1910 



GLEANIXCIS IN BEE CULTURE 



52'; 



FIG. 1. — PLAN OF FOSTER'S WAX-RENDERING FURNACE. 



the center of the furnace, or, rather, on one 

 side of the furnace part, nearly to the oppo- 

 site'end, so that the draft will force the fire, 

 smoke, and heat down one side of the vat 

 on top, and back on the other side to the 

 chimney as shown in Fig. 1. 



THE MELTING-TANK. 



This is shown in Fig. 2, and is made of 

 two-inch stuff ten inches wide with a gal- 

 vanized-iron bottom. The tank is 2>^ feet 

 wide by o)4 long. It is supported directly 

 over the fire, and water boils in it very quick- 

 ly. The board running across the tank near 

 the center, but a little to one side, reaches 

 nearly to the bottom of the tank, and keeps 

 all the wax and comb in the larger division 

 of the tank, only water being in the other 

 part. This hot water is used to help wash 

 out the wax when dipping the melted wax, 

 comb, propolis, etc., from the tank into the 

 vat shown in Fig. 3. We use lots of w^ater, 

 and find it essential to success by this meth- 

 od. The cover is made of heavy cloth stretch- 

 ed over a wooden frame that fits down over 



the edges of the tank 

 hO little steam or heat 

 can escape. 



THE STRAINING-VAT. 



This is shown in 

 Fig. 3, and is about 7 

 inches deep by 2 feet 

 wide and 3 feet long. 

 It is the bottom of an 

 old washing-machine 

 fixed over for this pur- 

 pose. The sieve or 

 screen that the melt- 

 ed wax is strained and 

 hoed and worked 

 through is of very 

 strong material, and 

 is fitted to a heavy 

 frame. When we get 

 our melted slumgum 

 on this sieve we proceed with the hoe, 

 trowel, and an abundance of hot water to 

 separate the cocoons from the wax. It is 

 chopped and hoed and worked with tlie 

 trowel until the cocoons are all broken and 

 torn apart, or as nearly so as it is possible. 

 The wax, water, and propolis with a good 

 deal of other refuse, get through into this 

 vat; but as there is from ten to twenty 

 times as much water as wax, much of this 

 will settle and the wax run off at the outlet 

 at the top of the vat, as shown in No. .!. 

 The outlet at the bottom of the vat is to 

 draw off the water from this vat when it 

 gets too full. 



Sometimes when we get a very dark lot of 

 old combs we have to run the partially clean- 

 ed wax through a second time, but with an 

 average lot and care we can get good cakes 

 the first time. 



Perhaps I should say that, in working the 

 slumgum through the sieve, we grind it very 

 hard with the trowel, and, of course, this 

 makes a thick muddy sediment in the wa- 



FIG. 2. — GENERAL VIEW OF FOSTER'S WAX-RENDERING FURNACE AND TANK. 



