1910 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



337 



SOME WAX-RENDERING METHODS OF EX- 

 TENSIVE PRODUCERS. 



In the April issue of the Bee-keepers'' Re- 

 view, Mr. Hutchinson describes the appa- 

 ratus that Mr. W. .1. Manley, of Sandusky, 

 Michigan, uses for rendering wax on a large 

 scale. Nearly all of these appliances are 

 such as can be made at home with the help 

 of the local tinsmith and blacksmith. Aside 

 from a few details of construction the gene- 

 ral plan of procedure is just about the same 

 as the one which we have used for about 

 two years, and which we have recommend- 

 ed as being the best plan, all things consid- 

 ered, for the average bee-keeper. Possibly 

 an exceptionally large producer of wax 

 would require rnore expensive apparatus, 

 but we believe that there are few who pro- 

 duce wax on a larger scale than does Mr. 

 Manley, and it is doubtful, therefore, wheth- 

 er a more expensive outfit would be needed 

 by many bee-keepers. 



The comb is melted in a common wash- 

 boiler on a stove, with plenty of water. 

 While this is being pressed, another batch 

 is melting in another boiler. The contents 

 of the first boiler are dipped and poured into 

 a burlap sack inside the press, and all the 

 water is retained so that the refuse is kept 

 in the hot water. After the pressure by 

 means of the screw has been applied for 

 some time, the screw is raised and the hot 

 water again allowed to saturate thoroughly 

 the contents of the sack, on the Hershiser 

 plan. The screw is then turned down again, 

 and the slumgum given another pressing. 

 This can be kept up as long as desired, or 

 until practically all of the wax is pressed 

 out of the cocoons, so that it rises to the top 

 of the water. All the water and wax is then 

 poured into a large separating-tank with a 

 faucet at the bottom, and a gate part way 

 toward the top. Hot water for the next 

 boilerful may be drawn from the faucet at 

 the bottom of the separating-tank; and 

 whenever the layer of wax gets thick enough 

 the pure wax may be drawn off through the 

 gate near the top of the can. The process is 

 thus continued, and a large number of cans, 

 pails, etc., are not needed. In the side of 

 the separating-tank Mr. Manley has a strip 

 of glass so that one can tell where the divid- 

 ing line is between the wax and the water. 

 When this line is below the upper gate, 

 clear wax can be drawn off. If the dividing 

 line should happen to be just at the gate, a 

 good deal of the sediment that settles into 

 the water beneath the wax would be drawn 

 off into the mold. For this reason the glass 

 in the side of the tank is an advantage; and 

 while we have never used this, we can see 

 that it would be a great improvement. The 

 sediment can be left right in the separating- 

 tank, and lifted out of the water with the 

 thin layer of wax finally left to cool. The 

 hot water may be used over and over again. 

 While we agree with e\ery step in the 

 system of rendering wax as practiced by 

 Mr. Manley, we believe that, in the matter 

 of the press itself, a change in construction 

 could be adopted that would be both cheap- 



er and handier. Mr. Manley has succeeded 

 in building a press depending on the can 

 alone for supporting the bottom, cross-arm, 

 etc.; but the average blacksmith has so lit- 

 tle idea of the tremendous pressure exerted 

 by a screw in this way that he generally has 

 to rebuild an affair of this kind about three 

 times before he makes it strong enough so 

 that it will not break. Mr. Manley uses a 

 spider riveted to the side of the can near the 

 bottom. He also uses side hooks for secur- 

 ing the cross-arm to the top of the can, aft- 

 er the construction of the German wax- 

 press. But unless reinforced so heavily as 

 to make the construction pretty expensive, 

 this plan is sure to be too weak for the enor- 

 mous pressure exerted, and on this account 

 we have always used a plain can made of 

 ordinary heavy tin with a hoop around the 

 top. Our oak cross-arm is supported by a 

 wooden framework and by means of heavy 

 bolts which extend from the cross-arm down 

 through the platform underneath the can. 

 The oak framework is a little cheaper con- 

 struction, and a much stronger one, and it 

 has the further advantage that it is very 

 easy to attach a couple of hinges to the 

 front of the platform so that the whole press 

 may be tilted up on edge to pour ofT the 

 wax and water after the last pressing. This 

 avoids the heavy lifting of the hot press, 

 and facilitates the work in every way. 

 When it is desired to lift out the contents of 

 the burlap sack after the wax and water 

 have been poured ofT, the screw is simply 

 turned up as far as it will go, and the can 

 slid out from under it to a position on the 

 front of the platform, where it is very easily 

 refilled. 



In the Feb. 15th issue of Gleanings for 

 1908, page 210, Mr. R. F. Holtermann de- 

 scribed the Sibbald wax-press, M'hich was 

 very much like the well - known Hatch- 

 Gernmel wax-press, with this exception, 

 that Mr. Sibbald allowed the water to re- 

 main in the can so that the refuse would 

 always be submerged. Mr. Sibbald also ad- 

 vised pressing three cheeses at a time by 

 means of slatted division-boards, We are 

 sure that it is a good plan to keep the water 

 in the can during the pressing; but we do 

 not believe it practicable to press more than 

 one cheese at a time in an unheated press — 

 that is, in one which does not stand over a 

 stove or is not heated by means of steam, 

 etc. Apparently, Mr. Manley has also found 

 that it is best to press but one cheese at a 

 time. 



A few years ago there were not many bee- 

 keepers who saw the need of a good heavy 

 ]iress for extracting wax from old combs, 

 believing that the solar Max-extractor got 

 ]}ractically all of it; or if they did not use 

 the solar they simply boiled up the combs 

 in a kettle, weighted down the refuse with 

 a screen, and dipped the wax off the top 

 of the water — by this process throwing 

 away wax by the hundreds of dollars' worth. 

 It indicates progressiveness when extensive 

 producers like Mr. Manly advocate a meth- 

 od which is both rapid and thorough. 



