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You will be left with pure bees wax in the collecting pan. It Inside there is an large aluminum drip pan that rests on
angled supports so that melted wax will run down and out
will have a nice light color, that intoxicating bee wax smell and
“bee” market ready. Now you can’t beat that! through an opening cut at the lower end of the pan. Inside this
Hint: Although I usually collect the wax in old bread panspan, a #8 wire mesh basket holds the wax while melting.
or cake pans, having wax in smaller blocks and other shapes There are a couple of small wooden spacer bars stapled to the
can be useful. For molds, I keep vacuum sealed clear plastic bottom of the wire basket to create a gap that permits the
coverings that are used for packaging many household prod- melted wax a flow space. The wire basket will catch and strain
ucts. These shapes are often just what is needed. Simply use out almost all of the debris found in the wax. The melted wax
the covering as a mold for the melted wax. See the Photo you collect will be very clean.
Gallery at the end of this article for examples. An old metal cake pan or bread pan is just right for collect-
ing the melted wax as it runs out the very bottom of the drip
Basic Construction pan. Because the front door is hinged, you can easily check
The solar wax melter is basically a box made out of 3/4" ply- on the collection pans and replace them if they get full.
wood (Figure 1 and photo). The top is slanted so that the This project has a little of everything for the shop-bound
hinged top lid has a more favorable presentation toward the beekeeper: woodworking (of course!), basic metal fabrication
sun. The lid has a double pane of glass with a 3/4" separation and even window glazing. Once completed and in use, you
(dead air space) that greatly increases the efficiency of the will wonder how you ever got by without your solar wax melter.
device. The sides, back and bottom of the box are insulated
with 3/4" foil faced foam board and painted black.
Construction Details
Finally, install two support braces across the width of the bot-
tom using 1" x 3/4" pine boards. Space the support braces
about 10" from either end. Use two 3" drywall screws on the
end of each cross brace.
“In the Beekeeper’s Work Shop”
Building a Solar Wax Melter
©by Stephen E. Tilmann
6"
port by three 24-1/4" 1x4s spanning the width of the melter
(Figure 6). The supports are 6" below the top of the side pan-
4"
3/
2-
els and spaced 2-3/4", 14" and 25" from the inside of the back
panel.
"
14
The flat side of the 1x4s should be slanted so that they are
"
parallel to the top of the side panels. Use two 2" drywall
25
screws screwed in from the outside of the side panels on each
end of the supports.
Before installing the lowest support, glue and nail two 1/2"
x 1-3/4" x 8" stops on the front edge (Figure 7). Leave a 6"
gap between the stops.
HARDWARE
AA 3/4" Foil Backed Foam Insulation, cut to fit (1) 11
BB 24 x 36 Tempered Glass (2) 9
CC 2" Hinge for top lid (2) 10
DD 4" Drawer Pull (3) 8, 14 & 15
EE 1 x 1/8 – 12 Steel for Wheel Assembly (2) 13
FF 9" Wheel for Wheel Assembly (2) 13
GG 1/2" x 4" Hex Head Bolt w/2 Nuts for Wheel Assembly (2) 13
HH 1/2" Flat Washer for Wheel Assembly (8) 13
II 1/2" Lock Washer for Wheel Assembly (2) 13
JJ #10 x 3/4" Pan Head Screw for Wheel Assembly (10) 13
KK 60" (approximately) 3/4" conduit bent into “U” shape for Rear Support Bracket (1) 14
LL #8 x 1-1/2" Pan Head Screw for Rear Support Bracket (8) 14
MM 1" Hinge for Front Door (1) 15
NN Half Turn Button for Front Door (1) 15
OO 27-1/2" x 34-1/2" Aluminum for Wax Drip Pan (1) 16
PP 23-1/2" x 31" #8 Hardware Cloth for Wire Wax Basket (1) 18
QQ 3/16" Pop Rivets for Aluminum Wax Drip Pan (as required) 18
RR 1/2" Staples for Wire Basket Spacers 18
SS 2-1/2" x 8 Decks Screws (as needed)
Miscellaneous wire brads (7/8” x 18”), staples (as needed)
Wood Glue (eg, Franklin’s Titebond®
“In the Beekeeper’s Work Shop”
Building a Solar Wax Melter
©by Stephen E. Tilmann
“In the Beekeeper’s Work Shop”
Building a Solar Wax Melter
©by Stephen E. Tilmann
Photo Gallery...
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5
4
Photo Captions:
1. Completed solar wax melter ready for use.
2. Rendered wax in convenient shapes.
3. Detail of front corner showing insulating board.
4. Detail of wheel assembly.
5. Detail of bottom supports.
6. Detail of rear stand and pulling handle.
7. Interior shown was pan and hardware cloth basket.