Beeswax decanter

01 · WHY THE WAX FLOATS

0.96 against 1.00

Beeswax has a density of 0.96 g/cm³ and water 1.00. That small difference is the whole mechanism: molten wax floats while propolis, cocoons and dirt sink with the water.

The compartments and baffles use that separation so clean wax runs out of the top continuously, while water and residue leave at the bottom. The adjustable foot sets the relative level of the two outlets: that is what you touch when the yield is not what it should be.

02 · IT HAS TO STAY HOT

Let it cool and it stops separating

The wax arrives molten, but if the tank cools, it sets inside and the process stops. Keeping it hot throughout is not a tip: it is the condition for it to work.

High temperatures are not needed. Beeswax melts at 62-65 °C, so holding the whole thing in that range is plenty — and above roughly 85 °C wax darkens, so overshooting does not help either.

03 · HOW TO HEAT IT

Electric hotplate, never a naked flame

The practical answer is an electric hotplate underneath, on low and steady. An induction hob with a diffuser also works. What you want is gentle, stable heat, not power.

What to avoid is a naked flame: excess localised heat stirs the mixture exactly where it should be still, and separation gets worse rather than better.

04 · WHERE IT FITS IN YOUR LINE

Between the boiler and the mould

It goes on the outlet of a wax recovery boiler, which is where the mix of wax, water and debris comes from. Without a settling tank, that mix drops into the mould and you have to remelt and clean it afterwards.

The two perforated-plate filters sit at the inlet and hold back the coarse material before it reaches the compartments. This is the piece that turns a wax melter into a small wax line.

05 · BEFORE YOU BUY

It is a boiler accessory, it does not work on its own. And it needs a gentle heat source underneath throughout the job.