Bullwolf
05-24-2015, 11:40 PM
I found a stray piece of honey comb on my Ranch a couple weeks ago, and melted it into a little beeswax ingot. Not really knowing where to talk about it, tacked it on an existing thread about Bees Wax, in the lube section.
Bees Wax Thread (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?276155-Bees-wax&p=3239841&viewfull=1#post3239841)
Figured this fit in the "Our Town" section of the forum. So I'm posting it here.
I realize that I could buy all the filtered Beeswax I want from Randyrat, but I wanted to try making it on my own, so I'd know how to do it.
After my original post about melting the beeswax I read a few comments on how others did the same thing. One of our Cast Boolits forum members, Beagle333 even sent me a PM mentioning that I could have made the beeswax cleaner by simply straining it through a pair of woman's nylons (panty hose) while holding it over the boiling water - Making a tea bag of sorts. I thanked him for the information.
I had been considering trying something like this, maybe even using cheesecloth. I had read of others using paper towels, in conjunction with a solar beeswax melter. So of course I did a search about how to fashion a solar beeswax melter.
Beeswax: Solar Wax Melter (http://curbstonevalley.com/blog/?p=10333)
The ironic part about all of this is my Grandmother used to raise honey bees, but sadly she is not around to coach me about them anymore. Also, being severely allergic to bee stings, I often tended to avoid her Bee keeping at an up close and personal level.
When I had found that first single comb, it was pretty near dark. In the daytime I went back to look for the rest of the combs. Success was found by simply looking up.
There were 5 good sized honeycombs, and a single smaller one over my head.
I carefully removed the combs, stuffing as much of them as I could into a couple of Zip-loc gallon freezer bags.
I'd already melted the first comb I had found in a soft drink can after removing the top from it. I figured I'd try doing it this way again. So before getting started, I prepared a handful of cans the same way ahead of time.
Since I don't wear pantyhose, and my remarkably patient significant other only does so rarely, I considered going to the store to actually purchase a pair.
Fortunately,she had a few of those disposable nylon foot socks in her purse. The kind that women often use when trying on shoes or boots. So I had found my nylons, and the price was right too. (Free!)
http://thumbs1.picclick.com/d/l400/pict/290776605608_/Foot-Sox-144-Piece-Beige-Tan-Try-On.jpg
First I crushed up the majority of the waxy comb.
Then I stuffed the crushed up wax into one of the foot sock nylons, making a beeswax "tea bag" out of the crumbled up honeycomb.
I already knew that beeswax is flammable at higher temps, having used it as a second flux step (reductant?) to help reduce the tin back into my melt in my lead pot. I've seen it self ignite when the melt is up to temp. So I kept a lid on hand to smother it, just in case there were any accidental flare ups. Much like when making 45-45-10.
I melted the beeswax again using a double boiler, much like I would use if I was making a boolit lube, or a fine desert that I did not wish to scorch.
I put the nylon tea bag full of beeswax in the second container (a can) submerged in boiling water until it melted, squeezing and eventually straining out the majority of the clear liquid beeswax.
I got a couple cleanish pieces of filtered beeswax from this after it cooled.
All of the slumgum (The impure residue, consisting of cocoons, propolis, etc., remaining after the wax is extracted from honeycombs) that was left over, I kept and melted into one big darker colored chunk.
It all looked so much larger when it was in honeycomb form.
I was sure I'd likely missed some beeswax that didn't get strained out, and was still mixed in with the slumgun. So I melted the last of it all together, with the intent to use that brownish colored chunk later as a flux for my lead pot - That smells a little like honey.
Lots of fun was had all around, and it was only marginally messy. I did get some beeswax under my fingernails though, and my hands smelled like honey for at least a couple of days after.
- Bullwolf
Bees Wax Thread (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?276155-Bees-wax&p=3239841&viewfull=1#post3239841)
Figured this fit in the "Our Town" section of the forum. So I'm posting it here.
I realize that I could buy all the filtered Beeswax I want from Randyrat, but I wanted to try making it on my own, so I'd know how to do it.
After my original post about melting the beeswax I read a few comments on how others did the same thing. One of our Cast Boolits forum members, Beagle333 even sent me a PM mentioning that I could have made the beeswax cleaner by simply straining it through a pair of woman's nylons (panty hose) while holding it over the boiling water - Making a tea bag of sorts. I thanked him for the information.
I had been considering trying something like this, maybe even using cheesecloth. I had read of others using paper towels, in conjunction with a solar beeswax melter. So of course I did a search about how to fashion a solar beeswax melter.
Beeswax: Solar Wax Melter (http://curbstonevalley.com/blog/?p=10333)
The ironic part about all of this is my Grandmother used to raise honey bees, but sadly she is not around to coach me about them anymore. Also, being severely allergic to bee stings, I often tended to avoid her Bee keeping at an up close and personal level.
When I had found that first single comb, it was pretty near dark. In the daytime I went back to look for the rest of the combs. Success was found by simply looking up.
There were 5 good sized honeycombs, and a single smaller one over my head.
I carefully removed the combs, stuffing as much of them as I could into a couple of Zip-loc gallon freezer bags.
I'd already melted the first comb I had found in a soft drink can after removing the top from it. I figured I'd try doing it this way again. So before getting started, I prepared a handful of cans the same way ahead of time.
Since I don't wear pantyhose, and my remarkably patient significant other only does so rarely, I considered going to the store to actually purchase a pair.
Fortunately,she had a few of those disposable nylon foot socks in her purse. The kind that women often use when trying on shoes or boots. So I had found my nylons, and the price was right too. (Free!)
http://thumbs1.picclick.com/d/l400/pict/290776605608_/Foot-Sox-144-Piece-Beige-Tan-Try-On.jpg
First I crushed up the majority of the waxy comb.
Then I stuffed the crushed up wax into one of the foot sock nylons, making a beeswax "tea bag" out of the crumbled up honeycomb.
I already knew that beeswax is flammable at higher temps, having used it as a second flux step (reductant?) to help reduce the tin back into my melt in my lead pot. I've seen it self ignite when the melt is up to temp. So I kept a lid on hand to smother it, just in case there were any accidental flare ups. Much like when making 45-45-10.
I melted the beeswax again using a double boiler, much like I would use if I was making a boolit lube, or a fine desert that I did not wish to scorch.
I put the nylon tea bag full of beeswax in the second container (a can) submerged in boiling water until it melted, squeezing and eventually straining out the majority of the clear liquid beeswax.
I got a couple cleanish pieces of filtered beeswax from this after it cooled.
All of the slumgum (The impure residue, consisting of cocoons, propolis, etc., remaining after the wax is extracted from honeycombs) that was left over, I kept and melted into one big darker colored chunk.
It all looked so much larger when it was in honeycomb form.
I was sure I'd likely missed some beeswax that didn't get strained out, and was still mixed in with the slumgun. So I melted the last of it all together, with the intent to use that brownish colored chunk later as a flux for my lead pot - That smells a little like honey.
Lots of fun was had all around, and it was only marginally messy. I did get some beeswax under my fingernails though, and my hands smelled like honey for at least a couple of days after.
- Bullwolf