Gas Wax Melter 200 L

01 · HOW IT WORKS

The water sets the temperature ceiling

You fill the bottom with water, light the burner underneath and it is the water that carries the heat. The wax never touches the flame, and as long as there is water the whole thing cannot go above 100 °C: that physical ceiling is what makes it hard to ruin a batch by looking away.

Inside sits a perforated stainless steel basket with handles, loaded with frames or cappings: the wax drains through the perforations and the coarse rubbish — wood, brood remains, wire — stays up in the basket, which lifts out in one piece.

02 · THE TWO TAPS

Wax floats; the water stays underneath

This is what organises the whole job: molten wax weighs less than water (about 0.96 against 1), so it does not sink, it floats on top. The clean layer gathers above, which is why the wax tap is the upper one, 2 inches, wide-mouthed so it runs without clogging.

The lower tap drains the dirty water at the end. Two practical consequences follow: you need enough water for the wax layer to reach the upper tap, and the wax is drawn off hot, before it sets inside.

03 · WATCH THE WATER

The one lapse that costs money

With gas there is no thermostat and the water boils away. If the tank runs dry the wax starts heating against the bare steel: it darkens fast and, taken far enough, very hot wax can catch fire. That is the real reason a gas melter is never left alone.

Two habits solve it: check the level and top up with hot water — cold water on a red-hot bottom spits — and turn the flame down as soon as the load has melted. Sustained above about 85 °C the wax darkens and loses its scent.

04 · GAS AND PLACE

Always outside, and propane in winter

It comes with a burner and a metal stand, but the hose, the flame-arrest valve and the bottle are not included. Use it outdoors or in a very well ventilated space: there is combustion and there are wax fumes.

One seasonal detail, since wax tends to be rendered in winter: butane loses pressure below about 5 °C and the flame falls short in a freezing yard; propane copes with the cold. And it is worth having something to hand to smother a small flare-up.

05 · WHAT FITS AND WHAT COMES OUT

Up to 30 Langstroth frames per batch

Two hundred litres take about 30 Langstroth, 20 Dadant Blatt or 15 Layens frames per load. Wire and wood come out clean in the basket.

What runs from the tap sets into a block with a layer of slumgum stuck underneath, scraped off cold. The clean wax is then ready to trade in, to make candles, or to press into your own foundation.

06 · BEFORE YOU BUY

A gas wax boiler is chosen for where you can light it, not only for its litres.