minding my own beewax

We've had another month-long project here--very short by my quilting standards--but something to work on at any rate. We have an order for "cleaned" wax--200 pounds in 2 pound "bricks", "loaves"....I don't know what to call them. It's been something.............but not too much....... We get the forty-something pound "cakes" from the warehouse..........this wax has already been processed once, but you'd be amazed at the "gunk" that's still in it. I put them in a garbage bag and drop or throw them on the garage floor to break them into chunks that will fit in my pot. The colder it is, the easier it is to break. Sometimes we put a chunk in the freezer.....works like a charm!

When I have put several pieces in the pot, I fill it about half full with water..........yep, water. And put it on the stove. It's fun to watch the wax melt and float to the top of the water where it hardens again until the water gets hot enough to keep it liquid.

Then I want the water to boil up through the wax...........yes, it can get a little exciting, but I keep a fire extinguisher handy, just in case I need it.

After it boils for 10 to 15 minutes I turn off the heat and let it sit for 15 minutes. I have discovered if I get impatient and carve time off the 15 minutes, all the water has not had time to "settle" out of it and I end up with water in the bottoms of the molds...........funny, huh? This business--bees, honey, (and now wax) everything--has always fascinated me. After sitting I strain the wax through a cloth.........and pour it into bread pans. These are two pound "cakes", "bricks"......... whatever........

I love the smell of the boiling wax........I love the feel of the cooled wax when I knock it out of the molds..........I love the color..........I love to stack it up and see the results of my work........very satisfying. It's not so bad to see the check either, when it comes! Ahhhhh, the life of a beekeeper's wife!! I love it too!!!