Steam wax melter 115L

01 · HOW IT WORKS

Steam up, wax down

The water in the double bottom boils over a heat source placed underneath, the steam rises through the siphon and fills the tank. That steam melts the wax off the frames without the wax ever touching the flame — which is why it does not burn or darken. The melted wax passes through the stainless steel filter and comes out already strained through the outlet tube, where you put a container to act as a mould. There is no tap: it comes out as it melts.

02 · HOW MUCH IT TAKES

Whole frames, nothing dismantled

Frames go in complete: about 18 Langstroth, 13 Dadant brood or 9 Layens, depending how you stack them. For any other format the rule is the cylinder: if the frame fits inside 525 mm across by 650 tall, it goes in. And melting is not slow: in 20 or 30 minutes it is done, depending on the state of the combs and the outside temperature.

03 · THE HEAT SOURCE

A gas ring, and why

It stands on a butane ring, which is not included. It works over any fire underneath — wood included — but the ring has one advantage that matters: it can be turned down. With wood the fire does as it pleases, and what has to be watched here is exactly the water level in the double bottom: run it dry and the bottom scorches. You check it through the filling tube — no water in sight means top it up.

04 · THE SAFETY RULE

Never seal it shut

This one is not negotiable: the lid is not closed on its airtight seal and the water filling tube is never plugged — you cover it with a cloth and nothing more. There is pressurised steam inside, and a sealed vessel with no way out is a dangerous vessel. It is the only real precaution the machine asks for, and with that respected it is about as simple as anything in a honey house.

05 · WHAT GETS MELTED HERE

Old frames, cappings and offcuts

Its job is wax renewal: old brood frames that have done their time, broken combs, leftover foundation and the residue from uncapping. The frames come out clean and ready to be wired again, and the recovered wax goes into the block. It is the step that closes the wax cycle at home instead of sending everything away.

06 · BEFORE YOU BUY

The gas ring is not included. And two rules of use: never close the lid on its airtight seal or plug the water tube, and keep an eye on the level in the double bottom.