Voskress - a device that squeezes wax out of honeycombs. There are several types of such equipment having a specific mechanism of action. There are ready-made wax presses for sale, but you can make them yourself. In any case, the equipment must be used strictly according to the instructions.
Types of equipment, their device and principle of operation
There are three main varieties of waxpress: manual, Kulakova, industrial (factory). Their purpose is the same, but the dimensions and device differ:
- Manual construction. Such a device has the simplest design. This is a 43-cm cylindrical container containing 5 frames from the socket. The design is equipped with an iron mortar with grills, a special pressure screw and a wooden support. Manual wax-up works simply: the raw material is heated in water, goes into a liquid state and squeezed out.
- Voskressress Kulakova. This design is represented by an electric tank with a water heater and a drain valve, separator, upper and lower sieve, power drive and filter bag (usually made of linen). The principle of operation of the Kulakov wax-up is similar to manual equipment, but there is automation of the process - the water is heated up with ten, it also maintains the temperature in the future. Download the patent with a description of Kulakov’s design at this link.
- Voskress of industrial (factory) type. Such equipment is the most complex. It is used by large enterprises of industrial scale, and its use in small apiaries is unjustified. A feature of this type of device is the type of product at the output - a wax tape. The design of the equipment is expressed by a large-sized bunker with an electric heater and a special drum, from which the wax tape is removed. Vacuum tanks, special nozzles and discs for varying the width of the wax tape are also provided. This installation is used for large volumes of raw materials and requires special skills in work and maintenance.
Manual wax-up
Voskressress Kulakova
Industrial wax-up of modern design
The quantity and quality of the raw materials obtained depends on the type of equipment used. With a manual type of construction, it will take 3-4 hours to process 2 kg of honeycombs. During the same time, Voscopress Kulakova processes twice as much raw materials, and industrial equipment processes from 5 kg of raw materials per hour.
Factory wax-up cannot be assembled and used in a regular apiary, and voltage stability is important for Kulakov’s device - its differences reduce the equipment’s service life.
How to do wax up yourself?
You can make a device for squeezing wax with your own hands, and in different ways. An important point is the search for a suitable container - it must be sufficiently roomy and airtight, withstand heat.
Often do wax-up yourself from the drums from the washing machine. It will take two such containers. For tightness of the lower drum, the impeller must be removed, and the formed hole should be welded. From the second drum it is necessary to leave the upper stainless cylinder with a lid, and to strengthen, weld crosswise 30 cm stainless steel pipes. Fasten the screw vertically.
How to wax out the tank of an old washing machine is shown in the video below:
You can make waxpress based on a wooden barrel. The disadvantage of such a device is its short service life - constant changes in temperature and humidity for a tree are fatal. Another problem is the maintenance of the container, especially its cleaning.
The piston for home-made wax press is optimally performed on a steam type. The housing has small openings for water inlet.
Another option for a makeshift design is gas bottle. Proceed as follows:
- Cut the bottom of the container.
- Brew the resulting hole - use sheet steel.
- Fasten for stability of the support - you can use pipes, thick corners.
- Make insulation - you can use polystyrene, polyurethane foam, wood.
- Fasten the car jack by welding a transverse strip of steel.
- Provide a drain hole for the wax.
When using home-made designs, bags for raw materials are important. They must be sufficiently dense and strong. Better use jute. Polypropylene bags are also suitable for single use.
Watch the video, which shows how a home-made wax-up from a metal can, bed and jack looks and works:
Instruction for use
Features of the use of waxpress depend on its type. Manual device used according to this algorithm:
- Install the grill on the bottom of the mortar.
- Lower the bag with 2 kg honeycomb into the mortar.
- Pour in water - the bag should be filled in all.
- Set the structure on fire, keep the boiled raw materials on fire for another 15 minutes, so that the mass becomes homogeneous and porridge.
- Remove the mortar from the fire, install the compression grill, screw.
- Squeeze on a raw bag, pour the wax floating onto the surface into a container.
- Add hot water, and heat the mortar - this is necessary for the liquid state of the wax.
When using manual wax-up, one must always act according to one algorithm. When the wax no longer floats to the surface, the process will be completed.
Voskressress Kulakova should be used as follows:
- Install the structure on a flat surface.
- Pour hot water into the tank - fill half (at least 30 l).
- Turn on the heater.
- Insert the bag into the separator.
- Grind raw materials by hand, lay in a bag in layers of 3 cm, laying each with drainage material.
- Close the filled bag by pressing with the top sieve.
- Install the separator in the water tank.
- Boil the raw materials for at least 2 hours.
- Install the power mechanism, use the lever to bring the rod into spin mode - the process lasts at least an hour, the frequency of efforts slowly increases.
- Open the tap in the upper part of the tank, substituting a clean container in advance - squeezed wax will pour here.
Watch the video tutorial on using Kulakov wax-press:
When working with Kulakov wax press, the amount of raw material directly depends on the time of extraction. To speed up the process, pour hot water (90 degrees), pre-boil the raw materials for at least 2 hours.
Regardless of the type of wax press used, the final stage in working with it is cleaning the device. After thorough cleaning, all equipment is completely dried. Ignoring this measure will shorten the life of the device.
Voskressress - equipment for obtaining wax. It can be manual or automated, it can be bought ready-made or made independently. Voskressresses are arranged quite simply. The quality of the product at the outlet and the speed of its receipt depend on the type of equipment used.