Solar Wax Melter

ski · Post by **ski** » Thu Apr 29, 2010 2:55 pm

Back in July of 2009 Jack Fleming offered some windows for solar wax melters and I was fortunate enough to obtain one. Well I finally got to the project, some picture links are below. Thanks for the window Jack.
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/ ... 010001.jpg
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/ ... 010002.jpg
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/ ... 010003.jpg
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/ ... 010004.jpg
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/ ... 010006.jpg
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/ ... 010009.jpg

Doug Shaw · Post by **Doug Shaw** » Thu Apr 29, 2010 7:10 pm

Nice melter! Can you share the plans for it if you have them?

ski · Post by **ski** » Thu Apr 29, 2010 7:23 pm

The basic plans are on Beesource, link below. But then you have to make it the size of the window and perhaps a bit easier to build. This is just how mine came out. We will see how well it works over the next few days. If you are going to build one you are welcome to stop by and check it out.

http://www.beesource.com/build-it-yours ... ax-melter/

ski · Post by **ski** » Fri Apr 30, 2010 4:58 pm

I have a question.
I put in about 10 frames of very dark wax in the melter it was all compressed together in a lump. The lump of dark wax melted some then, this afternoon I broke it apart and stirred it up and it seemed like just dark paper remaining.
I don't know if this is normal or what, is this dark paper like stuff supposed to melt?
I did get maybe a cup or so of melted wax from the 10 frames of dark wax.
I put a wired remote thermometer sensor in this morning and about 10:30 it read 153F the next time I checked it the reading was error so I don't know how hot it got. The sensor was approx 3-4 inches below the glass near the top of the unit.
Any comments would be helpful.
Thanks,
Ski

Post by **Wally** » Fri Apr 30, 2010 5:14 pm

You got about all of it. The rest is old cocoons. You won't get much from black comb.

What is the max on the therm.? It likely got near or above 200 today.

ski · Post by **ski** » Fri Apr 30, 2010 6:22 pm

Thanks for the wax information Wally.

The thermometer is a cheap little Holmes digital unit with a wired sensor, I don't know what the specs are. If I had thought of it I would have tried using the Infrared unit.

ski · Post by **ski** » Mon Jun 28, 2010 2:05 pm

Put a candy thermometer in the wax melter and the last few days it was a little above 170 degrees F. So not hot enough to boil water but hot enough melt wax and to burn your fingers when you try and handle the thermometer. It will be interesting to see how hot it gets when its 75-80 degrees outside instead of 95.