Cleaning Beeswax

In this video I show how to clean beeswax without the use of a solar melter and get it clean enough to use for cosmetics in just one weekends time. Although I didn't donit in this video, you can prefilter the first runnor two of really dirty wax through a 5 gallon nylon paint filter to keep from needing so many of the fine filters as well. I would have done so here but I forgot to buy any before I was already filming.

[@JeffHorchoff]

Great how to video, I'm going to start using your filtering method. God's peace brother.

[@prontron4528]

"I forgot to mention that you will attract a lot of bees" *Camera pans to giant stack of beehives*

[@21stBEE]

Not really, been doing it this way for years and no big issues as this was done during the colder months of the year. It's definitely not middle of summer in the video, lol.

[@theducklinghomesteadandgar6639]

Pron Tron Ikr?! LMBO!!!!!! I just watched a different video on same thing and he had quite a few bees flying around, some even landed in the hot poured wax waiting to set up, before it could set up :-( , but no hives right there...lol!!! He had about 5 or so, but there had to have been at least 50 bees flying around my guess anyway, by the ability to see many in the video itself without him pointing it out until later. I like the various uses a person can get out of the wax. I guess if one got one of those Aussie super flow bee hives I think is the name which makes honey harvest super easy but with very little wax for one to use, if one wants honey and wax would need several supers for the hive with the last/top one being for honey the middle and/or 3rd for the wax and the last one or two, the bottom, for the hive only...that would be pretty efficient use of all aspects of working with bees!!

[@meganmercer5829]

my grandfather uses old pillow cases for filters but its cool to see other peoples process

[@21stBEE]

Yes, pillow cases are essentially the same thing as the filters, judt a newer way to do an old timers process for sure!

[@kimboyle2727]

Are they reusable if boiled/washed? (The pillowcase method)

[@crystalbrown3016]

@@kimboyle2727 they should be. If you poured boiling water through the pillowcases until all the wax is gone you could throw out the debris and wash the pillowcases normally

[@highstandards6226]

@@kimboyle2727 IF you enjoy purchasing new washing machines frequently!😲

[@highstandards6226]

@@kimboyle2727 it's a matter of getting the wax out...and then, why not? Of course you could go the opposite direction and just make a bunch of environmentally conscious "food savers." Beeswax wraps! Gifts or sale, they can be used, wiped clean and reused for an almost unending time. Just do a youtube search.😁🤝🥳 alternatively, search on Ebay.😘😉🤝😎😁

[@otakumask]

While those will definitely make good fire starters, be careful camping with them. They would still be quite honey scented to animals, so I would keep them stored with food, /away/ from your general backpack contents and clothing, and outside of your tent so bears and other fun critter's don't come poking their nose in.

[@highstandards6226]

tip: hold on to those filters, roll 'em up and sell pieces as campfire starters.;)

[@21stBEE]

High standards yes, they make excellent fire starters for sure!

[@missfrench349]

High standards my thoughts exactly. I was sitting here thinking "what great fire starters".

[@jackthompson3617]

haha glad I wasn't the only one who thought that as soon as I saw him say 'oh well about the left over wax in the paper'

[@cnidmy]

Making bee hive

[@ymeapiary713]

Use them for fire starters in your bee smoker.

[@meredithr9824]

nature is so *freakin* awesome.

[@alaskanfrogman]

You need to buy some stainless steel screening. Use the stainless steel to screen most of the bulk trashes from the wax before using the other filters. Stainless steel screen comes in a wide variety of different mesh sizes and will do a terrific job of filtering out the larger bits of waste. Also, I have been looking at your waste water. If properly filtered so that most of the bulk materials are removed, then the rest of the water can be boiled and reduced down. The liquid you have left over is a gorgeous reddish hue coloration. Mixed with a strong denatured alcohol, the waste water concentrate would make a fantastic wood colorant . The boiled water concentrate by itself would work, but adding a strong solvent fluid such as denatured alcohol will make it a far better wood stain colorant. The best part about that, is the boiled color stain is completely and 100% natural, and even adding alcohol to it, it's still a natural staining product for wood. And the best part of it being 100% natural, is that it's also 100% biodegradable, and won't cause serious pollution issues because it can be rapidly broken down and absorbed by nature. Just saying...

[@badw01f23]

JW That's so cool. i didn't even know that was a thing. well i guess i know what im looking up for the rest of my late night KZbin binge

[@melaniehefner1098]

JW I u

[@freespeech8406]

Jw do u have a tube channel?

[@DOLfirst]

Could you make a video of this or do you have one?

[@WilliamMcNett]

The top half of a double honey strainer or a kitchen strainer from Walmart.

[@seannot-telling9806]

Looks like a cheese wheel that has already been dipped in wax.

[@ForgotowToUserName]

or a wax wheel thats been dipped in cheese

[@jmer12345]

Paper towels work just as well for filter paper. I use the waxed paper for fire/smoker starter material.

[@fortheloveofbrum3106]

I’ve only recently started watching bee videos on you tube and I wondered how people got the beeswax to look like this end product. Really informative and Well explained. Thank you for making this.🇬🇧👍🏽

[@jan3211200]

Let the chickens go through the remains they adore the leftovers

[@21stBEE]

If only I had chickens I certainly would; they love them

[@SatiDevi444]

now I know why beeswax is so expensive (I like to make candles)

[@trygvelillefosse6986]

This is Shrødingers wax. Did it roll off or stay at the table at the end? We may never know.

[@seanattikus]

but beeswax discolors at 85C, which is 15C less than boiling water. So, you're discoloring your wax.

[@21stBEE]

Sean Grace it's plenty dark enough for me as you can see in the final cleaned product.

[@RedMoonsEcho]

You’ll notice beekeeper and ever farriers are very protective on their techniques they don’t like new info

[@highstandards6226]

@@RedMoonsEcho oh Lord! Don't EVER try to teach a farrier ANYTHING! AND NEVER, EVER, REJECT THEIR ADVICE WHEN THEY'RE IN THE VICINITY! 😳😲😳😳😳😳 SOME things are just not worth it.... Even If you KNOW your horse well, there ARE farriers who will still tell you how to do whatever, better.🙄honest to Job, we had one colt that had had to be gelded for EVERYONE'S safety..he just couldn't get it through his head that there was a time and place for everything and work time was not time to let his hormones rule his head. The little(NOT! 2ND PROBLEM) PUKE was just a menace. Ruled off the track late in his yearlong year, specifically because of his male hormone issues...; As such EVERYONE, ESPECIALLY FEMALES, had to be VERY strict with him about his behavior. Black and white. It's either right or its wrong. No grey areas, Never let him push the boundaries, not even lean on them. Farrier comes..., decides I'm being too harsh with this (now) gelding who is standing there on 5 legs..and tells me to "soothe" him, just let him tuck his head into your chest...like he would have his with his momma's flank when he was a baby. " he's not a baby now. If I did that, he'd take a piece of me with him, faster than I could get a hand up to block his teeth"; "that's the problem with you youngsters. You want results *now*. You're never willing to look beyond the gimmick s and quick fixes.."(please bear in mind, at the time, I was one of *the* most sought after people in the business, strictly *because of* my patience, knowledge of both the harshest of methods as well as the most humane, AND my ability to accurately judge what was necessary for a given horse at any given time or situation...that I was "the girl who rides like a man." I had perfect control over my aggression. I could turn it on, or off , like a tap, I KNEW how important tone of voice was when working with a rogue...enough that I might be cussing an animal out in the harshest of language and tones, only to suddenly get what I needed from him/her, and switch tone within one-word, decidedly odd to hear "you ratfink b*tard! I'm going to make you WISH you were a can of dog food! And then we'll BEGIN to discuss the matter on MY terms! And suddenly speak to him in baby talk without missing a beat or changing a single syllable...there were days I was actually surprised nobody broke their necks, nor got whiplash!🤣🤣😎 I also got paid either "by the horse" or on salary. So if I could, I took my time, whatever it took. Which actually COST me money. If I could ride 7 horses in a morning...I made more than if I could only squeeze in 4...so the incentive to skip over dealing with problems and actually *fixing* them was slanted the wrong direction! And this yahoo is telling me, one that I'm a kid? Two, that I don't take the time to fix problems? 3) take shortcuts? Funnily enough, boss inspected *every foot trimmed* and *every* shoe put on. He's never that worried unless a horse is visibly "off" after a new farrier has worked on it. Said there was just something not right about that farrier, and he felt a need to keep a close eye on him. I asked if he could please have the grooms hold their horses for him in the future? One of the grooms came out and told him word for word what the farrier had been saying. Boss said farrier had NO idea how lucky he was about my well known🧨 emotional control! Virtually anyone else wouldn't have walked out of there alive!🤺 except for the fact that I could easily have quit on the spot(a very real concern to him) it WAS an hilarious experience! When I started laughing about it(I tend to find humor in most things, keeps me from murder.😉😁😎) there was a collective sigh of relief..and everyone else joined in. Bets were made about how long the guy would have any customers at all in the racing industry, and how long it would take for the day's episode to make it to the track, and the rounds of each barn, if nobody who was there didn't say anything. I bet a week. Cleaned up. The Guy was the one who actually BRAGGED about it, at the track!😲 had no idea he'd just signed his own death knell for his business. Not a single trainer would admit him to their shedrow after hearing his brag about "educating" *me*. Damn, I really really wish cellphones had been as easily handy then as they are now! THAT would have been worth seeing on KZbin! Along the lines of someone bragging that they'd told off Queen Elizabeth for having poor manners, and when she got old enough to eat with the adults, then she could speak to them.😳🤦‍♀️🍹🤷‍♀️ok, the fact that I'm NOW over 50 and get mistaken for my youngest daughter's younger sister IS funny, and *perhaps* relevant to the poor guy's plight, but tough noogies. EVERYONE at the track is short! Get used to it. Judge by what a person is or can do. Not by what they look like! Or how old you think they are or aren't! If everyone judged abilities by apparent age...most farriers would be out of work! They ALL look decrepit! For good reason. That job is BRUTAL on a body!!!🤺🤦‍♀️🍹

[@highstandards6226]

@ Sean grace: Did not know that tidbit! Thank you!💐

[@debrabonaparte6772]

Wow. I had no idea it took that much work to clean wax. Kudos.

[@ghidfg]

bees made that u guys

[@BeardedBarley1]

It was just garbage to the bees though...a throw away product. But with the help and work and intelligence of man, it is recycled and put to good use.

[@bibbabibba1975]

Garbage? What? They re-use it over and over again to raise brood, ferment pollen, store and dehydrate honey and even hide in during the winter. This is by no means a "waste product"

[@ayadalamari6818]

@@BeardedBarley1 what is it used for? Is it edible

[@LoL12kricki]

@@ayadalamari6818 Bees use the wax to store the honey and pollen in, and lay eggs in. It isn't edible, but it's like their pantry. However bees produce wayyy more of everything than they actually need. So they aren't hurt by us taking some of it. As long as the keepers actually make sure the bees have enough.

[@LoL12kricki]

For humans beeswax is used pretty much like any other sort of wax. You can make candles out of it (it smells sweet, which is nice), you can use it as moisturizer or lipbalm, or use it in other types of cosmetics.

[@dart70ca]

I do wax cleaning as well but I use steam. It's much more fuel efficient and tidier than all the boiling. I refine the process a bit every year and this year got over 100lbs of cleaned wax and upped my daily first-stage output to 25lbs on a couple of occasions. I pre-process in a water-filled garbage can using a big drill and paint mixer attachment. This breaks down the comb and washes out heavy stuff and honey. I use panty hose from the dollar store and stuff the legs with the crushed comb. I use a 4" bit of sewer pipe held in a Xmas tree stand to load the hose. This produces 3-4ft. long sausages that I coil inside a steam juicer (Google for it). The prefiltered and melted wax goes from the juicer into a warm water bath utilizing and old buffet warmer/server. As the server fills up, I pump the water layer off the bottom and discard it. At the end of the day, I cover the buffet warmer and set it on low overnight. A slow cool allows better settling of fines. I scrape the blocks as you do and store them until all my comb is pre-processed. At the end of the season and into winter, I use the buffet warmer inside my shop to re-melt the blocks. I skim them with a strainer to get any larger bits that made it through and then ladle the result through the grease filters. I have a similar grease filter holder as yours, but have found the filters bulge out of it too much, so I line it with a cone I made from 1/2" mesh. I also use 2 filters at a time and rotate the dirty one out as it clogs up. The wax goes from the filters directly into silicone molds (craft or mini cup-cake) and is finished product at this stage. All my big equipment is used from CraigsList or thrift stores. Filters from restaurant supply houses, molds from a hobby store, kitchen aisle of the hardware store or the thrift store. Thanks for the paint-strainer idea; I had not encountered those filters before. My biggest problem now is cleaning the frames. It is very time-consuming and labor intensive. This year I will try a pressure washer arrangement.

[@21stBEE]

If I was cleaning wax on a large scale I would certainly be looking into steam methods. Maybe someday I'll have a need for that kind of a setup.

[@achanwahn]

I cannot wrap my head around a stream method. Maybe make a short post so we can see the general process?

[@dart70ca]

This video gave me the idea. The juicers are expensive but I find them second-hand. I run 3 at a time when I have a lot. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rWLWnWiGp8aCeaM I put my comb in panty-hose too keep the slum-gum from clogging the drain holes inside the pot. It works much better if the liquid wax drains into warm water afterwards. It will need time to separate properly so you need to cool it slowly.

[@zoesdada8923]

Keith Green that's ingenious

[@josephinehogg3629]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZOwh2ynjq6Lp68&feature=share

[@marksingletary6637]

Forbidden cheese wheel

[@diy_nailsby_heidi_r3889]

If you're gonna be homesteading, using your own beeswax from your own hives is gonna save you a LOT of time AND money. Got a saw that's sharp, but the wood is sappy? Wax that blade! That "dirty water"? Boil it down to a syrup: make woodstain/preservative if mixed with linseed oil. (Try not to use mineral oil made from petroleum, especially if using to finish wood items). Add some red ochre for that old "barn red" color! (Iron oxide is what red ochre is, that helps preserve the wood, the "goop" is both a delivery system of the iron oxide into the interior of the wood and the dried "stain" is quite water-repellent, you're doing two jobs at once. If you've never seen a cedar deck preserved with this mixture after a year's weathering and "fine-tuning" before staining, it's truly a beauty to behold! Lasts for a loooooong time, too. (Rub some rough beeswax over the -dried! - stain for more waterproofing.) As an aside, a deck my brother built and then treated in this manner; at his then-home in Kent, WA is *still* that beautiful cedar color and water-repellent, even almost thirty years later. And, just read more comments for other uses for the wax, findings, used filters, etc. Beeswax has been an essential product for human use as long as people have been gathering wild or domestic honey. Burns cleaner and brighter than tallow candles, rushes or oil lamps; waterproofs and beautifies wood and leather; seals and preserves jams, jellies, juices, etc.; and is part of one of the six basic essential food items for the homesteader. Awesome video and great discussion! Thanks for reading my two cents worth!

[@maragrace820]

I was going to add denatured alcohol to the reduced waste water. What % of oil do you use?

[@Johnny241948]

Go to a thrift store and buy pillow cases for your filters, they can go straight into your pot and double or triple them. Empty out the debris then boil to clean so you can reuse. this is for the larger pieces of trash then use the filters for the finishing pass, this is so you don't go through so many filters.

[@saddle1940]

Can you hang a hook into the wax/water so when it cools, you can use it to lift it out and move it around. Don't chuck the water, the colour is great. My granddad used the water boiled down further for wood stain. Boil it right down to a syrup and chuck in some ethanol or isopropyl and some lavender or vaniila bean essence.

[@treverbull7532]

get yourself some 5 gallon micron bubble bags filters where the whole bag is a screen pour your hot melted wax water through that, they go from 250 micron down to 25 that should get you some pretty clean wax fast.

[@21stBEE]

Did you wipe the sides down with liquid didh soap like said in the video? That's what keeps it from sticking. If not I would sit the bucket upside down over some cardboard or a tub in the sun. Let the sun heat up the bucket plastic and after it's been out there and gotten good and hot try pressing on the bucket sides and hitting the bucket to release the wax. If that still doesn't work you may have to cut the bottom of the bucket out and push the wax block out as a worst case scenario.

[@mostrico]

Why trow away the filters, why not cut them and use them as fire starters, thank you for sharing this man!!

[@tntexe8949]

This guy's voice is hot

[@saraht9858]

Maybe it's because of how through he is, like i mean it proves how careful he is and how careing he is.. I dunno? Either way yes I totally agree!!!

[@Dustpuuppy]

If you're married, ask your wife to save her old pantyhose to use in place of the nylon strainers. You also might try putting an eye bolt into the wax when it's about half solidified, to lift it out of the pan. The waste can also be used for compost, I've heard.

[@garybennett8157]

How to remove wallpaper paste

[@lishde3]

True and you will get more materiel

[@markdudley3831]

Kevin Chamberlain . Are they still in them ?

[@kevinchamberlain7928]

Presumably some will wear them throughout this procedure, yes.

[@trygvelillefosse6986]

For second stage filtering, heavy duty paper towel (the center pull kind) can be used in a strainer, cost is next to nothing and saves on finishing filters.

[@solamano7239]

A LOT of patience needed! How do you dispose of the dirty water once the wax has cooled?

[@jayfromtexas6718]

Great video buddy! Really looking forward to getting into beekeeping.

[@0517mshumer]

Don't throw away the paper filters impregnated with wax. You can sell them to campers and backpackers as fire starting "tender" a couple of sparks or lighter and it should light right up.

[@wiktor3236]

thats a nice lookin cheese

[@TarotLadyLissa]

I use beeswax in my homemade beard balm (for my SO). If you ever want to trade wax for balm, I'd be more than happy!!! That wax looks amazing! I bet the honey is good too!

[@mimoubadisi8316]

Hello dear friends. I want to help. I'd like wild bee wax. I forgot, I'm a student and on my way to an in-depth research I wanted some wild bee wax. I'd like an answer, please.

[@ewqwebabandoningship6026]

Yknow, very interesting. You could take the gunk left over and maybe use it as fertilizer (if you have anything like a farm, this is your first video I’ve watched.) or maybe make candles out of the wax. Just take an old glass candle that already burnt out, clean it in boiling water, melt down a chunk of beeswax, put some wicks in the glass container, faced straight up, and pour. Melts like a wonder to me :shrug:

[@100GTAGUY]

Most people just give the last bits of dirty wax back to the bees so they can reuse it if I'm not mistaken.

[@sweetexbeauty]

Very educative,thanks a lot but why did you have to confuse me at the end of the video ?? How did that clean water get into the wax bucket in the morning ? Am sure that while cooking the wax,the water wasn’t that neat and clean cuz of the beeswax in it ,like what I saw at the end,please explain? How did that clean water get into the wax bucket at the final stage? I really need to know this please . Did you put fresh water into the bucket in morning before separating the wax from the water? Am confused at the end .

[@21stBEE]

Yes, you change out the water between each melting and cleaning cycles until it stays "clean".

[@Makyrie]

Can You use the .filters and Bee guts etc. as fertilizer in the garden??? Or would that be a bad idea? Why? Thanks!!!

[@21stBEE]

It works just fine in the garden compost pile.

[@sherigilbert549]

Look at your discount stores for more large pots love watching you would love to try and make candles

[@21stBEE]

I do already make candles in mason jars ;)

[@yatagarasu1495]

hey man, you should prefilter the big parts out so your expensive filters dont get clogged to much :) have a nice day

[@21stBEE]

I generally will prefilter with 5 gallon nylon paint bucket strainers. I just realized I was out after I was already in the process of doing everything and didn't feel like stopping everything to go to the hardware store. I sometimes make a scoop out of #8 wire and just scoop the big pcs off the top as the pot boils. Didn't want to show that in this video but I do show it in a video I'm about to post up this weekend where I cleaned out some heavily wax moth damaged frames.

[@yatagarasu1495]

The Bearded Bee thank you for the answer :) i thought about cheese cloth, but a paint bucket strainer is even better!

[@21stBEE]

Get the 5 gallon bags, the 1 gallon are tempting but you will regret it if you are doing a large run... believe me I know, lol!

[@yatagarasu1495]

The Bearded Bee sadly i dont have any beeswax to render, i am just a chemist who likes bees and beekeeping videos, so i know a bit about cleaning and filtering haha. Rendering beeswax is close to recrystalization :)

[@idubbzz7790]

what about useing cheese cloth

[@jenniferperry6496]

Beautiful clean wax!!

[@cosak23]

ever tried doing the initial melt in a simple solar oven , lid can be an old window frame of a moderate size , draining pan on a slope and container underneath to catch end result

[@21stBEE]

k great if you have smaller batches of wax or nice warm temps. I made this video in the fall/winter time as you can see. Too cold and windy for me to want to fight with keeping wax in liquid form.

[@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.

[@mishap00]

if you cut the blocks of wax prior to melting it will melt a LOT faster and take less time and propane

[@ut3115]

i watched this video again, i find the wax extracting process and cleaning very satisfying. Please continu to make this!

[@jaardpeer4148]

Why don't you screen out the larger particles first with a simple screen? That would save you a lot of filters.

[@richardalexander8219]

This is the best wax cleaning video I have seen ! Where do you buy the tall pans and the paper filters from ? Also the nylon straining bags ? Have you thought about dipping the whole frames into the boiling water and melting the wax as you cleaned the frame ? ...Thanks

[@21stBEE]

The tall pots and filters can be found at restaurant supply stores. The nylon bags are just 5 gallon paint strainer bags from any local hardware or paint store. I do dip whole frames and I have a video of that on my youtube page as well; look at the frame cleaning video on this youtube page of mine. Thanks

[@andrelazarus2442]

thank you for your very intresting wax melting video

[@DBZ1FAN1GIRL]

I heard that brood comb wasn't good to render because it will always smell bad. Is that true?

[@21stBEE]

I've never heard that one before, but no, it smells no different than cappings wax as long as you thoroughly clean it. Bad cleaning jobs that leave bits behind is what smells. Dead bees smell awful so if you have bee parts left in your wax they could smell.

[@dart70ca]

Some of the comb I render smells pretty heavily. I did a trial once where I rendered some wax that had been in water a LONG time. Smelled like pond-muck. The rendered wax smelled like pond-silt as well...until several months later when I went to sort my supply out and found that the smell had gone and it smelled like beeswax again. Magical stuff. I had saved the smelly stuff for use where the smell would not matter; garden implements, bullet casing lube, mold release, etc. In the end I sold it with the rest of my supply as I could not tell the difference any more.

[@dart70ca]

​@Truelove Correct. Still disappeared within several weeks of rendering, along with any dark colour or odour of brood comb.

[@biaxelbox9242]

Hey, that was an interesting video! One way that I melt wax is with a solar melter. It might be too cold to be practical where you live but I think it is easier than boiling and filtering the wax. I recommend looking up ways to set it up.

[@21stBEE]

Yes, lots of people use solar melters, but when I'm cleaning say 100 frames when it's 40 degrees outside boiling is the best option for me. This video alone made nearly a 14lb block of wax. That's a lot of solar wax melting time. I did this whole video in less than 8 hours. Solar wax melters are good for small batches of wax in the summer though.

[@BradFLHT]

Fun to watch, I felt being on a pogo stick at times, jumping from one step to another skipping a step then jumping back, or going from one pots situation to a different pot in a different situation. I think due to your time crunch, it went from an educational vlog to a entertainment vlog. Very entertaining.

[@samuils]

You can get some heavy wood blocks and set them on the rim of the pot, then set filtering on top of the blocks, essentially making the pot taller.

[@honklerton732]

Using a STINGER to boil water is SO much cheaper AND WAY WAY quicker than using propane. I have a HUGE custom built stinger - and I can boil 4 gallons of water from room temp to full on boil in less than 1 minute!!! THAT is how efficient stingers are. I also have my stinger setup going through a VARIAC which allows me to control the TEMP of the water!! ALL CUSTOM BUILT - and it is VERY easy to make - YOU should make a stinger for yourself!!! (it is so easy to make, people in PRISON make them to boil their cup o noodles. In fact THAT is how I LEARNED on how to make a stinger - from guys from prison!!!) Except they don't know about the variac addon which makes them even better :)

[@TioClotildo]

i need some help guys. I am trying to separate wax from honey, but i didn't knew i had to wash the honey residus off before start melting and filtering. the honey melted and blended into de wax in such a way that i cant separate by this method of boiling, nor by filtering the melted product to a piece of filter. already filtered it 5 times using thick fabric, but the wax is still brown and smells of sour honey. is there some way to remove the propolis and sugars to clear it?

[@boa9535]

Tio Clotildo: There is lots of info in the responses to some of your questions to a lot of the comments. The Bearded Bee author is really knowledgeable and kind. I really appreciate his responses and his dedication to his viewers.

[@socalbeeguy8041]

That's a shit-ton of wax! I just boil it with a little water and pour it through a paint strainer into a bucket, then let it cool slow.

[@honklerton732]

If you want a quick video on how to make a stinger - watch this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l5mclZunlK6nsNE Then simply google on what a variac is, and then have it going through your circuit between the power source and the stinger... That simple. Since a typical stinger connects directly into a wall outlet - make sure you use a nice and heavy duty Variac (not a cheap one, but a nice one rated for that level of current). Make sure all of your connections are water proof and properly sealed - and give yourself ample room on wire length. With this simple invention you will Boil water faster than you have ever imagined. I PROMISE. Especially if you make a BIG stinger like I did :D Variacs can vary on size and complexity. There are some very nice ones out there that actually have a digital readout of the exact voltage coming in and going out. That is what I use. I also have a temp sensor on mine that leads down next to the stinger so not only do I know what the voltage in and out is - but I also know the water temp - all on 1 display :) You will WANT the variac because of WHAT you do (heating water to melt wax) - because the variac will allow you to control the temperature of the water. If you just use a normal stinger - it will bring it to a rolling boil and keep it at a full rolling boil - Bees wax you don't need a full rolling boil to melt - yeah its smart to boil first, but then its smarter to lower the temp afterwards so you're not using as much power and the water isn't as hot/dangerous to work around. LAST IMPORTANT NOTICE: Always make sure the stinger is FULLY SUBMERGED IN WATER before you introduce power on it. NEVER turn it on in OPEN AIR!!! :) *extra key tip* If you add salt to the water - it will boil EVEN FASTER because of how the stinger works***

[@TheMacs1]

Great video!

[@kevincooper814]

Try using different sized pollen bags. It's 6 nylon bags placed inside each other. With mesh starting at 160 micron and reducing down to 75 micron. Just put them in a bucket and pure your melted wax through it. It filters at the different stages all at once so you don't have to keep refiltering.

[@21stBEE]

I've done it like that before and you lose a lot of wax that gets stuck in the piles of trash that quickly fills up the top of the filter setup. If only doing a pound or so that method works great, but for me when I'm doing 15lb blocks worth or wax plus all the trash associated with that, it's just as time consuming.

[@SweMisterB]

Speaking about the nasty stuff on the bottom of the wax blocks... Why doesn't people use tall skinny containers for solidifying the wax after rendering, and just cut the ugly part of after rinsing of the lose stuff, and toss the cutoff back in to the next batch? Less waste. Asking since that's what i do with candle wax all the time.

[@21stBEE]

Mr B you can certainly do it that way. Some people use containers to melt the wax, then ladle the clean wax off the upper part and just stay away from the heavier solids that fall to the bottom. I like to get all my wax cosmetic grade clean and only do it 1 or 2 times a year at most. It's just easier for me to make a clean large blovk and be done with it. There are certainly many ways to go about it for sure.

[@SweMisterB]

Well, i wasn't suggesting that it shouldn't be filtered. I just do the last pour differently. But as i said, i only do candle wax, so my stuff is less nasty from the start. Last pour ends up in a tall narrow (PVC pipe for sewage actually) container, and when it cools it is just a matter of cutting the bottom part of the solid slug off, and throwing it back in to the next batch. After the nasties have gone back in to the system a few times, there is enough nasty stuff that it just isn't stuck to anything anymore, and it starts being possible to just rinse of the cut-off with cold water, and then toss it back in to the system. I think this should work for you guys as well, and minimize the losses. But i suppose the losses aren't that great anyway.

[@dart70ca]

I have considered that. How do you get the wax billet out f the sewer pipe after it's solidified? Generally it sticks real tight to any container it's in...

[@tealkerberus748]

Keith Green I've been thinking of using a piece of heavy duty drinking water grade poly pipe, cutting it in half lengthwise, and setting the bottom in an end cap and a couple of hose clamps on the sides to hold it together until the wax sets. I don't know if it'll seal well enough to stop the water and liquid wax running out the seams, though.

[@benczyrny6523]

Good video 🎥

[@bashkillszombies]

Your neighbors must love you. :P

[@mbreiner08]

If he has enough land to support that many bee hives he's probably not that close to his neighbors. But yeah they can kinda be a pain when you just want to sip your sweet tea on the back porch xD knew someone who had a hive in a DENSE suburban area and the neighbors never actually found out or noticed. Just made their own porch kinda unfun.

[@lonnieholcomb2078]

Hmmm, if you have a tank with a bottom spigot,, how about using 2 nylon stockings attached to the spigot by zip ties , one shoved in the other, to act as a 2 stage filter??

[@21stBEE]

Lonnie Holcomb sure, that would work for the larger gunk, but it will still let the fine grit through.

[@elizabethryan8594]

Do Bee wax candles have a longer burning time than others.? Can you recommend a reasonable priced place to purchase some.? Thanks for this great video.

[@21stBEE]

When I make candles, my smallest ones are in half pint canning jars. I've gotten about 30 hours out of one over a 3 day period of hour after hour continual burning. I keep some as emergency candles for when the power goes out. They are the brightest burnimg candle you can get and smokeless as well. Can't recommend any candle supplier in particular since I make my own.

[@ronaldgirdler9390]

It is sad for me to see that you are wasting your time, gas, filter paper, utensils, clean up and wasting wax. This wasted time can be spent on more attention to your bees. If you are interested in contacting me I would be happy to tell or Show you a simple design of the article that will purify your wax with one only piece of equipment that you can make up yourself with little expense . What I an talking about is the only thing you will ever need . No cutting up comb. whole frames with comb can be used. It will take all impurities out and deliver you pure wax with one operation without you even being there. make a few of these and they will accommodate all the wax you can add with no expense. Just think what it will save you, no mess, no cutting up wax ,one only operation to clean wax, the only waste is what's not wax, the best of it all is you not being there to produce pure wax?

[@tarrantwolf]

Omg, this reminded me of the horrid smell when a friend and I did this when we were young. No internet so we had to make it up as we went, worked, have a bunch of it still but man the smell was rank until we got enough trash out of the wax. Now it smells like honey.

[@21stBEE]

Just another reason I don't do it in the house.

[@tealkerberus748]

The Bearded Bee the stench of boiling old silk and any dead larvae is horrendous. I made that mistake today, with a whole lot of burr comb!

[@sheilasugar5269]

Very useful info. Thank you

[@shanejohns7901]

I think you could maybe use a hair dryer on high heat to hit that 'trash' to help release some of the trapped wax with the help of gravity...

[@hazetiva]

Wow! it’s amazing that block of wax is from a honeycomb.

[@Chefchen21]

why you all Guys use Gas and a Burner if HOT AIR from a Blower is much better?

[@scott33761]

I do mine in the grass to keep the mess off the drive

[@fatherthomas1575]

Those filters would be a good smoker srarter

[@mokin-rui717]

This is a very satisfying video, thank you.

[@user-tr2dh4xx6u]

Tip: use a walmart bag as a filter in a 5gallon bucket, you can also squeeze it to get more wax out

[@jayfromtexas6718]

Any way you could put a link for the wire rack and filter pack?

[@gwenellis625]

BRILLIANT.... BOTTOM OF WAX BOTTOM I WOULD TAKE 10MM OFF KEEP FOR BAIT FOR SWARM TRAPS...

[@hicksy6565]

use some wood to hold the filters up higher above the pots

[@mimoubadisi8316]

Hello dear friends. I want to help. I'd like wild bee wax. I forgot, I'm a student and on my way to an in-depth research I wanted some wild bee wax. I'd like an answer, please.

[@jatinderkaur5723]

Useful thing but very hard work

[@christiedecker2724]

It looks beautiful though. I make salve for my husband and myself with yard herbs and bee's wax. I wish I had a way to get the wax, even 'dirty' wax instead of buying it. Thanks for the info. Blessings!

[@johnwright6706]

Christie Decker search your area for bee keepers, they might sell or even give you old comb.

[@alysoncoffey4333]

I just. Asked on a public forum and got some for free from a guy who had bees move into his shed last year

[@reedamanda814]

I bought a huge heavy brick of filtered wax from a beekeeper after doing a facebook marketplace search. it was cheaper than buying it from amazon, and it was local.

[@tunnakerosene]

If you tune the filter inside out it will help keep the top of it open.

[@shegocrazy]

Why do you put the wax in boiling water? Stop it from burning or something?

[@21stBEE]

The melted wax floats to the top and the trash sinks to the bottom.

[@highstandards6226]

Just remember, beeswax has one of the highest melting points of all waxes, beaten only by carnauba! So its VERY easy to end up burning yourself!

[@ross49452]

Why not use a metal siv infront of the paper filter it would most likely speed up your straining situation

[@johneran9488]

I want to help you clean those 🙂🙂🙂 looks satisfying to clean

[@longdriver2]

I rendered some wax and it smell's quite strong of honey. Is that normal? Can you filter out the Honey?

[@21stBEE]

Generally after you extract your honey (by whatever method you prefer) you would leave your wax items outside for your bees to lick clean, then clean the wax. If you smell honey that strong I'm assuming you still had "wet" wax. In that case about all you can do is boil down the water to reduce it down to a honey syrup water to feed back to the bees. If you have dirty water though I would just pour it out and take your losses. If you cleaned fresh cappings wax then it will be ok to feed back. Don't feed liquid in the winter though, only in the warmer months as it can cause winter moisture build up issues in the hive.

[@MsKor2009]

i would tie off the filters before reboiling them so the second render is self filtering

[@Miletovmed]

Great video:)

[@Lightwish01]

@ The Bearded Bee - I understand the process of making and refining your own wax now, thanks for showing us that. What I would like to know is the actual value of having your own refined wax in a monetary format. I doubt you are able to just sell the refined wax ingots to a candle company. That’s fine. What I want to know is how much value is it from the amount of refined wax you created today, into candles in value. Did this amount of wax create about $100 worth of candles for you? Maybe it made $300 worth of candles? So the big question: what is the gross value this amount of refined wax made into just candles is worth? If you get about $5 per pound of refined wax that would be great to know. Ultimately this resource commoditized into a price per refined pound is the number we need to work with to determine the true value of working with this material. Thanks in advance for your answer and estimated value!

[@21stBEE]

I actually part my wax out in different ways. First is selling blocks of wax for others to use in their hobby projects and skin care items they make. I sell 1/4lb blocks (roughly a soap block size) for $5 each. I also make and sell a few items of my own with it. Another way I part with it is by using it to wax my own frames and starter strips. This keeps me from having to buy wax and sheet foundation from a bee supply company constantly, which costs over $1 per sheet per frame, 10 frames per box, multiple boxes of frames per hive, etc, etc, etc. I do sell some small candles for $5 each as well. Also, although you won't get as much $ per pound, beekeeping supply companies will buy your wax from you that they will in turn make into sheet foundation to sell to the masses. It might only be a few $ per pound, but if you have a lot of excess wax around it can be a good way to unload it. Hope that answers your questions sufficiently. Thanks

[@Thea_MojaveOutliersWhipmakers]

Can you add a coupla 2x4s or something to raise the filter assembly above the wax?

[@drpk6514]

My bee keeper friend was telling me he uses sun to heat the wax hand purify it. Apparently he was using a closed container for that. I should ask him a few more questions...

[@21stBEE]

He is using a solar melter, essentially a hot box with a glass top. You can see solar wax melter videos on KZbin if you do a search. They are not as good for such large batches as I was diing, but if you just have a box or teo of frames it might be the way to go, that is as long as it's summer and hot enough outside. I do all my wax work in the winter months.

[@swimsmith3338]

earth worm castings fertilizer additive?

[@21stBEE]

Sure!

[@badw01f23]

You have a nice end product but idk. i think id prefer to do it the old way by letting it separate and harden. Set it and forget it haha. All those filters just seems too tedious for me. If i were to use filters then it would have to be large commercial sized vats and id use vacume powered filters to speed it up and get more wax out.

[@21stBEE]

It all defiantly depends on how much wax you are trying to process, how much free time you have, and how clean you need it gor your purpose. I do it more ways than this as well.

[@valeriemoran6289]

Could you place your raw beeswax in a tied-off mesh bag (like a pair of tights), and then boil it? That way all the trash stays within the mesh and the wax is separated.

[@Khamomil]

I've seen a wax extraction video kzbin.info/www/bejne/eZyZaYlma7-ksKM @19:10 where the man uses store-bought ladies'pantyhose for filtering and after lifting them from the melted was he just discards them. He said if he squeezed them to extract the last drops of wax he would also put waste matter in his clean wax. Works like a charm and faster than paper filters.

[@mimoubadisi8316]

Hello dear friends. I want to help. I'd like wild bee wax. I forgot, I'm a student and on my way to an in-depth research I wanted some wild bee wax. I'd like an answer, please.

[@abysspegasusgaming]

Alternate title: How to turn beeswax into a giant cheese wheel

[@monicaperez2843]

Would process the dark (trashy) combs last to keep the equipment clean as possible.

[@alexvgt4024]

Hello I am not very good in English so I use a translator. I am really convinced by your technique of wax filtration. I would just like to know what type of filter you use to do this operation? is what filters used to filter cow's milk at the time of milking can be used. thank you in advance for your remonse

[@21stBEE]

Alex Viguetcarrin these filters are used in industrial kitchens for filtering dirty deep fryer oils. They are designed for high heat applications. I don't know anything about filtering cows milk so I don't know if they would be ok to use or not.

[@alexvgt4024]

The Bearded Bee thank

[@rickypack8220]

Where would I buy these filters?

[@cobzarualexandra273]

Could you tell me please what kind of filters are? Or where to buy it? Congrats for your work. The wax turned out soooo beautiful! Thank you

[@AllisonReece]

Beautiful!

[@heavenlyskys1]

great video

[@21stBEE]

Thanks

[@xKonscious]

I'm not trying to be a jerk when I say this because I'm genuinely curious, but what's the point of doing all this? Like why and what do you do with the product in the end?

[@21stBEE]

You use the wax to make things like lip balms, hand creams, candles, polishes, waxing bow strings, etc. Lots of different uses. Inoersonslly use mine for candles and to reeax the wedges in my foundationless frames. If using for skin care products it needs to be finely filteted and clean. When using for things like waxing frames I use the stuff that still has wings and such stuck in it. The level to which you refine it depends on what you are using it for.

[@xKonscious]

very interesting. thank you for letting me know

[@thomasblaine3193]

Part of that question is aside from enjoyment of the activity why not buy the wax?

[@blackout57]

What is the point of buying something you can do as a side product? It is the fun of the DIY, you can buy everything, but it is boring.

[@scorinth]

Thomas Blaine if you're in a position to do this, you're probably already a beekeeper and you might as well do this to get some use out of a waste material you've got anyway.

[@TheWisendorf]

Just a thought but you could try tieing the tops of the filters like large tea bags.or just putting then all in a cloth sack then boil the wax out of them.

[@codename9824]

Why not use a mesh scoop to remove the large debris before filtering the finer stuff? Save loads of time and filters.

[@skimng1823]

good video and process. keep it up