348 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 1. 



to the upper end of the vertical length, to use 

 as a handle to screw it on or off, completed the 

 outfit. 



The tinner's charge for material and labor 

 was 68 cents, to which add two or three hours 

 of our time and a 12-cent file, and we had a 

 practical boiler. However, if you expect to use 

 your boiler considerably, we advise that a^-in. 

 steam-valve be soldered into the cover, with a 

 short nipple at the upper end, in which to place 

 a funnel. 



After a time the lower end of the vertical 

 pipe will be eaten off by the acid. The best 

 way to construct this pipe is to make it in two 

 parts, connecting the two with a coupling. 



A good linseed-oil barrel should have one end 

 removed, and the hoops carefully in place. 

 With hot water and washing-powder, cleanse it 

 well. Place this barrel near the cook-stove or 

 range; fill the boiler or pot with rain water, and 

 screw on the vertical pipe, with its lower end 

 in the barrel. Put about 40 quarts of rain wa- 

 ter into the barrel (hot water in both will save 

 time); then add IJi to 3 lbs. of sulphuric acid, 

 depending on how dirty your wax is. Now fill 

 the barrel to within 12 or 1.5 inches of the top 

 with wax. You can put in about 150 lbs. If in 

 a hurry, melt part of the wax in a pot on top of 

 the stove, having added a little water to pre- 

 vent the wax from getting too hot. If this is 

 done, care must be taken that the pot does not 

 stand in too hot a place, or the wax will boil 

 over the stove and floor, causing fire risk, loss of 

 wax, and a muss generally. 



Over a good fire of hard wood or coal, your 

 boiler will need replenishing with water every 

 two or three hours. If you note carefully the 

 weight of the empty boiler you can easily de- 

 termine about how empty it is. Of course, as 

 there are no valves to close there is no danger 

 of explosion; but if empty, over a hot fire, the 

 pot will probably be ruined or the solder melted 

 off. If all the wax is melted in the barrel it 

 will take some hours. 



After the mass in the barrel is melted, if heat 

 is still applied the mass will finally roll and 

 seethe— in other words, boil rapidly. At this 

 stage the mass will appear muddy, and rubbish 

 will float on the surface. From this point the 

 boiling must continue for two to five hours, de- 

 pending upon the quantity of dirt in the wax 

 at the beginning. At length, about all the rub- 

 bish will settle down. During this process of 

 boiling, put a board, that fits partially inside 

 the chime, on the barrel, over wliich place 

 worthless bags, sacks, or garments, to retain 

 the heat and steam. Useful articles will be 

 spoiled if exposed to the vapors from the barrel. 



Remove the boiler, and cover the barrel. In 

 about two or three hours, dip off the clear wax, 

 which must pass tlirough thin factory or cheese 

 cloth, and put it into suitable tin vessels to cool. 

 We prefer to have a little hot water in these 

 vessels, so that any impurities still in the wax 

 may settle into it. When these cakes are cold, 

 the sides of the vessels can be loosened with a 

 putty or other suitable knife; and any impurity 

 on the bottom is to be shaved off. 



Pans to hold this hot wax are cheaply made of 

 20 X 28-inch roofing tin, by bending up the sides, 

 letting them flare about five inches. Run a 

 heavy wire around the top, and solder the cor- 

 ners. The tin at the corners should not be cut 

 away, but bent over, and soldered fast, to 

 strengthen the corners. 



With care the wax can be dipped off till the 

 layer in the barrel is not much over one inch 

 thick. The residue should be left till nearly 

 cold— say 16 to 24 hours. Underneath the solid 

 wax will be found a cellular, waxy mass, that 

 fails to harden. At first this- seems to be a 

 waste, for it surely contains wax; but under 



pressure the water is driven out, and the weight 

 is trifling. To utilize this material would prob- 

 ably cost more than it is worth. 



With good fuel, a six-hole range with water- 

 reservoir, three barrels to boil wax in, and a 

 boiler such as we describe, one man with an as- 

 sistant should refine 1500 to 2000 lbs. of wax per 

 week — a pretty good revenue, at 5 cents per lb. 

 The acid will probably cost, for this amount of 

 wax, $2.25; the fuel, hard coal at $5.00 per ton, 

 about $1.25. The cloth strainers can be used 

 only once. Throw out the rubbish, and put the 

 waxy cloth into the next batch. We had a 

 small quantity of cappings, and black old combs, 

 that we pulverized finely during a cold day! 

 This was put into one batch, and seemed to ren- 

 der perfectly. How easy in the future to render 

 wax from old combs, as compared with former 

 methods! 



Manufacturers of foundation on a small scale 

 will find such a boiler a great convenience, not 

 only for refining wax, but also for melting and 

 warming wax when dipping the sheets. Indeed, 

 we think friend Root will at once prepare these 

 boilers and offer them to his customers, for they 

 must surely be in demand. At a slight addi- 

 tional expense a water-gauge can be set at one 

 side of the pot, when a glance will indicate the 

 time for refilling the pot. 



Let us give a caution, so that others need not 

 learn by experience that which cost us a little 

 trouble. After dinner one day, while convers- 

 ing pleasantly, we concluded the boiler was 

 about empty, and the wax boiled sufficiently; 

 hence we lifted the pot, replaced the stove-lid, 

 and shoved the pot to the edge of the stove. 

 After more talk and attention to minor duties, 

 we unscrewed the vertical pipe and took the 

 pot from the stove. We casually observed that 

 the pot seemed very heavy, and, after going a 

 few paces, wax began to run from the pipe. 

 This continued, and we hastily procured a dip- 

 per, into which nearly a quart of wax escaped. 

 Perplexed, we again lifted the pot, and for the 

 first time realized that the pot was full of wax. 

 How did it get there? A second, serious 

 thought made it plain. The pot had been full 

 of steam under pressure. The plug was in 

 place. The pipe was in the barrel. Heat had 

 been withdrawn; the steam condensed, and the 

 wax passed in to fill the vacuum. We removed 

 the plug, and allowed the wax to run out. Aft- 

 er that our first care was to take out the plug. 



We trust our friends will find this cheap boil- 

 er a source of pleasure and profit. 



J. H. Nellis. 



Canai'oharie, N. Y., March, 1893. 



[Heretofore there has been no practical 

 method by which bee-keepers not having access 

 to regular steam-boilers could produce their 

 own steam for the purposes of wax-rendering 

 economically, and with the ordinary materials 

 " around home," with perhaps the exception of 

 one or two items. We are sure all our readers 

 will feel indebted to friend Nellis for his very 

 clear description. Having had experience years 

 ago in a similar way, in making and testing 

 iron-kettle boilers — not for the purpose of ren- 

 dering wax, but for running steam-wheels and 

 other mechanical toys — we can suggest a sim- 

 pler wax-boiler than that of friend Nellis, sim- 

 ple as his is. Secure a large iron kettle. If 

 you do not have one around home holding 12 or 

 15 quarts (the larger the better), you can get 

 one at your hardware store for a trifling sum. 

 From a sound two-inch pine plank, cut out a 

 circular cover. "A keyhole saw will cut it on a 

 slight bevel, so that it will just drive into the 

 kettle, after a little dressing with sandpaper, 

 or, better, a wood-file. A better way, however, 



