How to Melt Beeswax and Render
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After harvesting honey what do you do with all the beeswax? We share steps on how to melt beeswax and then render it clean.
What is beeswax used for?
Jetts Kitchen uses beeswax for making homemade lip balm, Calendula Salve, and Moisturizing Lotion Bars. Just to name a few, beeswax is also used for making candles, crayons, furniture polishing wax, and used to condition wooden cutting boards.
Where does beeswax come from?
Honey bees make beeswax which is produced from a gland in the abdomen and excreted to create honeycomb. The bees make the honeycomb into hexagon cells which is used for the Queen to lay her eggs, and the worker bees will raise the brood, and store honey and bee bread in the honeycomb.
How to get beeswax from the hive
When beekeepers harvest honey they more than likely are harvesting the white waxed caps too. The beekeeper removes the capped frames from the hive, removes the capping and harvest the honey. So the byproducts are honey and beeswax. Note: Beekeepers can harvest all the wax but it’s only recommended to remove the capping and leave the remainder of the formed wax so the bees don’t have to work as hard and rebuild the frame with brand new wax.
Instructions on How to Melt Beeswax and Render
Clean Beeswax
Once you have harvested your honey and ran it through a mesh strainer the wax will remain in the strainer bucket along with other particles. We usually wait a few days to allow small amount of honey to continue to drain. After the honey has completely drained take the strainer bucket with the beeswax outside and rinse the wax under cool faucet water until all honey and particles have been removed. Next step allow beeswax to dry thoroughly. This may take a few days and in the meantime fluff the beeswax daily to help air it out.
Supplies Needed For Melting Beeswax
- Candle making pouring pot
- Presto deep fryer
- Rubberbands
- Flour sack towel (or a similar product)
- Chop stick to stir wax while melting
- Silicone mold (optional)
Melting Beeswax
Place clean and dried beeswax into fryer pot and turn heat to warm. As wax begins to melt help it along by stirring with a chopstick. After the beeswax has melted there will be floating residue. The next step is to strain the wax.
Strain and Render Beeswax
To remove floating residue from melted wax place the flour towel on top of the candle making pouring pot, allow the towel to drape a bit in the middle, and secure tightly with a rubber band. Carefully and slowly pour melted wax on top of flour sack and allow wax to drain into the candle making pouring pot. Using a paper towel wipe inside of fryer pot until clean. Pour strained wax back into the frying pot. Scrape any hardened wax from the pouring pot back into the frying pot and remelt. Then prepare to cool and make either a wax disk or wax molds.
Allow Wax to Cool
Wax can be cooled into a single disk or poured into a mold.
To make a wax disk
To make a single wax disk turn frying pot off and allow wax to cool to room temperature. Carefully invert pot to remove wax disk. To use wax from a disk break or chip pieces off as needed. Note: The thickness of the wax depends on the amount of wax melted.
To make wax molds
Place silicone mold onto a baking dish then pour hot wax evenly into mold and allow to cool completely. Once the wax has cooled then gently pop out hardened wax. Either leave as full sheet or use a sharp knife and carefully cut between grids. I prefer using the mold so I can easily weigh wax as needed for recipes.
I AM EXCITED YOU ARE INTERESTED IN KNOWING HOW TO MELT AND RENDER BEESWAX AND WOULD LOVE TO HEAR HOW YOURS TURNS OUT SHOULD YOU DECIDE TO MAKE IT!
***Please come back and share your comments or other suggestions on how to render beeswax.***
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