Best Way To Melt Wax & Lube

[Hip's Ax]

Greetings, I have noticed that while melting beeswax for filtering it seems harder after I am done then the nice finished product beeswax I buy.

I have been using a candle makers aluminum pitcher on a electric hot plate set very low. I also use this set up for lube making. To melt say a pound of beeswax takes a couple of hours.

I have rendered raw wax by the melting in hot water and allowing to cool, then removing the disc, scraping then melting it in the pitcher on the hot plate and flitering. I have also bought wax that had this already done and I merely melted and filtered it.

1. Is my method damaging the beeswax or am I merely dealing with a lower grade beeswax? (I have been working with mostly darker wax but some lighter yellow as well)

2. If so, what it the best method or melting beeswax & making lube without damage?

-A double boiler?

-A crock pot?

-something else?

3. What is the magic temperature where beeswax starts becoming damaged?

Thank You In advance!! :)

[D Crockett]

I have been melting wax for a long time now I always use a double boiler on a hot plate it does not hurt the wax this way D Crockett

[gon2shoot]

yup, double boiler for me too

[Doby45]

I use a solar melter for all my scrapings from my hives and for the capping when I harvest honey. In an afternoon I will have a very pretty block of almost white wax from the melter.

http://www.infonet-biovision.org/res/res/files/2091.400x300.png

[randyrat]

1. Is my method damaging the beeswax or am I merely dealing with a lower grade beeswax? (I have been working with mostly darker wax but some lighter yellow as well) ********No Your not ruining it, it just seems harder

2. If so, what it the best method or melting beeswax & making lube without damage? ********double boiler is good

-A double boiler?***yes

-A crock pot?******* no unless you know the Temp and can control it..

-something else?

3. What is the magic temperature where beeswax starts becoming damaged? ***********185 degs F it starts to get discolored....Melts at about 145 degs F

Thank You In advance!!

[fredj338]

I use a small 1qt crosk set on low, works perfectly. The smaller crocks do not get as hot. Far easier IMO than the double boiler.

[Casting Timmy]

I like to use a pot with a large base over my hot plate. I only make lube and don't clean up beeswax though. I like a larger base pot than a small base pot though.

[randyrat]

Or Find a Cast Aluminum pot (old aluminum pressure cooker). It will distribute the heat more and won't burn if you be careful.
A thin walled aluminum pot will burn every time used or take forever.

[1Shirt]

Used an old coffee pot over a low burner on the stove for a number of years. Liked the way you could stur the lube, and pour it from the pot into molds, or to pan lube etc. Has probably been 20 years since I have done that, and now can afford commercial lubes. However, it worked in the past and would work well now as well.
1Shirt!:coffee:

[longranger]

Plastic bowl with a pour spout or I bought a big Pyrex meauring cup. I melt my lube in the microwave. 2.0 2-5lbs will melt beautifully in a microwave.About 4.5 5.0 min. on high this leaves small chunks of unmelted lube that can be stirred into the hot melted lube. No double boilers,hot plates or addtional equipment.I use this technique for pan lubing BPCR bullets and to fill the reservoir in my lubesizer.No muss no fuss,let cool put it away.

[crabo]

I use a solar melter for all my scrapings from my hives and for the capping when I harvest honey. In an afternoon I will have a very pretty block of almost white wax from the melter.

http://www.infonet-biovision.org/res/res/files/2091.400x300.png

That's what we do. If you put a black plastic trash bag on the inside, it really speeds things up, but don't slosh a little on your deck as you handle it.

[Hip's Ax]

Thanks Guys!! Looks like a double boiler is in my near future.

[brucew]

I use a heat lamp to process paste wax for 45/45/10 mix and it gets pretty darn hot. I'll have to try it on beeswax. Also works great for heating up boolits if needed and just about anything that needs to be warmed.

I'll go try beeswax with it right now.

Bruce

[brucew]

My 125 watt heat lamp (white light, not red) does an excellent job melting beeswax. Might come in handy in the future.

Bruce

[Hip's Ax]

A heat lamp sounds interesting! I'll look into that, Thanks!

Thought I found the silver bullet, an electric double boiler with heat contol. Meant for buffet lines with soup and such, not sure I want to spend $125 though and 4 quarts seems to be the smallest one. [smilie=b:

[nanuk]

how about an old crock pot wired through a dimmer switch

infinite control, you could ladle out what you need.