876 
WAX 
passing upward around the false bottom, 
surrounds the combs beneath the plunger 
in the perforated metal basket. As the 
wax falling from the refuse cannot get 
into the water on account of the false bot¬ 
tom, it passes out of the tube shown. 
Steam-presses are very convenient as 
uncapping-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. Steam then may be generated, and 
the wax melted into marketable shape 
without any second handling and with lit¬ 
tle extra trouble; or the “cheese” of 
cappings, pressed nearly dry of honey, 
may be stored away to be rendered into 
wax at a more convenient time later. 
These presses are also very useful in 
pressing honey from broken combs, unfin¬ 
ished sections, etc., and rendering the 
pressed comb into wax. For the real busi¬ 
ness of rendering old combs, the presses 
using hot water as the heating agent are 
much superior. 
plain presses. 
C. A. Hatch of Wisconsin was proba¬ 
bly the first one to make extensive use of 
a plain press for wax-rendering. He had 
used for a short time a press designed 
by W. W. Cary of Massachusetts in which 
the combs were pressed while submerged 
in hot water; but he believed that he could 
improve on this plan • by applying pres¬ 
sure in a different receptacle without the 
use of so much hot water. Later, F. A. 
Gemmell of Ontario, Canada, also used 
such a press, which finally came to be 
known at the Hatch-Gemmell wax-press. 
The particular form of press that is 
sold largely is shown in Fig. 9. It will 
be noticed that a round can, constructed 
of tin, is used instead of the square wooden 
box and tray. The principal reason for 
this change is that it is easier to keep the 
“cheese” from bursting out sidewise when 
a round box or can is used, for the square 
box tends to bulge out in the middle, thus 
allowing the burlap to burst. If a round 
can is used, the pressure sidewise is al¬ 
ways in a direction away from the center, 
and the horizontal pressure is thus equal¬ 
ized. 
THE BEST METHOD. 
In using this press a tube was thought 
necessary at the bottom of the can, left 
open during the pressing so 'that the hot 
water and wax could run away immediate¬ 
ly. It is better, however, to have no open¬ 
ing at the bottom of the can, but to confine 
the hot water and wax, thus preventing 
chilling as much as possible. 
If no heat is applied to the combs dur¬ 
ing the pressing it is necessary to do the 
work in warm weather or in some room 
that can be kept hot by the heat of the 
stove used for melting, for when the air is 
cold the wax chills and the work is hin¬ 
dered. The efficiency of the press is great¬ 
ly increased if a very small jet of steam is 
introduced from a steam-knife boiler or 
teakettle, carried by means of a rubber tube 
to a one-quarter-inch copper pipe about 
fourteen inches long, with a right-angle 
bend five or six inches from the bottom and 
with a long curve at the upper end. This 
is applied to the wax-press can as shown 
in Fig. 9. As will be noted the pipe goes 
down between two of the vertical cleats on 
the side of the can and is then extended 
over toward the center between two of the 
horizontal cleats at the bottom, under the 
screen. While the presssure is being applied 
the water and wax keep up a gentle boiling 
—an ideal condition. No matter how long 
the pressure is kept on the slumgum, nor 
