WAX. 



463 



WAX. 



handling and with little extra trouble ; or 

 the " cheeses " of cappings, pressed nearly 

 dry of honey, may be stored away to be ren- 

 dered into wax at a more convenient time 

 later. 



These presses are also very nseful in 

 pressing honey from broken combs, unfin- 

 ished sections, etc., and rendering tlie 

 pressed comb into wax. 



FIG. 7. GERMAN STEAM WAX-PRESS. 



Mr. Edward G. Brown, of Sergeant Bluff, 

 Iowa, has described an excellent plan for 

 rendering wax on a large scale, making use 

 of an open press heated with a steam-jet. 

 Where one has access to steam this is a very 

 practical method. His plan in full is as fol- 

 lows: 



The wax-rendering apparatus which I use is some- 

 what beyond the reach of many bee-keepers; but it 

 gets the wax, and I thinli a little nearer all of it' 

 than most of the various outfits in use. I will give 

 the figures of the wax rendered, and later describe 

 the apparatus. 



The best results which we have secured were 

 from a lot of combs, many of which were 35 years 

 old. There were iOO of these combs in the lot, and 

 we obtained 164 lbs. of wax, or a little over 4 lbs. of 

 wax to every 10 combs. Thei'e were two working at 

 the job, and the total time for rendering, including 

 firing up the boiler, etc., was a little less than five 

 hours. We have made a few full-day runs on combs 

 varying in age from one to twenty-flve j'ears, and 

 the results average about 2.">0 to 375 lbs. of wax to 

 the thousand combs. Tn a day we can usually ren- 

 der from 800 to ICOO combs, the number depending, 

 of course, upon the condition of the combs, etc. 

 When I buy old combs I usually figure on about 2'.> 

 lbs. of wax to the hive of ten combs, Langstrotli 

 size. 



In the last two years we have rendered something 

 like 8000 or 9000 combs on account of foul brood, and 



I believe that this is the only way to eradicate the 

 disease completely from a yard when it once gets a 

 start. Tliere is just one other way; and that is, to 

 build a bonfire and burn up all the supplies, etc., 

 in connection with the yard. Incidentally the lat- 

 ter plan is somewhat expensive, for it leaves the 

 apiarist at ihe foot of the ladder, ready for a new 

 start. 



The figures given above may seem a little large to 

 some; but the apparatus is of fair size, and requires 

 two to work it at full speed, and a part of the time 

 there were three of us. Our work-sliop is an old 

 cheese-factory which I also use for storage room ; 

 and the heat for the wax-rendering is furnished by 

 a big boiler from which I also get the power for run- 

 ning my buzz-saws, as I make all my own hives and 

 iieavier supplies. 



The engraving shows the various parts of the 

 tank, wliich is 3 ft. wide, 7 ft. long, 16 in. deej). It is 

 divided into two part^, as shown, both parts being 

 lined with galvanized iron, and fitted with a cover of 

 the same material. Each part is about lialf filled 

 with water; and steam for boiling the water is intro- 

 duced by means of a ?4'-inch pipe, on the under sides 

 of which holes are drilled so that, wlien the steam 

 is turned on, the contents of the tank are kept in 

 motion. Each division of the tank has a separate 

 pipe controlled by a valve so that heat can be applied 

 when wanted, and as hard as desired. The press as 

 shown ill the second engraving is made from an old 

 cheese-press. The construction is sufficiently c ear, 

 hence no detailed description is necessary. A pipe 

 is arranged under the press in such a way that steam 



STEAM-HEATED VAT FOR MELTING OLD COMBS. 



may be forced bcLween the cleats of the bottom of 

 the press, thus keeping the slumgum hot. 



Two pieces of heavy burlap are used for holding 

 the slumgum, the outer one being about 30 by 30 

 inches, and the inner one about 30 by 20. These are 

 laid over a form 10 inches square and 4 inches deep, 

 whicli will hold about two gallons of the melted 

 combs. After the comb is dipped in tlie sides, the 

 cloths are folded toge' her, then the form is re- 

 moved, the uppei' block placed in position, and the 

 pressure applied. Unless these sacks are of extra 

 good quality they do not hist longer than eight or 

 nine times, and even the best ones usually burst 

 after fifteen or twenty pressings. A sliort-handled 

 pitchfork, a wire strainer, and a number of 50-pound 

 honey-cans with the top cut out, to be used as molds, 

 complete the apparatus. 



