BEE-spoke-data/bees-v0 huggingface dataset:
In order to get the best results the weights should be arranged that they can be lifted up a few inches in order to give the refuse in the sack a chance to become saturated again with hot water.
The weights should then be lowered, and this process kept up for several hours, the water meanwhile boiling vigorously. The wax should be dipped off almost as fast as it rises to the surface, in order to keep it from di-coloring due to long continued heat.
In 1901 Mr. T. J. Penniek, of Williston, Tenn., suggested the use of centrifugal force applied to hot slumgum just taken out of boiling water. It was his opinion that the free wax, when hot, would by this means readily separate from the solid matter in a very short time. Extensive experiments have developed the fact that there would be a great deal of wax which would not escape from the refuse, no matter how fast it might be whirled in an extractor, showing that even great centrifugal force could not separate the wax from the refuse.
Wax nearest the outside might be thrown out; but that nearest the center would be held back and not allowed to escape.
Mr. A. C. Miller, of Providence, R. I., some time ago devised an agitator and applied it to the rendering of wax. The old combs in such an agitator are thoroughly stirred and rubbed under hot water so that the wax is liberated and rises to the surface,
Figure 3: A portable but wasteful and slow method of obtaining wax.
Figure 2: A very crude and wasteful method of rendering.
where it is drawn off through a point. As will be seen, this is somewhat similar to the plan shown in Fig. 2, before mentioned, although it would be, of course, a great improvement on that very crude method.
From our experiments, and from reports we have received from hundreds of beekeepers, it would seem as though the wax-press were by all means the most satisfactory wax-extractor yet devised. We doubt
whether any thing but pressure combined with heat can remove all of the wax. In saying this, we realize that there will probably never be a wax-extractor of any kind that will economically remove the last particle of wax; but if the amount of waste can be reduced to less than one per cent, the loss is an item that can be neglected.
Before entering the discussion of wax-preses it may be well to add a word of caution to bee-keepers who are sure that the particular method they are using enables them to obtain all the wax or practically all-If the refuse, when they are done, has not been put through a well-constructed press we believe that there will be no way of determining the amount of waste, for it night contain as much as 20 per cent of wax and still look perfectly clean and show no traces of it when examined. On a small scale it is possible to get some idea of the amount of wax left in refuse by the following very simple plan:
Thoroughly heat in boiling water the refuse to be tested, then allow it to cool slightly: seize a large handful, and squeeze it as much as possible in the fingers. If fine lines of wax appear in the creases between the fingers a good deal of wax is left--perhaps from five to ten per cent or more, depending upon the amount of wax shown. The hand will not be burned in the very short time necessary to make this test. But, as before stated--the most conclusive method of determining the waste is to run the _refuse_ through a well-constructed press.
hot-water wax-presses.
In these the pressure may be continued without the least danger of chilling the combs. This method has also a decided advantage in that the screw can be raised after having been turned down, and the cheese allowed to become saturated again with boiling water. The screw may then be lowered, and this hot water forced out of the refuse, carrying with it more of the wax. This operation must be repeated as often as found necessary by experience. It is thus seen that there is no disagreeable handling of the refuse until all the wax is out. Furthermore, the work, if necessary, may be confined to the one tank.
Mr. Orel L. Hershiser, of Buffalo, N. Y., devised the hot-water press shown in Fig.5. The capacity of this is large, so that it is possible to obtain as much as 75 pounds of wax in one day over a common stove. One great objection to hot-water presses heretofore has been their relatively small capacity of wax per day. Mr. Hershiser, by making the press very large, overcomes this difficulty.
The quality of wax from hot-water pre-ses is usually not very good, because of the long-continued high temperature. In the Hershiser press more hot water is introduced at short intervals into the lower part, causing the melted wax to overflow through the outlet at the top. In this way the wax is not left for any great length of time on the boiling water, so that the color is not darkened.
Perhaps one objection to hot-water presses is the cost of the outfit; but for extensive bee-keepers we believe that they are the most practical, as somewhat cleaner work can be done, owing to the long-continued intermittent pressure on the refuse surrounded by hot water. In other words, old combs rendered in a hot-water press may be pressed as many as fifteen or twenty times, so that it is possible to reduce the final loss to only a fraction of one per cent.
If one wishes to try the hot-water method by using an outlet constructed at home he can follow the plan shown in Fig. 6. An ordinary kettle may be used, although it would be advisable to have one with a flat bottom. As it would be rather difficult to construct a cross-beam over the kettle rigid enough to stand the pressure exerted by a
Figure 4: an unhandy and unnatifactory plan.
serve, a lever had better be used as shown, though some means will have to be employed to keep it from falling over sidewise, such as a loop around a tree or post. In using a lever it is important to have it so adjusted that the pressure will be uniform and directly downward. Any pressure exerted from a point not directly over the kettle will result in pressing the refuse to one
since, so that the "cheese" will be very thin on one edge and very thick on the other. If this were the ease there would, of course, be too much wax left in the thick portion. To get the best results the cheeses should not be over an inch or an inch and a half thick after pressing.
Cleaner work can be done
by an intermittent than by continuous steady pressure; and so, whether using a lever or screw it is well to relieve the pressure about every ten minutes, allowing the cheese two or three minutes in which to become thoroughly saturated again with boiling water. Pressure should be applied slowly at first in order to avoid bursting the burlap.
With the outdoor-kettle plan the wax will be disculored on account of the long-continued heat unless it is dipped off the surface of the water almost as fast as it rises. About three hours of intermittent pressure for one batch of combs in a kettle will render out the wax.
Steam-presses.
Methods of rendering wax, embodying the principle of applying great pressure to combs surrounded by steam, are quite old, both in this country and in Germany, where they originated. In many ways steam-presses have advantages over other methods; but the quality of wax is usually not so good, because of the high temperature to which the comparatively thin surfaces of melted wax are subjected; although the wax, as it leaves the refuse, falls down out of the way so that the work can be much more conveniently carried on, since there is no great depth of water in the way.
A steam-press of popular design is shown in Fig. 7. Steam is generated under the false bottom G, of the compartment II, and, passing upward through an opening in the center of the false bottom, surrounds the combs beneath the plumger in the perforated metal
Figure 5: -Hesshiser hot-water wax-press.
Figure 6: - Use of the lever in pressing wax.
handling and with little extra trouble ; or the "cheeses " 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, unfinished sections, etc., and rendering the pressed comb into wax.
Mr. Edward G. Brown, of Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, has described an excellent plan for rendering wax on a large scale, making use of an open press heated with a steam-jet. Where one has access to steam this is a very practical method. His plan in full is as follows :
The wax-rendering apparatus which I use is somewhat beyond the reach of many bee-keeppers; but it gets the wax, and I think a little newer all of it, than must of the various outfits in use. I will give the figures of the wax rendered, and later describe the apparatus.
The best results which we have secured were from a lot of combs, many of which were 25 years old. There were 409 of these combs in the lot, and we obtained 166 lhs of wax, or a little over 4 lhs, of wax to every 10 combs. There were two working at the job, and the total time for rendering, including flying up the boiler, etc., was a little less than five hours. We have made a few full-day runs on combs varying In age from one to twenty-five years, and the results average about 250 to 35 lhs of wax to the thousand combs. In a day we can usually render from 80 to 100 combs, the number depending, of course, upon the condition of the combs, etc. When I buy old combs I usually figure on about 25 lhs, of wax to the live of ten combs, Langstroh size.
In the last two years we have rendered something like 800 or 900 combs on account of fuel brood, and was for the first time.
I believe that this is the only way to eradicate the disease completely from a yard when it once gets a start. There is just one other way; and that is, to build a bonfire and burn up all the supplies, etc., in connection with the yard. Incidentally the latter plan is somewhat expensive, for it leaves the apriatst at the foot of the ladder, ready for a new start.
The figures given above may seem a little large to some; but the apparatus is of fair size, and requires two to work it at full speed, and a part of the time there were three of us. Our work-shop is an old cheese-factory which I also use for storage room; and the heat for the wax-rendering is furnished by a half-order from which I also get the power for running my buzz-saws, as I make all my own llores and heavier supplies.
The engraving shows the various parts of the tank, which is 2 ft, wide, 7 ft, long, 16 in deep. It is divided into two parts, as shown, both parts being lined with galvanized iron, and fitted with a cover of the same material. Each part is about half filled with water; and steam for boiling the water is introduced by means of a 3-inch pipe, on the under sides of which holes are drilled so that, when the steam is turned on, the contents of the tank are kept in motion. Each division of the tank has a separate pipe controlled by a valve so that heat can be applied when wanted, and as hard as desired. The press as shown in the second engraving is made from an old cheese-press. The construction is sufficiently c car, hence no detailed description is necessary. A pipe is arranged under the press in such a way that steam
Figure 7: \(-\)German steam wax-press.
When rendering, the tanks are filled about half full of water brought to a boil by the steam. The larger compartment is then filled with combs still in the frames. About 50 frames of combs can be put in at once. The cover is then shut down and the steam turned on. From three to five minutes is required to do the work, and when the contents are
During the year 1005 we rendered about 150 bbs of
www, and in 1908 nearly 1100 lbs, so we think we have
had quite an opportunity for testing the apparatus thoroughly.
## 5 Unheated presses
Mr. C. A. Hatch, of Wisconsin, was probably the first one to make
extensive use of this method of 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 pressure in a different receptacle without
the use of so much hot
water. While there may be
hundreds who used a similar plan before this, Mr.
Hatch is probably the first
one in this country to bring it to the notice of the public. Later Mr. F. A. Gennill, of Ontario, Canada,
also used such a press, which finally came to be
known as the Hatch-Gennill
wax - press. This is
shown in Fig. 9.
Wax-presses very similar
to the Hatch-Gennill have
been constructed and used
by various bee-keepers all
over the country. Since
Figure 9: The original Hatch-Gennill wax-press.
the essential features of this method have been in use so long it is very evident that the unheated press has merit. The authors of this work have rendered large quantities of wax, and have made many experiments which all go to prove that the unheated press is a most desirable one for the average bee-keeper.
Mr. F. A. Salisbury is an enthusiastic advocate of the unheated press. The form which he likes best is shown in Fig. 10. It will be seen that the loss of heat is prevented by having no circulation of air; hence, since wood is an excellent non-conductor, the combs remain hot for a considerable length of time. The construction is sufficiently clear from the illustration.
Another form is that shown in Fig. 11, representing a press constructed by Mr. John Rockwood, of Utah.
The particular form of unheated press preferred by the authors is shown in Fig. 13. It will be noticed that a round can, constructed of tin, is used instead of the square wooden box and tray shown in Fig. 9. 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 always in a direction directly away from the center, and the horizontal pressure is thus equalized. With the round can the cheeses do not chill so quickly as they do in the square box, for the reason that they are more compact, and there is always less chance for cold air to circulate around under the cheese. Mr. Hatch now uses two screws instead of one, for he believes that he can get more pressure with the two; but it is doubtful if two screws are necessary, since one screw will exert more pressure than is needed, and is, besides, more easily handled.
It will be noted in Fig. 13 that the screw extends down into a hole in the center of the east-iron follower. If the screw simply rests on the top, the follower shows a great tendency to go down sidewise, especially if one is not exceedingly careful to place the melted comb evenly in the can. It is easy to see that, when the follower does not go down straight, one side of the cheese will be much thicker than the other, and contain quite a good deal of wax after the work is done. With this arrangement the follower must go down straight unless the screw bends; but there has never been any trouble from that source. The circular follower above the cheese must be deleted, as shown on the under side, to aid the wax and water in running off.
With this press, since there is no heat applied to the combs during the pressing, it is well to do the work in warm weather, or in some room that can be kept warm by the heat of the stove used; for when the air is hinges should be screwed to the front edge, as shown, in order to allow it to be tipped up on edge when necessary, to let the wax and water drain out. It is best to have the back of the press a little higher than the front at all times.
To begin the work, your about two pulfuls of water into the boiler and set it on the stove. As this comes to a boil, keep adding old comb, stirring frequently. As much as half a barrel may be melted in one boiler at a time, or even more if necessary; but it is best not to have too much comb in proportion to the water used, since this plan is essentially a washing-out process; and good results, therefore, can not be secured when there is not enough water. Keep stirring the contents of the boiler until it has all been heated through thoroughly and has boiled until the wax has been reduced and the melted comb is of the consistency of mush; then push the boiler to the edge of the stove, where it will keep hot, but where the wax will not burn or become discolored from too high a temperature. Next put the wooden plug in the spout or tube at the bottom of the wax-press can; and after putting folded-up burlap and follower in the can, fill it with hot water. This is done to heat thoroughly the press and all the parts that would come in contact with the cheese, in order to prevent unnecessary chilling. Then remove
Figure 14: Showing can slid forward on the platform and the burlap spread out ready for the melted comb.
Figure 13: Style of unheated press preferred by the authors.
the wooden plug and draw off the water and your it into the second boiler on the stove, which, as before explained, should be used for melting up the second lot of comb in case it is necessary to do rapid work. Now slide the can forward on the platform, as shown in Fig. 14, and spread the piece of burlap over it.
Dip about one gallon of melted comb _and water_ into the press and fold the burlap neatly over it. The wooden plug must be kept in the outlet tube in order that the water and wax may not run out. In dipping in the melted comb do not use a strainer or dipper with a wire-cloth bottom, for the idea is to transfer _plenty of water with the comb_ in order to keep the wax from chilling, and also to aid in washing it out. Use an ordinary dipper, then, of pretty good size. The square piece of burlap should be of such size that there will be plenty of room on top to keep the slumgum from washing out; but, on the other hand, there should not be so much as to make a great roll of useless cloth that will only be in the way. A foot on each site to fold over is enough if this burlap be folded over neatly, as one would fold paper in tying up a package; there is no need of nails for keeping the edges together. Place the clearest slowly, until the limit has again been reached. Then release the pressure as before, and after this turn the screw down again for the last time. This whole process
Figure 13: All ready for pressure.
Figure 12: The press tipped up on edge to allow the last of the wax and water to run out.
Figure 14: The wooden plug and draw off the water and your it into the press and your it into the second boiler on the stove, which, as before explained, should be used for melting up the second lot of comb in case it is necessary to do rapid work. Now slide the can forward on the platform, as shown in Fig. 14, and spread the piece of burlap over it. Dip about one gallon of melted comb _and water_ into the press and fold the burlap neatly over it. The wooden plug must be kept in the outlet tube in order that the water and wax may not run out. In dipping in the melted comb do not use a strainer or dipper with a wire-cloth bottom, for the idea is to transfer _plenty of water with the comb_ in order to keep the wax from chilling, and also to aid in washing it out. Use an ordinary dipper, then, of pretty good size. The square piece of burlap should be of such size that there will be plenty of room on top to keep the slumgum from washing out; but, on the other hand, there should not be so much as to make a great roll of useless cloth that will only be in the way. A foot on each site to fold over is enough if this burlap be folded over neatly, as one would fold paper in tying up a package; there is no need of nails for keeping the edges together. Place the clearest slowly, until the limit has again been reached. Then release the pressure as before, and after this turn the screw down again for the last time. This whole process
of pressing will take about ten minutes in all. While the pressure is still on the comb, remove the wooden covers from the can, and tip up the press as shown in Fig. 16, so that the water and wax may run out into a small tub or large patii on the floor under it. Leave the press turned over for a few moments until all of the water and wax drain out, and then tip it back to its regular position. An old sack or piece of carpet should be thrown across the top of the small tub to keep the wax from chilling until it is completed into the large can, as explained later.
The screw should now be raised, the follower lifted out, and the burlap shaken into a box near by.
If the piece of burlap is rubber, the pressure will take about ten minutes in all.
While the pressure is still on the comb, remove the wooden covers from the can, and tip up the press as shown in Fig. 16, so that the water and wax may run out into a small tub or large patii on the floor under it. Leave the press turned over for a few moments until all of the water and wax drain out, and then tip it back to its regular position. An old sack or piece of carpet should be thrown across the top of the small tub to keep the wax from chilling until it is completed into the large can, as explained later.
For convenience this can should have a faucet or gate at the bottom so that hot water may be drawn off when it gets too full, th s hot water to be used over again in the next boiler of ca mb. It does not matter even if it is quite black and thick, for experience has shown that this dark-colored water does not discolor the wax. A piece of carpet should be kept over the top of this large can in order that the wax may not become chilled. At the end of the day, or whenever the work is over, the hot water may be drawn out until just before the wax begins to come. The wax may then be run out into suitable models, which, if made of metal, should be well moistened on the inside with soapsuds to prevent the wax from sticking.
The refuse from the press, which has be en shaken out in a large box, _is not yet free from wax_, and this point should be plainly understood. We have found that one treatment as above described will remove only 90 per cent of the total amount of wax. The refuse will look perfectly clean and dry, and many will be deceived and throw it away, thinking it not worth a second melting; but from quite a good many samples that we have tested from different lots of refuse that have been sent in from other producers, we are very sure that there is a waste of from eight to ten per cent of the wax unless this refuse is run through the press again. For this reason, when a sufficient amount is accumulated it is well to put it back in one of the boilers and boil it again in water. The second treatment will take a little over half the time the first did, since rather more can be pressed at a time; but the average bee-keeper can well afford to do it. Wax from very old combs can be extracted in this unheated press, even though it is gone over twice, at the rate of about seven or eight pounds an hour, and the final waste need not be over three per cent.
An important fact that must not be overlooked is that the quality of wax from this press is the very best. The cakes need only a little seraping on the bottom, to be ready for market. The color is good, so that there is no need of refining the wax afterward. If the combs were melted up without water, however, the wax would very probably be discolored from too high a temperature.
The above plan sounds somewhat complicated, but it has been found to be no more so than most methods of rendering wax. Of course it is not possible to do work of this kind without making some muss, and it is
Figure 17:Hateh's outdoor furnace for melting combs.
always a good deal better if the work can be done in a basement or in a shed where it does not make so much difference if a little way is spilled. If the work is done in a kitchen, the floor should be well covered with newspapers, which can afterward be taken up and burned. When boiling comb in a boiler, great care should be exercised to prevent the wax from boiling over on the stove and possibly causing a fire.