Solar Wax Melter in stainless steel

01 · THE SUN CANNOT BURN IT

It melts at 62-65 and darkens from 85

Beeswax melts between 62 and 65 °C, and from around 85 °C it starts to darken and lose aroma. A steam melter or a boiler pass that easily; inside this box the temperature stays in the good window.

That is why solar wax is usually the palest wax a beekeeper produces, and pale is exactly what gets paid for when you sell wax or trade it for foundation.

02 · WHAT COMES OUT, WHAT STAYS

It is a first melt, not a purification

The melted wax runs down by gravity to the stainless steel mould, and the slumgum — cocoons, brood remains, propolis — stays up on the plate. What comes out is a block that looks clean, but it is still a first melt: to make foundation it needs a second, filtered melt.

And set expectations for old comb: a black brood frame is mostly cocoon, not wax. Cappings, on the other hand, yield a great deal and come out almost clean.

03 · WHERE TO PUT IT

Facing south, tilted, out of shade

It goes facing south and on a slope: the tilt is not styling, it is what makes the melted wax run to the mould instead of setting on the way.

The double-layer polycarbonate lid acts as an air chamber and works like a greenhouse, so it still performs on partly cloudy days. The useful season runs April to October: in hot regions it can clear a load in under an hour; in a temperate climate it wants the whole day.

04 · CLEANING

It comes off while it is warm

The slumgum is removed while the whole thing is still hot: once it cools it welds itself to the plate and costs three times the work. The inner tray lifts out, so you take it away whole and scrape it outside.

In winter it is stored dry and under cover. It asks for nothing else: no element, no pump, no thermostat to fail.

05 · BEFORE YOU BUY

It depends on the sun: in low-sunshine regions or out of season it will not melt, and there you need steam or an element.