoop....you will not overflow the melted wax

[@JeffHorchoff]

Smart man! I have the best viewers! Thank you for the info and for watching. Until the next one, God's peace Kevin. Mr. Ed

[@HolzMichel]

Mr. Ed, just about all the local beekeepers around the area where i live here in europe use this type of wax rendering. i don't think they use the same brand, but definitely the same principal. my read is that most of the beekeepers around here do it as a side hustle and don't really have the time to render wax, so they use this type of equipment. so they load it up, go off to their regular job and when they come back home in the evening the rending is pretty much done. a very sustainable way of dealing with the rendering problem and having to invest a lot of time in the refinement process god bless!

[@JeffHorchoff]

Solar wax melters have been around a long, long time and I'm not surprised to hear that beekeepers in Europe are very fond of them as they are very economical and extremely functional. Plus, you set them and forget them. Thank you for your blessings and for taking the time to watch the video, and remember, I post a brand new video every Friday. Hope to hear from you again soon. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@ashleyfroud5015]

Mr Ed, If you spray some Pam in the tray, it may release the wax without any thumping. If the Pam does not contaminate the wax.

[@JeffHorchoff]

Great idea, and I'm sure it would work fine. However, I came up with a different solution, I now use a silicone tray and the wax just pops right out of it. Thanks so much for your suggestion and for watching. Also, I hope you will check out more of my over 600 bee wrangling/ bee rescue adventure videos and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace Ashley. Mr. Ed

[@alanwatts9232]

Thanks for the video Mr. Ed. I'm glad you cleared up what the boxes are for. I would have laughed if the Rooster had sat up in one of them, mind you for his one you would have needed to use more wood.

[@lilklondikeoutdoors4116]

Nice piece of equipment

[@JeffHorchoff]

Hey James you may want to look into one of these, for the price and what it can do with the wax you gather, you may find it a good fit. Thanks for watching. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@MERRLINN]

Very interesting 😎

[@JeffHorchoff]

A really cool tool and so easy to use which makes it a perfect tool for me. As always, thank you for your kindness Larry, it is so greatly appreciated. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@justasktheappraiser]

I purchased one and it works great.

[@JeffHorchoff]

Another satisfied HillCo customer, and I can truly understand why you like it, a very good product for a reasonable price. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my over 600 bee wrangling/ bee rescue adventure videos and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@captbriansbees]

MR. ED! I had one of my hives do a late season swarm yesterday, not good this late in NY. They settled 30 feet up in one of my oak trees. I used my pool poles and 5gal bucket. 10 buckets later I had a Thank You Jesus moment. Yes got the Queen and put her and the swarm in a new deep. Now pray I can get both hives through winter.

[@JeffHorchoff]

I'm not surprised to hear of your late in the year swarm, I have caught 2 of them in the last week, and like you said, that's not a good thing this late in the year. Great to hear you got her majesty and her daughters in a new box after a bit of work, now, the work of getting them through winter begins. I hope it goes well with that Brian. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@captbriansbees]

@@JeffHorchoff Thank you, I go in tomorrow at 06:30 for my new hip. Gods Peace Brother.

[@lindastevens6861]

Good luck I will hope and pray for your bees

[@lindastevens6861]

Will pray for your swift recovery too😮😊

[@jaynedavis3388]

Good luck to you & your bees ❤

[@DNADirekt]

It comes with a plastic coverage because it does not brake that easy during the transport. If you use a glas coverage it will be even more effective.

[@JeffHorchoff]

Very interesting, it will make for an interesting comparison. It's going to be a lot of fun experimenting with this melter. Thanks so much for the info and for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@00TheRealTC]

🎼 Six scoops of cappings in HillCo's Solar Pan! 🎶 That's pretty neat, Mr. Ed. That's like a set-it-and-forget-it tool. You don't have to watch anything for fear it'll boil over, or even worry about electricity costs with that. I also like the result! Those blocks looked so much cleaner than I thought they would be. Do you think it is possible to line the pan with parchment or something to make removal of the block easier/less messy?

[@JeffHorchoff]

A great melter and so very easy to use, load it and collect your block of wax the next day! No cords to plug in, no second rendering, light weight, and oh so efficient. The block of wax was a bit difficult to remove, but I am going to be using a silicone tray from now on, the wax will literally pop out. By the way, a really catchy tune you got there. Thanks for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@00TheRealTC]

@@JeffHorchoff (of course we all know I couldn’t take credit for that catchy tune, since Kellogg’s did it first. 😉) I’d like to see how a silicone tray would function, if you’re willing to record another video of this process with that set-up. God bless you, too, Mr. Ed! 🙏🏽☺️

[@EvanHofmeyer]

Hi mr Ed.

[@JeffHorchoff]

Good morning Evan, I hope all is well over there. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@beebob1279]

Easy way for those of us who either can't afford a melter system, or don't have enough hives to buy one. I used a solar melter for several years.

[@JeffHorchoff]

My exact thoughts, solar melters are inexpensive and very effective. Thanks for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@brucekaminskimd3417]

Good Morning Mr Ed, That is a lot of work and a lot of wax. I like reading your comment's. It's like reading the funny papers back in our time. You and Dirt Rooster 🐓 🤣 are doing shenanigans again. Yall, have a good weekend yeah hear!!!

[@JeffHorchoff]

It's ben years since I heard the term "funny papers." And yes, the Dirt Rooster and I are up to our old shenanigans as usual just adding a bit of laughter for your funny pages. I hope you and the missus have a great weekend as well. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@InsaneFirebat]

For a first run test, I would fill the lower tray first, then dump it into the upper tray. It'll be more dense after it melts, so you know it won't overflow.

[@JeffHorchoff]

You see, that's what I need, an idea man to help me when I'm going into new territory. Thanks for being there and for the help as well as for taking the time to watch the video. Until the next one, God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@l.calvert7830]

Pretty color for the first block.

[@l.calvert7830]

Lol Both blocks had a pretty color.

[@JeffHorchoff]

I was truly impressed at how clean the blocks of wax came out, and the color as well. Usually it takes me at least 2 times of rendering to get it to look that good. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my over 600 bee wrangling/ bee rescue adventure videos and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@easyreader7839]

Good morning Mr. Ed! That’s a nice new contraption for the smaller bee keeper. Can you put a garbage bag in the bin as a liner to help with the cleanup and to help absorb heat?

[@JeffHorchoff]

I think the bag on the outside would do more good than on the inside, it was very easy to scrape the wax off of it, and the darkness of the bag may help to absorb a bit more heat. That was the reason I placed the melter in the back of the 4 wheeler, it was all black. Thanks for watching. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@wombat5555]

😂😂😂 hey Mr Ed I made that joke about hives and caskets a year ago lol hope you all are doing well 😁

[@z33511]

Y'all certainly get enough sunshine around the Abbey to use a solar appliance...

[@JeffHorchoff]

That we do, but we also get a lot of rain as well. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my over 600 bee wrangling/ bee rescue adventure videos and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@colly1952]

An easier way to unmold the waz would be to put a hot towel for a few minutes on the bottom of the pan

[@JeffHorchoff]

Excellent idea, thank you for your suggestion and for taking the time to watch the video. Also, I hope you will check out more of my over 600 bee wrangling/ bee rescue adventure videos and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@RICDirector]

Spray a little PAM on it before you start....?

[@kd8309]

LOLL I thought they WERE bee boxes!

[@JeffHorchoff]

A lot of viewers have though the same thing which is why I said that. Thanks for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@regiaquiarato7898]

Legal que vc descobriu o derretimento de cera pelo sol, Fenix fez isso um pouco antes... (brincadeirinha...)😇 Tente pintar o container de preto por fora, pra aquecer mais. Vai otimizar o processo.😉

[@JeffHorchoff]

Uma ideia muito boa de pintar a cuba de preto, tenho certeza que vai ajudar a manter a temperatura ajudando o fluxo da cera. O aparelho de fusão solar é uma ótima ferramenta e muito fácil de usar. Muito obrigado por reservar um tempo para assistir ao vídeo e deixar seu comentário, é muito apreciado. Até o próximo, a paz de Deus. Sr.

[@rickyyeldell7262]

Nice rig.

[@JeffHorchoff]

And talk about doing a great job of getting pure wax out of it on the first run. This thing is easy peasy. Thanks for watching. God's peace Ricky. Mr. Ed

[@kevjames4236]

I feel like using cheesecloth would wllow for quicker drainage of the melted wax. Great video 👍

[@JeffHorchoff]

It very well may do so, but since paper towels are all I had, that's what I used. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my over 600 bee wrangling/ bee rescue adventure videos and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@davea8814]

Mr ED , I’m from ND , we are one of the largest producers of honey Anyways I have a dear friend that went to Louisiana on vacation. When I found out she’d be close to the Abby, I begged her to go because I know she loves big beautiful church buildings. I also begged her to get me honey. Never did I thought she would have the chance to see you. Velvet and I appreciate your kindness.

[@JeffHorchoff]

What a great delight is was to meet Velvet and to hear her story. To bad you were not with her and missed the visit for yourself. That being said, you are more than welcome to visit the abbey anytime and I will happily show you our very small honey operation. Just curious, is your last name Adee? Hope to meet you one day and see Velvet again. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my over 600 bee wrangling/ bee rescue adventure videos and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace Dave. Mr. Ed

[@davea8814]

@@JeffHorchoff I’ve been watching your videos for a long time now. My favorite is when you’re with your bee’s working the hives. It seems so peaceful. I love the cracking sounds the boxes make when you open them. I wanted to try to have my own hive so I can be in a peaceful state tending to the bees. But I work so much I don’t have time for it.

[@gavinmclean3174]

Might be a good idea to put a bit of water in that catch tray or they are going to have a hard time getting the wax out.

[@JeffHorchoff]

As wax floats on the surface of water, that is probably a very good idea. Thank yo for sharing it as well as for taking the time to watch the video. Also, I hope you will check out more of my over 600 bee wrangling/ bee rescue adventure videos and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace Gavin. Mr. Ed

[@gavinmclean3174]

@@JeffHorchoff I've been subscribed for years Jeff, I started watching you first and found Rooster too so watch you both. The Lords peace to you as well Jeff.

[@CraigInNC]

Nice info! On an upcoming video, could you let us know what Mr. Fleer says internal vs ambient temperatures are for the melter? It looks like a cleaner method than crock pot or other methods.

[@JeffHorchoff]

Now that is a good point and one I did not consider even though I was curious of the interior temps. I just figured that since wax begins to melt at 145 degrees, temps between 160 and 180 are necessary to get it to run in a stream. Since it was flowing pretty good, I assumed it was between 160 and 180, but it sure would have been nice if I turned the thermal camera on it. Thanks for watching. God's peace Craig. Mr. Ed

[@frankiewuebblingbees]

That a nice wax melter

[@JeffHorchoff]

I agree, and for a very simple device, it produces extremely high quality beeswax. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my over 600 bee wrangling/ bee rescue adventure videos and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace Frankie. Mr. Ed

[@frankiewuebblingbees]

@@JeffHorchoff I’ve been watching your videos for a couple years now and you have a lot of great videos 👍

[@drwambo]

I think I'd paint the tub black as well. It would absorb even more heat.

[@PRINCESSDREAMYLYN]

A food grade 5 gallon bucket, one of Mr. Ed's screens and a piece of glass over the top set in the sun and you have a solar wax melter. :) you're very welcome. ♥ cheap and easy to make.

[@JeffHorchoff]

Another version of a solar wax melter and way less expensive than this one, but does the end block of wax look as clean as this one? Thanks for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@PRINCESSDREAMYLYN]

@@JeffHorchoff Yours sure looks pretty when you get done melting the wax. I've never done it, I was just thinking, and using solar to heat water and give my kids baths while camping when they were young figured it get hot enough to melt the wax too lol. got the kids clean. Might need to use the blue thing to help keep out the scummy bits. Just a little cheaper for those who couldn't afford that fancy gadget. Have a wonderful Sunday :)

[@bowmag803]

That would be good keep in a out yard to put your birr comb in

[@JeffHorchoff]

How often when you are out in the yard and scraping boxes the wax is simply left on the ground? If the melter was out there you know the wax would be put in it. After all, how easy is that. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my over 600 bee wrangling/ bee rescue adventure videos and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@mrsspeech]

This looks like it would be a good option for small apiaries.

[@JeffHorchoff]

Which is exactly the reason I made the video, a good product with mass appeal and a reasonable price. Thanks for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@rachelwilliams4423]

please please please tell me those arnt 4 caskets behind you 😂❤

[@JeffHorchoff]

Oh yea, they are caskets! help building them is just another one of my volunteering duties here at St. Joseph Abbey. Thanks for watching. mGod's peace Rachel. Mr. Ed

[@suzannagibson911]

Mr. Ed are those coffins behind you? They are made with beautiful wood.

[@JeffHorchoff]

Yes they are, another one of the jobs I do volunteering here at St. Joseph Abbey. Thanks for watching. God's peace Suzanna. Mr. Ed

[@33MileBees]

I'm hoping this is on the nahbe sale list, I definitely need one.

[@JeffHorchoff]

I'm going to make that suggestion to Mr. Hill, who knows, he might go for it. I'm so looking forward to NAHBE this year, see you there Phil. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@DustySplinters]

Interesting, Wonder how a round tub with a solar collector would do? the key is to just get hot enough to melt the wax but let the honey separate.

[@JeffHorchoff]

There are many different ways of building a solar wax melter for yourself, the one I used in the video is just one example of one and how good they really do work. Once the wax is hot enough, any honey that is trapped inside of it will separate out and go to the bottom as it is lighter than the wax.I agree, and for a very simple device, it produces extremely high quality beeswax. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my over 600 bee wrangling/ bee rescue adventure videos and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@DustySplinters]

@@JeffHorchoff I appreciate you Jeff, you have a gift and the blessings of Yahshua ha Mashiach. Keep the faith Brother.

[@drewdaskievige754]

What would be better is for the solar to also power a heater elemet attached to the bottom of the tray to melt the wax. So you would get both passive solar melting and a heater mechanical small electronic board heater part. Can build it yourself look over bins to use , if you have a metal break buy some sheet metal fold/bend it yourself. If Hillco will just sell the glass radiated top there ya go. 4x4 sheet of aluminum. might be able to make 2 of the tray area's

[@JeffHorchoff]

Great ideas and for sure would add to the efficiency of the melter. I'm sure there are a lot of modification that could be done, but the product as is works and is affordable. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my over 600 bee wrangling/ bee rescue adventure videos and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace Drew. Mr. Ed

[@welshbusman]

would it work better if you insulated the outside of the box ?

[@JeffHorchoff]

It couldn't hurt to do that, but since the bottom of the melter is really just a collector, I don't see it helping very much other than keeping the wax in a liquid state a bit longer. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my over 600 bee wrangling/ bee rescue adventure videos and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@eyetok_alot]

what do you keep in those pine boxes behind you ????? 🧟🧟‍♀🧟 (edit) you explained yourself, but i still don't know for sure nobody lives in those boxes .....

[@JeffHorchoff]

I guess I should have opened one to show they were unoccupied, but trust me, there is nothing but saw dust in there as those caskets had been sanded and are ready for the next step, finishing and upholstering. Thanks for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@TracysBees8713]

Good morning

[@JeffHorchoff]

Hey Tracy, do you render your wax? If you do, this solar melter is certainly a very easy way to do it. Thanks for watching. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@TracysBees8713]

@@JeffHorchoff we do render our wax. My husband built a solar wax melter.

[@choochoo405]

no power used it seems great and easy

[@JeffHorchoff]

I really do like that aspect of the melter, it's such a simple design and very effective in carrying out it's function. God's peace Nancy. Mr. Ed

[@ScottPurcell]

Just before you addressed it, I was wondering if those were coffins or LongLang horizontal hives 🙂

[@fincarosa6767]

Can you please make a video on how to make honey supers that don't require a router please? I live on an island and ordering can sometimes take several months for delivery. I can't seem to find one that doesn't require a router. And I'm not great with my circular saw! So an easy build that I can have pieces cut at the hardware store is something I've searched for. Thanks for your awesome content and bee blessed 🙌🏽 🐝

[@KaleidoscopeJunkie]

Have you looked at Oscillating Multi-Tools? They're great in tight spots and not as cumbersome as a circular saw. -KJ

[@fincarosa6767]

No but looking more for something that I can get cut at hardware store and put together with my drill. I'm not great with power tools. 😂 single female here. 😮 appreciate your response and I'll look into this.

[@JeffHorchoff]

The construction of a bee box does not have to follow traditional joinery, finger joints or dovetail joints. Simply butting two straight edges on a 90 degree angle to form a corner and nailing will more than suffice for the job. Repeat that 4 time and welah, you just made a bee box. Then to form the ledge the frames rest on simply nail a strip of 1/2 inch X 1/2 inch material 5/8 of an inch below the top on the interior of the box and now you have the ledge for the frames. Keep in mind, the bees do not care at all how good of a carpenter you are or how beautiful the box is, they are just looking for a place to call home. Best wishes for your successes keeping bees. Thank you for your blessings and for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@fincarosa6767]

@JeffHorchoff seems simple enough yet I can't find a video of it or one with measurements. Thanks again

[@aussie405]

If you put some baking paper in the collection tray it should be easy to get the wax out.

[@JeffHorchoff]

A great suggestion, but what I did was replace the tray with a silicone one and it works great, the wax just pops right out. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my over 600 bee wrangling/ bee rescue adventure videos and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace Sharyn. Mr. Ed

[@KajunHomestead]

If you leave it in for a couple of days it will be one solid block.

[@JeffHorchoff]

As I was trying to get the video made, time was a factor for me, but I agree, if left in the melter for longer it may have made a solid block. Thanks for watching. mGod's peace. Mr. Ed

[@tammyrommel712]

My question is what do you do with all the wax after you’ve cleaned it up? Do you sell to the public?!

[@JeffHorchoff]

I do not sell any of the wax that is rendered, it is all used either for the bees for honey production, it is placed on plastic foundation for the bees to draw out comb, or in Monk Soap for the production of candles and balms. Thanks for watching and asking. God's peace Tammy. Mr. Ed

[@normcfu]

You rinsed off the honey for expediency, but could you have left that block outside for the bees to clean up?

[@JeffHorchoff]

Yes, I could have done that, but either way, the bees got the honey as they got it from the ground where I cleaned off the block. Thanks for watching. God's peace John. Mr. Ed

[@normcfu]

@@JeffHorchoff I'm glad to hear the bees' hard work was not wasted.

[@IWH777]

DO YOU HAVE A VIDEO HOW TO MAKE THE INSERTS FOR THE FRAMES I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HOW THAT IS DONE TOO

[@JeffHorchoff]

I do not make the plastic foundations myself, those I purchase. However, the process of putting the wax on them I do have a video on and it is the link below. Thanks for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed kzbin.info/www/bejne/n5uoeqaui9F_ntk

[@beesybee8921]

Mr Ed, I am not a fan of the solar melter you gave a try, I have built my own one a decade ago from a salvaged hood of a Prius (Aluminum) placed a lot of insulation under in a box, slightly elevated and placed stainless steel mesh 2/3 the way, in a collection tray I put some water so wax won’t stick to the bottom, we do a lot of bee removal and also scrapings from own hives beings a lot of traffic to my solar waz melter, little bulky but does the job well Hoping you all safe after the Helena hits the east

[@JeffHorchoff]

No doubt the appeal of this solar wax melter is not to someone who has a lot of wax to melt, but for the hobbyist with only a few hives, it may be the perfect fit and now any wax they have can easily be rendered and made useful again. Thanks for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@terrysaunders8948]

nice wax melter but you did't put web, for them god bless you brother

[@JeffHorchoff]

Sorry about that Terry. Simply go to hillco.buzz and look under Uncapping tanks and tools and you will find it. Thank you for your blessings and for watching. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@apveening]

That inspector was easily bribed with just some honey ;)

[@JeffHorchoff]

No bribery involved, just a kind act for a hard working state employee, and one who appreciates bees and the work they do. Thanks for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@apveening]

@@JeffHorchoff Take a good look at the ";)" at the end. Some honey doesn't constitute a bribe and definitely not when compared to the amounts of honey you produce.