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Do-it-yourself wax press is most often made by amateur beekeepers. Wax, purified at home and at work, is of high quality, varying in the amount of pure product at the output.
What is a wax press and what is it for?
Do-it-yourself wax press is an economical and reliable mechanism. A wax press is a device for separating wax from frames. The device allows you to get a pure, almost pure substance by separating and compressing the solid residues of raw materials.
The principle of operation of all wax presses is the same. The raw material is brought to the required temperature. Hot wax in a special bag is placed in the pressing compartment, where, under the influence of pressure or by centrifugation, the liquid fraction of the raw material is expelled. Pure wax is poured through a special chute or through holes made into a prepared container. The remaining solid waste is removed. All parts of the mechanism are thoroughly washed and dried.
When starting the wax press, you need to make sure:
- in the absence of defects and damage to the mechanism;
- integrity and stability of the tank;
- the location of the device in places that exclude the possibility of a fire;
- the strength of the bag or fabric used for the melted raw material;
- the presence of protective equipment (tight clothing, gloves, goggles).
A homemade mechanism is an economical way to get a substance of sufficient purity. The operating time of various wax presses is almost the same. One full spin cycle will take 3-4 hours. However, the amount of processed product varies:
- for an industrial mechanism – 10-12 kg;
- apparatus Kulakov – 8 kg;
- manual wax press – 2 kg.
Each wax press has its advantages and disadvantages. Before choosing an apparatus, it is necessary to evaluate the expected production volumes, the purposes for which the wax is produced and the allowable amount of wax residues in solid waste. It is also necessary to determine where the extraction will take place. When using automatic mechanisms, a stable connection to power lines is required. A homemade wax press works by heating from a fire or a gas burner.
What kinds of species exist?
Wax presses are divided into the following types:
- Manual beekeeper. It is mainly used in small apiaries, appreciated by amateur beekeepers. The volume of the device is usually small, does not exceed 30 – 40 liters. The advantage of the wax press is its compactness and relatively low cost. The disadvantages include the need for constant manual heating of raw materials and insufficiently high-quality cleaning.
- Industrial. The size of a small room, the tank is used to clean large amounts of wax in a specialized facility. Wax tape or liquid wax at the output are pure and ready for further use. To make such a device at home is unlikely.
- Kulakova. An apparatus that is a compromise between a hand-made mechanism and an industrial assembly. Allows you to get high quality cleaning wax at home.
Voskopress Kulakova
The device, designed specifically for wax cleaning, is characterized by a reliable design and low power consumption. The apparatus consists of:
- from a metal tank;
- separator;
- coarse-mesh sieve;
- pressure handles.
Unbleached flax bags are used to place the mergy into the separator. The device is equipped with a heating coil for melting the wax: this stage is fully automated. By separating, the pure wax is separated from the solid waste.
The tank, half filled with water, is heated, the water is brought almost to a boil. The wax in the linen bag begins to melt. The separator and sieve sink to the bottom of the tank. Raw materials mixed with water are boiled for about an hour until a wax film appears on the surface of the water. Then the cleaning process takes place within half an hour. The wax drains.
Is it possible to make a wax press with your own hands
For self-production of a wax press, it is necessary to have a sufficiently capacious container where water will be poured and raw materials will be placed.
For this purpose, a drum from a washing machine is often used. Some beekeepers prefer to use a wooden barrel, but this material will be unprofitable. A wooden barrel is difficult to clean from the inside. From constant changes in temperature and humidity, the tree will swell. There is a risk that the device will fall apart during operation.
In terms of durability and reliability, it is preferable to use a metal vessel. For the spinning process, a steam piston, screw is used. Water is poured into the container through small holes drilled in the body. The filter material is denser than linen. It is preferable to take burlap, dense gauze. It is practically impossible to repeat Kulakov’s wax melter at home, since a number of parts can be manufactured and put into operation only at the factory.
Wax press from a gas cylinder
A gas cylinder, after a slight alteration, can become a convenient and inexpensive wax press tank. To make a wax press from a gas cylinder, it is necessary to cut off the bottom of the cylinder for stability, weld the end with a flat sheet of iron. It is possible to weld along the edges of the support so that the tank does not turn over during operation. To improve heat retention, the tank is sheathed with heat-insulating material (styrofoam, wood, polyurethane foam, etc.).
As a screw, craftsmen who make a wax press with their own hands use a car jack. It must be fixed with a welded transverse steel strip. A hole is made in the wax exit tank.
The manufacture of the mechanism is shown in the video:
The principle of operation of a manual wax press
A manual wax press is used by both professional beekeepers and amateur beekeepers.
Melted raw materials in a strong bag are placed in a pressing apparatus, where, under the influence of a screw, the liquid wax fraction is gradually squeezed out. Purified wax through the holes goes into the prepared container, the waste remains in the bag.
In the operation of a manual wax press, an inconvenience may be the need to tightly twist the bag with molten merv. This should be done with caution, but the procedure is necessary: the tighter the bag with raw materials is twisted, the more purified wax the beekeeper will receive at the exit.
A manual wax press differs from the factory one or from the Kulakov apparatus with less power and productivity. Wax turns out to be of decent quality, but it is not always possible to squeeze it dry. Waste remains from 15% to 40% of wax. Some beekeepers sell waste at a discounted price to owners of automatic or industrial wax presses that squeeze the mere dry. However, for amateur purposes, manual mechanisms in terms of price-quality ratio are the best choice.
Conclusion
Do-it-yourself wax press is easy to make if you have the skills to work with metal or wood. The necessary components can be purchased at thrift stores, at warehouses for decommissioned goods, or simply from hand.