WAX. 



462 



WAX. 



screw, a lever had better be used as sliown, 

 though some means will have to be employ- 

 ed to keep It from falling over sidewise, 

 such as a loop around a tree or post. In 

 using a lever it is important to have it so 

 adjusted that the pressure will be uniform 

 and directly downward. Any pressure ex- 

 erted from a point not directly over the ket- 

 tle will result in pressing the refuse to one 



tinned heat unless it is dipped f)ff the sur- 

 face of the water almost as fast as it rises. 

 About three hours of intermittent pressure 

 for one batch of combs in a kettle will ren- 

 der out the wax. 



STEAM-rRESSES. 



Methods of rendering wax, embodying the 

 principle of applying great pressure to combs 

 surrounded by steam, are quite 

 old, both in this country and in 

 Germany, wliere they originated. 

 In many ways steam-presses have 

 advantages over otlier methods ; 

 but the quality of wax is usually 

 not so good, because of the high 

 temperature to which the compar- 

 atively thin surfaces of melted wax 

 are subjected ; althougli the wax, 

 as it leaves the refuse, falls down 

 out of the way so that the work 

 can be much more conveniently 

 carried on, since there is no great 

 depth of water in the way. 



A steam-press of popular design 

 is shown in Fig. 7. Steam is gene- 

 rated under the false bottom G, of 

 the compartment H, and, passing 

 upward through an opening in the 

 center of the false bottom, sur- 

 rounds the combs beneath the 

 plunger in tlie perforated metal 



FIG. 



-HERSHISKR HOT-WATER WAX- PRESS 



side, so that the "cheese" 

 will be very thin on one edge 

 and very thick on the other. 

 If this were the case there 

 would, of course, be too 

 much wax left in the thick 

 portion. To get the best re- 

 sults the cheeses should not 

 be over an inch or an inch 

 and a half thick after press- 

 ing. 



Cleaner work can be done 

 by an intermittent than by continuous 

 steady pressure; and so, whether using a 

 lever or screw it is well to relieve the pres- 

 sure about every ten minutes, allowing the 

 cheese two or three minr.tes in which to be- 

 come thoroughly saturated again with boil- 

 ing water. Pressure should be ai)plied 

 slowly at first in order to avoitl bursting the 

 burlap. 



With the outdoor-kettle plan the wax will 

 be discolored on account of the long-con- 



FIG. 6.- USE OF THE LEVER IN PRi;S?ING WAX. 



basket. As the wax, falling down from the 

 ] ef use can nut get into the water on account 

 of the false bottom, it passes out of the tube 

 shown. 



Steam-presses are very convenient as un- 

 capping-cans; for when the perforated metal 

 basket is full of cappings the cross-arm can 

 be placed in position, the screw run down, 

 and practically all honey forced out. Then 

 steam maybe generated, and the wax melted 

 into marketable shape without any second 



