DIY Solar Wax Melter

Raw beeswax is a wonderful item that can be harvested from bees. There are so many ways you can use beeswax in crafts and recipes for useful products. But, raw comb must be processed a bit before it is ready to use or convenient to store. Melting beeswax with a solar wax melter is one safe way to get it ready for crafting and other projects. It is really easy to build this small inexpensive DIY solar beeswax melter to melt your wax.

One of the best sources of beeswax is the cappings – wax used to cap cells of honey. They are removed during honey extraction. In their raw state, cappings are sticky and contain honey residue. It is worth the effort to proper clean beeswax and produce beautiful usable beeswax.

Solar Wax Melter Plans

Of course, you can melt beeswax in several different ways. But, if you have a small amount of wax to render, making your own solar beeswax melter is a great option.

This is even helpful for beekeepers – who understand how hard honey bees work to make wax. Never throw away valuable wax that you can use or sell for a profit.

Melting Beeswax with the Sun

For hundreds of years beekeepers have been harnessing the power of the sun to melt wax.

Once beeswax is melted and then cooled – it takes the form of the bucket or tub used to hold it. Now the raw wax is in a usable form for projects or for the beekeeper to sell to others.

For larger amounts of wax, a solar wax melter is often made using an insulated wooden box (or metal) and a sheet of thick glass for the top.

Inside a tub or pail holds the wax as it melts, this allows some of the debris in the wax to settle to the bottom. This is especially helpful if you put a bit of water in the bottom of the pail.

After the wax cools, the dirty water will be on the bottom – making it easier to remove the block of beeswax from the container.

You don’t need fancy plans to make a solar wax melter – but its okay if you want to get fancy.

What Does it Cost to Make A Solar Wax Melter?

If you only process a small amount of beeswax each season, you do not want to invest a lot of money in a melter.

A small scale beekeeper can make a wax melter for a little over $10. All you need are a few materials and a little patience.

Supplies Needed:

A regular Styrofoam cooler is perfect for this project. However, you can use any type of box that will hold in heat. Even a wooden box will work – it will work even better if you wrap it with some insulation.

Be very careful with your glass or you will get cut. Keep children and pets away. I always tape the edges of glass for a bit of extra protection.

Tips & Precautions for Using Your Solar Wax Melter

Working with glass must be done with care. A suitable piece of “safety glass” is the best option. But, an old window works well as long as it will fit your melter box tightly.

If you have nothing else, you can purchase window pane glass at most small hardware stores. ($9) It will break easily and it will cut you too.

Children should not be involved with this process. And, I always tape the edges of any piece of glass to reduce the chance of cuts.

Removing Melted Beeswax From The Melter

Once the day is over and all the wax has melted, you are almost done. It gets really hot inside the box. Do not remove the glass or contents too quickly.

Let the box cool in the shade for an hour or two. Carefully remove the glass top-using 2 hands.

The strainer material will have some dark, gunky beeswax “stuff” on top. We call this “slum gum”. I throw it away but you can use it to make homemade fire starters.

In the bottom of your cooler, you will find beautiful wax. Underneath the wax is the water that we added earlier. It will have honey residue. Do not feed this to the bees-it can make them sick.

Creative Ideas for Use

Now what to do with this treasure from the hive? Who couldn’t enjoy a few beeswax candles? Or, maybe you could make some homemade beeswax furniture polish that is kind to your wood.

Recipes abound that include this natural wax for personal care: beeswax for hair and even soothing beeswax skin care ideas.

The many ways of using beeswax are too numerous to list. But, it is popular for many crafting projects – you can even make your own Christmas ornaments, or create a family treasure with tea cup candles.

Final Thoughts

Now you know how to make your own solar beeswax melter and use it. You can even up-size it and make a larger one using the same principles.

Be safe to avoid accidents with pieces of glass or hot wax that can cause burns. And, enjoy the many useful projects that your homemade solar beeswax melter can help you create.