What Should I Get Off of My Neighbor?

[The15thMember]

I have some comb in a cheesecloth bag in hot water for my first go with this. The cheesecloth looks like a pretty small mesh, is the wax going to make it through that? Or are there different meshes?

There are, but I doubt it will be a problem, as long as the wax is truly liquid.  I buy the cheapest stuff they have at Walmart, and the mesh is a little too wide, so I usually double bag mine to keep any slumgum from leaking out.  If you are doing this on a stove, be sure for safety reasons that it doesn't boil.  A wax fire is very dangerous.  That's why I like the Crock Pot, because I know it won't get to 212F.  Beeswax melts at 147F, so your water should be hot, maybe barely simmering, but NEVER boiling.  Don't leave it unattended for too long.  SAFETY FIRST!       

[Terri Yaki]

I have some comb in a cheesecloth bag in hot water for my first go with this. The cheesecloth looks like a pretty small mesh, is the wax going to make it through that? Or are there different meshes?

There are, but I doubt it will be a problem, as long as the wax is truly liquid.  I buy the cheapest stuff they have at Walmart, and the mesh is a little too wide, so I usually double bag mine to keep any slumgum from leaking out.  If you are doing this on a stove, be sure for safety reasons that it doesn't boil.  A wax fire is very dangerous.  That's why I like the Crock Pot, because I know it won't get to 212F.  Beeswax melts at 147F, so your water should be hot, maybe barely simmering, but NEVER boiling.  Don't leave it unattended for too long.  SAFETY FIRST!     

Got it, thanks! I saw that on the melting temp and that article said that it would change color if overheated. I'm thinking that that's just straight up in a pot, not in water. If I'm wrong, wise me up. Besides, I started with some nasty brown comb first figuring I can't hurt it. There is some clean stuff in the bottom of that jar, that I'll keep clean.

[Terri Yaki]

And how long should I cook this for? How do I know when I've reached 'the end'?

[The15thMember]

I'm thinking that that's just straight up in a pot, not in water.

Just to keep on this PSA safety train, beeswax should never be melted over direct heat.  So it should either be melted in water, using a double boiler/bain marie, or in the microwave in short bursts.

Besides, I started with some nasty brown comb first figuring I can't hurt it.

Don't be surprised if you don't get much from the very dark stuff.  A lot of the gunk in that comb falls into the "unmeltable" category.   

And how long should I cook this for? How do I know when I've reached 'the end'?

Basically you just need to get to the point where everything that is going to melt is melted.  Which probably isn't very helpful.    The cheesecloth will kind of flatten out as the wax melts out and leaves room inside the mesh.  The melted wax won't be very visible in the water, especially if you don't get much.  In the Crock Pot, it usually takes me several hours, but I'm melting a lot at one time, so it just kind of depends.   

[Ben Framed]

Terri I realize you do not have colonies of bees as if yet, so the following will not be to your benefit at this time as far as wax recovery is concerned. This video demonstrates the 'flammability' of beeswax, as well a 'unique way' to render wax from 'even black comb' to some degree, for those who may have many hives and are serious about recovering wax efficiently..   

Phillip


https://youtu.be/0aM_F4pS5As?si=7Hm48bv4tA1AQlGa

[Terri Yaki]

Terri I realize you do not yet have any hives, and the following will not be to your benefit to you at this time as far as wax recovery is concerned. This video demonstrates the flammability of beeswax, as well a 'unique way' to render wax from 'even black comb' to some degree, for those who have many hives and are serious about recovering wax efficiently..   

Phillip


https://youtu.be/0aM_F4pS5As?si=7Hm48bv4tA1AQlGa

That's OK, my neighbor has them and he doesn't seem to be interested in this recovery so he gives me his stuff. He had a lot of comb that was fit for an Alfred Hitchcock movie and I didn't bother with that. Thanks for the info

[Ben Framed]

Terri you might have already said and I might have missed it. How many hives does he have?

Phillip

[Michael Bush]

>How do you know what scrapple is?

I grew up in a small town.  Like less than 1,000 people.  The people I went to school with were mostly farm kids.  A lot of them were of German decent.  My dad was from the South.  Things like headcheese and scrapple were not uncommon.  People gathered mushrooms and caught crawdads too.  Fried mush was also common and almost the same as scrapple except for the meat.  Cracklin's were also nice in things to make them "meaty".

[Terri Yaki]

Terri you might have already said and I might have missed it. How many hives does he have?

Phillip

He had about five during the summer but he lost three. I don't think he's a very good housekeeper with them, which surprises me because he is OCD on everything else that he does. He just has this mental block about learning from others. I do expect him to do better next year and he might even benefit from a little competition.

>How do you know what scrapple is?

I grew up in a small town.  Like less than 1,000 people.  The people I went to school with were mostly farm kids.  A lot of them were of German decent.  My dad was from the South.  Things like headcheese and scrapple were not uncommon.  People gathered mushrooms and caught crawdads too.  Fried mush was also common and almost the same as scrapple except for the meat.  Cracklin's were also nice in things to make them "meaty".

That sounds like a nice array of different eats there. I have heard of head cheese but never had it and will probably keep it that way. I didn't find mush to be all that great but it could have been the brand or the way it was prepared. I render my lard and tallow so I do get cracklin's but haven't found a use for them yet. To me, they seemed burned. Maybe I should have pulled them out earlier but they were really greasy too. They could work as an additive to other things though, I might give that a try.

[Terri Yaki]

Don't be surprised if you don't get much from the very dark stuff.  A lot of the gunk in that comb falls into the "unmeltable" category.

You weren't exaggerating with that statement. All I got from that round was a disc that I'd have to measure with a micrometer. That's OK though, I like these kinds of experiments. The disc was interesting. It was rubbery and flexible and not what I expected of it. I did break it into pieces and I put it in a foil container. After I get more, I'll steam it and make an ingot out of it.

[Michael Bush]

Craklin's will be greasy.  They shouldn't be burned.  You can add them to anything you would add bacon bits to...

[Terri Yaki]

Craklin's will be greasy.  They shouldn't be burned.  You can add them to anything you would add bacon bits to...

I left them in until full rendering was done, next time I'll pull them out.

[Terri Yaki]

Apparently, a couple of dabs of wax on the stovetop are not appreciated.

[The15thMember]

Apparently, a couple of dabs of wax on the stovetop are not appreciated.

Been there!    Unfortunately, unlike the other utensils, it's rarely practical to have your own stove for wax melting. 

[animal]

Teri, head cheese isn't much different than scrapple .. minus the corn meal and liver .. plus more gelatin and a touch of vinegar. Your souse is pretty much the same as our head cheese. Our souse is usually a spicier version our hog's head cheese but everything varies by who makes it, when it comes to spiciness and how coarse the chunks are. Personally, I like the hot and spicy stuff with green onions in it (more Cajun than Mississippi), and will melt/mix it into cooked rice. Usually it's eaten cold. Like anything it depends on how someone makes it and what your tastes are. Even something as simple as grits can be good or horrible.
I always thought it was odd that scrapple is more northern and head cheese more southern ... because of the cornmeal.

Do the leftovers of the brown comb burn cleanly ? Was wondering if it might make a good campfire/fireplace starter. .. or what it might be useful for.

[Terri Yaki]

Teri, head cheese isn't much different than scrapple .. minus the corn meal and liver .. plus more gelatin and a touch of vinegar. Your souse is pretty much the same as our head cheese. Our souse is usually a spicier version our hog's head cheese but everything varies by who makes it, when it comes to spiciness and how coarse the chunks are. Personally, I like the hot and spicy stuff with green onions in it (more Cajun than Mississippi), and will melt/mix it into cooked rice. Usually it's eaten cold. Like anything it depends on how someone makes it and what your tastes are. Even something as simple as grits can be good or horrible.
I always thought it was odd that scrapple is more northern and head cheese more southern ... because of the cornmeal.

Do the leftovers of the brown comb burn cleanly ? Was wondering if it might make a good campfire/fireplace starter. .. or what it might be useful for.

I don't know how it burns, I didn't spill that much on the stove.    Here's a picture of the first batch. I was pretty careful with my process, the second round wasn't as clean and I'll refine it again. I was surprised that it came up this clean. This disc is like 1/32" thick.

[animal]

That looks like a nice round of wax to me.

What I was wondering about was the other stuff that the clean wax came out of.... I've made campfire starter's out of wax and dryer lint (from an all cotton load)... figured all of the wax would not be extracted and was wondering if the stuff leftover might work as a waterproof fire starting material.

[Terri Yaki]

That looks like a nice round of wax to me.

What I was wondering about was the other stuff that the clean wax came out of.... I've made campfire starter's out of wax and dryer lint (from an all cotton load)... figured all of the wax would not be extracted and was wondering if the stuff leftover might work as a waterproof fire starting material.

Oh, that went way over my head. Good question, I'll give it a try and let you know.

[Michael Bush]

Don't waste good beeswax on fire starters.  You can buy paraffin so much cheaper and once you are keeping bees there is always the slumgum that you can use for that.

[Ben Framed]

I took it that the leftover stuff animal is asking about, 'is' the 'slumgum' that we have been talking about in previous post.

I am wondering about the possibility of any water or moisture that might become trapped 'within' this this stuff, (considering the sealing property of wax), thus allowing a 'thin' wax coatings 'throughout' and 'within' this slumgum as it cools? Perhaps enough trapped moisture to disallow this stuff from working out well as we might hope as a fire starter as such?  🤷🏻‍♂️

Phillip