Rotary steam wax melter LYSON

01 · STEAM TO MELT, SPIN TO DRAIN

Two things other machines do separately

A 3000 W element in the bottom of the drum heats water until it makes steam. The steam rises and gives up its heat to the load, which sits in a stainless steel basket perforated at Ø 3 mm. Once the wax is molten the 250 W motor comes in: the basket spins, centrifugal force throws the wax against the walls, and from there it falls to the bottom and out through the tap.

The full cycle, from the moment the machine is up to temperature, is around 20-25 minutes per load. It has low water level protection, though it is still worth checking the 4-5 litres before every use.

02 · THE SLUMGUM IS WHERE THE MONEY IS

And also where the honest limit is

The residue left after melting old combs still holds wax trapped among cocoons, propolis and brood remains. This machine spins that directly, with no hydraulic press, and gets that fraction out. You can load whole used frames without dismantling them, freshly uncapped cappings, wild comb from a swarm, or unpressed slumgum.

The limit: with old combs the final yield may not go past half of the theoretical wax, and residue that has already been through a hydraulic press is not worth spinning again.

03 · THE STAINLESS IS NOT DECORATION

The metal of the vessel decides the colour of the wax

Iron, zinc, brass and copper darken wax when it is melted in contact with them. That is why the drum and the lid are acid-resistant stainless steel (OH18N9) and the butterfly tap is stainless too.

It sits 37 cm off the floor, so a settling vessel goes underneath without lifting the machine. The legs are steel with an epoxy coating and the overall height of the unit is 111 cm.

04 · IT MELTS AND CLEANS

A boiler and a steriliser are not the same machine

Worth saying plainly, because it gets confused often: a steam boiler melts wax, and a steriliser controls time and temperature to reduce microbiological risk. They are not the same machine. Nor does this one remove acaricides or chemical residues.

And the wax that comes out is not finished: it has to be settled. A long rest, better while hot and around 80 °C, lets the dirt sink and the clean wax float, and that is how you get a block worth laminating.

05 · BEFORE YOU BUY

What can go in and what not to expect from what comes out.