Content
Do-it-yourself wax presses are most often made by amateur beekeepers. Wax, purified at home and in production conditions, is of high quality, varying in the amount of pure product at the output.
What is a wax press and why is it needed?
A self-made wax press is an economical and reliable mechanism. A wax press is a device for removing wax from frames. The device allows you to obtain a pure, almost pure substance by separating and compressing the solid residues of the raw material.
The operating principle of all wax presses is the same. The raw materials are brought to the required temperature. Hot wax in a special bag is placed in the pressing compartment, where the liquid fraction of the raw material is expelled under pressure or by centrifugation. Clean 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 putting the wax press into operation, you must make sure:
- no defects or damage to the mechanism;
- integrity and stability of the tank;
- location of the device in places that exclude the possibility of fire;
- the strength of the bag or fabric used for the melted raw material;
- availability of protective equipment (thick clothing, gloves, glasses).
A homemade mechanism is an economical way to obtain a substance of sufficient purity. The operating time of different wax presses is almost the same. One full spin cycle will take 3 - 4 hours. However, the amount of product processed varies:
- for industrial machinery – 10-12 kg;
- Kulakov apparatus – 8 kg;
- manual wax press – 2 kg.
Each wax press has its own advantages and disadvantages. Before choosing a device, it is necessary to evaluate the expected production volumes, the purposes for which the wax is produced and the permissible amount of wax residues in solid waste. It is also necessary to determine where the spinning will take place. When using automatic mechanisms, a stable connection to power lines is required. A homemade wax press works by heating it from a fire or gas burner.
What types are there?
Wax presses are divided into the following types:
- Manual beekeeper. It is mostly used in small apiaries and is valued 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. Disadvantages include the need for constant manual heating of raw materials and insufficient cleaning.
- Industrial. The size of a small room, the tank is used to purify large quantities of wax in a specialized facility. The output wax tape or liquid wax is pure and ready for further use.It is unlikely to make such a device at home.
- Kulakova. A device that is a compromise between a hand-made mechanism and an industrial assembly. Allows you to obtain high-quality cleaning wax at home.
Voskopress Kulakova
The device, created specifically for wax cleaning, is distinguished by its reliable design and low energy consumption. The device consists of:
- from a metal tank;
- separator;
- coarse sieve;
- pressure handles.
To place the merga in the separator, use bags made of unbleached flax. The device is equipped with a heating coil for melting the wax: this stage is fully automated. By separation, pure wax is separated from solid waste.
A tank half filled with water is heated and the water is brought almost to a boil. The wax in the linen bag begins to melt. The separator and sieve are lowered to the bottom of the tank. The raw material mixed with water is boiled for about an hour until a wax film appears on the surface of the water. Next, the cleaning process takes place within half an hour. The wax drains away.
Is it possible to make a wax press with your own hands?
To make your own wax press, you need to have a sufficiently capacious container into which water will be poured and raw materials placed.
A drum from a washing machine is often used for this purpose. Some beekeepers prefer to use a wooden barrel, but this material will not be profitable. A wooden barrel is difficult to clean from the inside. The tree will swell due to constant changes in temperature and humidity. There is a risk that the device will disintegrate into its component parts during operation.
In terms of durability and reliability, it is preferable to use a metal vessel.For the extraction process, a steam piston and screw are used. Water is poured into the container through small holes drilled in the body. The filter material used is denser than linen. It is preferable to take burlap or thick gauze. It is almost impossible to repeat Kulakov’s wax furnace at home, since a number of parts can only be manufactured and put into operation at the factory.
Wax press from a gas cylinder
After a little modification, a gas cylinder can become a convenient and inexpensive tank for a wax press. To make a wax press from a gas cylinder, it is necessary to cut off the bottom of the cylinder for stability and weld the end with a flat sheet of iron. You can weld the supports along the edges so that the tank does not tip over during operation. To improve heat retention, the tank is lined with thermal insulation material (foam, wood, polyurethane foam, etc.).
Craftsmen who make a wax press with their own hands use a car jack as a screw. It must be secured with a welded transverse strip of steel. A hole is made in the tank to let the wax out.
The manufacture of the mechanism is shown in the video:
Operating principle of a manual wax press
Manual wax press is used by both professional beekeepers and amateur beekeepers.
The melted raw material in a durable bag is placed in a pressing apparatus, where, under the influence of a screw, the liquid fraction of the wax is gradually squeezed out. The cleaned wax comes out through the holes into the prepared container, the waste remains in the bag.
When working with a manual wax press, an inconvenience may be the need to tightly tighten the bag of molten mortar. This must 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 a factory wax press or from Kulakov’s apparatus in less power and productivity. The wax obtained is of decent quality, but it is not always possible to squeeze it dry. From 15% to 40% wax remains in the waste. Some beekeepers sell waste at a reduced price to owners of automatic or industrial wax presses that squeeze the wax dry. However, for amateur purposes, manual mechanisms are the best choice in terms of price-quality ratio.
Conclusion
It’s easy to make a wax press with your own hands if you have the skills to work with metal or wood. The necessary components can be purchased at thrift stores, warehouses of decommissioned goods, or simply from hand.
