Showing Beeswax
Last Updated on Thursday, 28 August 2008 22:05
Once the messy bit of processing wax has been completed, the more intersting part starts, which is purifying it either for candle/polish making, or for showing.
If you are seriously interested in showing wax, that is well beyond the scope of this website, and specialist books can be purchased. However for completeness, a brief description of one method is shown below.
Wax is flammable, so should be heated in a bain-marie. This is a "saucepan within a saucepan" and you have simmering water in the outer pan, and thus the wax is insulated from direct heating from the base of the pan. You should never leave wax unattended.
It can be beneficial to prepare several exhibits simultanesouly, as the filtering and mess (in your kitchen) can be less than well recieved by other members of the household!
The filter shown is kitchen roll, placed into a plastic milk carton with the base removed, and pegs to secure the material.
As a mould release, perfume free washing up liquid can be smeared around the mould, in this case, two pyrex bowls. Once poured in, it needs to cool very slowly. Unless you have access to a temperature-time profile oven (like one of our members) your best bet is to load a few house bricks into your oven to act as a heat retainer. Heat the oven to a low temperature (just below wax melting point) then add the moulds and leave overnight.
A final step is to top up with water, and place in the fridge for 24 hours. "Normally" the wax can be found floating on the surface after this time. Dry it off, and it should be ready to show.
Wax after cooling in a mould
Often, 1oz blocks are shown, and for this you will need to purchase a mould from one of the beekeeping suppliers.
The pictures below show the outcome - some nice bright shiny wax. For even lighter wax, honey cappings provide a much whiter colouring, which is preferred by show judges.