Easy Solar Wax Melter

[velacreations]

We've been raising bees for a while in our top bar bee hives. With a top bar hive, you produce a lot of extra wax. To use that wax, you need to melt it and filter it. This solar powered wax melter is perfect for the job. Just throw in your comb and put it in the sun!

You'll need some basic materials to put this together, but it should last a lifetime.

For detailed instructions, please visit:
http://velacreations.com/food/animals/bees/item/104.html

More photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/velacreations/sets/72157629747314885/

 

[D1]

I wish the two hives I got out of a house last summer would produce some honey and wax, then I would have a need for this unit.
Is there really that much differnce in wax production from TBH and Lang boxes?


looks good however I have a few questions for you.

1) Why have it inside a wooden box and a sheetmetal box?

2)Wouldnt it be just as effective without the wooden box?

3) Why paint the inside of the sheet metal box black?

4) Wouldnt plain sheetmetal reflect more sunlight creating more heat? I understand black will get really hot, just seems to me the reflection would be hotter


Not trying to knock your design, just trying to understand it.

 

[velacreations]

TBH's produce more wax because you typically harvest the whole comb, vs using an extractor with a Lang. That being said, if you cut out the comb in a Lang frame, then it will produce the same amount of wax.

1. It has a sheet metal box on the inside to radiate the heat around the wax. This is basically a solar oven. The wood on the outside is like a layer of insulation, but you could use metal on the outside, if you wanted.

2. It would be just as effective, as long as you maintain the layer of insulation around the metal box. The wooden box holds the perlite (insulation) in.

3. You paint the metal black so that it absorbs heat. Galvanized sheet metal tends to reflect light, but we want to absorb as much as possible here.

4. Shiny metal will reflect a portion of the heat back out of the container. We want to trap as much heat as possible inside the box.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[D1]

Thanks for clearing that up for me.

 

[Marianne]

Great job!