Wood-burning wax melter, 15 frames

01 · HOW IT WORKS

Fire below, water in the middle, wax above

It is a small steam generator. You fill the middle chamber with water, load the frames and comb pieces into the upper compartment and light the wood burner.

The steam rises, melts the wax evenly and the wax drains into the tray. The slumgum and residual honey stay up top; what comes out below is clean wax, ready to pour into moulds.

02 · A THIRD OF WOOD

The rule that decides whether it lasts

The firebox should only be filled to a third of its volume. Loading it more speeds nothing up: the temperature climbs beyond design, the metal expands too far, and joints work loose or panels warp.

This is not a foundry furnace: it is built for a moderate, steady fire. Respect that limit and it makes steam to spare while the whole assembly suffers far less.

03 · THE FIREBOX IS A WEAR PART

And there are two ways to make it last

As in any stove, the inner chamber of the firebox takes the direct heat and deteriorates over the years. The maker treats it as a consumable and excludes it from the warranty, which is honest and worth knowing beforehand.

Two things extend it a great deal: lining the inside with firebrick (fireclay), which spreads the heat and shields the sheet metal, and resealing any joint that works loose with fire cement or high-temperature silicone, the same used on stoves and chimneys.

04 · THE WAX AND THE SMOKE

62-65 °C, and always outdoors

Wax melts between 62 and 65 °C and darkens above about 85 °C; steam arrives at 100 °C, so what you control is the time inside, not the temperature. The stainless steel helps the colour too: hot iron dirties wax.

And one condition that takes no exception: a wood burner is used outdoors or with a flue. Never in a closed room.

05 · BEFORE YOU BUY

It weighs 65 kg and works with fire: decide where it will stand before you buy it, not after.