WAX 
881 
off from the supply-can to fill it half full 
again for a fresh lot of combs. When first 
starting out, it is a good plan to fill the 
boilers a little more than half full so that 
there will always be enough water for sub¬ 
sequent meltings. 
If the work has been carefully done, 
when the screw is raised after the water 
and was have been drained off, and the 
follower taken out, the “cheese” will be 
dry, comparatively speaking", and when it 
is dumped out into the box or basket, if a 
handful is taken up and pressed momen¬ 
tarily between the fingers, no great amount 
of wax will show. If only a very fine line 
of wax appears in the ridges between the 
fingers the work has been done thoroly. It 
is convenient, if not absolutely necessary, 
to wear a pair of canvas gloves during the 
whole process; for when the burlap is shak¬ 
en out the refuse is exceedingly hot. When 
shaking out the burlap, if the refuse 
does not shake out clean, lay the cloth over 
the box, inside down, and quickly rub it be¬ 
tween the hands. This will dislodge the re¬ 
fuse still clinging. Now place the burlap 
over the press again and repeat the process. 
The same burlap should last for a dozen 
pressings. Each time, however, look it over 
quickly to see if there is any sign of a 
weak spot or the beginning of a tear. If 
there is, discard it and use a new cloth. 
A heavy cloth or old sack should be 
thrown over the unheated can containing 
the supply of hot water and wax poured 
in from the can under-the press; for the 
more this heat can be conserved, the shorter 
time it will take to start a new boilerful 
of combs. 
The final waste of wax by this process 
need not be over 3 per cent. There is no 
practical process known to the author that 
secures all the wax. 
RENDERING WAX FROM OLD COMBS 
IN LARGE QUANTITIES. 
The foregoing plan is entirely adequate 
and satisfactory for a moderate amount of 
rendering; but when, for example, Ameri¬ 
can foul brood has obtained a strong foot¬ 
hold thruout the apiary or several apiaries, 
a larger outfit is required. There are like¬ 
wise those who make a business of melting 
up old combs for a given locality, and for 
such a more elaborate outfit is required. 
It is not practicable to build a wax- 
press of a large size on the precise model 
just described, for the reason that the 
larger “cheeses” are not as easily handled, 
nor will they receive the same amount of 
pressure. Practice shows that it is much 
more satisfactory to use two screws over 
an oblong “cheese” in an oblong tank or 
boiler. The subjoined illustrations will 
show a type of double-screw press with 
which the author turned out 142 pounds 
of wax from old combs on the first day’s 
trial, getting practically all the wax. With 
more practice he could turn out a larger 
output. 
It is not practicable to heat the larger 
press with a small jet of steam from, a 
small boiler, such as one could rig up for 
himself. However, where one can have 
Fig. 15.—When the press is drawn out over the 
stove, the screws are entirely out of the way and 
it is therefore an easy matter to refill. A burlap 
40 x 70 inches is used in order that the edges may 
be long enough to fold over and pin. 
access to a larger boiler, steam heating is 
all right; but as the great majority of the 
readers of this work will not be so situated 
they will have to employ other means. It 
has been found entirely practicable to put 
the press upon four short legs so its plat¬ 
form will be on the same height as a small 
two-burner gasoline or kerosene stove. 
When this stove is placed in line with the 
press, to heat or reheat its contents it is 
an easy matter to slide the boiler from 
under the press to the top of the stove and 
back again. There is no need of having 
heat when pressure is being applied. After 
several successive squeezings the boiler or 
tank can be slid over, emptied, and a fresh 
batch reheated while on the stove. This 
obviates entirely the nuisance of applying 
