Beeswax Salvaged with a Hydraulic Press

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 79, Issue 2, 15 August 1949, Page 163

Beeswax Salvaged with a Hydraulic Press

BECAUSE of the objectionable nature of salvaging beeswax from ■*-* culled combs, cappings, etc., beekeepers are usually reluctant to undertake this essential part of their apiary work. . As this results in the loss of much beeswax yearly, any system which is reasonably efficient in dealing with the salvage of beeswax and is more attractive than the manual method deserves attention. In this article E. Smellie, formerly Apiary Instructor, Department of Agriculture, Christchurch, describes a method devised by Mr. E. B. Diehl, of Waiau, North Canterbury, by which good-quality wax is salvaged fairly efficiently with a hydraulic press. ■ ■

IT is not claimed that Mr. Diehl’s system retrieves the same amount of beeswax from a given number of combs as the hand screw-press, but the amount of wax left in the slumgum is not very great and its value insufficient to compensate the extra time involved in retrieving it with the hand screw-press method. Another important advantage, with this method is that there is no fire hazard during the rendering process. Construction of Press The hydraulic press is made from two ' open-topped 44-gallon drums — pressure drum and a boiler drum. The drums are connected at their bases by means of a pump and a system of

pipes and control valves to. regulate the transfer of water to each drum. Steam inlets are also placed at the base of each drum (see diagram below). Inside the pressure drum 1 a flanged liner is supported from its top edge. The flange is lin. wide and the inside diameter of the liner is lin. less than that of the outer drum. The length of the liner is 2in. less than the depth of the drum. A strong wire-mesh screen is fitted at the base of the liner and a similar screen rests on supports that are soldered 4in. from the top inside edge. The lid of the pressure boiler is of a special type with a rubber sealing gasket on the inner edge and is also

strfile?p?att restmg g on cleftTto 1 pro? vide a free passage for wax. On the ax^ffilector^fng^nd 1 1 This unit is cast in aluminium from a pattern specially made and is held in clamps attached to a steel band fixed below the top outside beading of the pressure rum. Method of Using Equipment In rendering old combs with this unit the boiler drum is two-thirds

filled with water and the pressure drum about one-third and steam is applied to each to bring them to the boil. Combs are then layered crisscross in the boiler drum and forced below the level of the water and held submerged by a weight. The drum will take approximately 30 combs in one charge. As the combs melt, the wax and cocoons are skimmed off with a dipper and transferred to the pressure drum. When no further wax is rising the frames are removed and a fresh charge placed in the boiler drum. Up to 12 supers of combs may be handled in one pressing, but when sufficient wax material has been transferred to the pressure drum, the upper strainer screen is placed in position and an

opened-out sugar bag placed over the open top and the lid clamped down. At this stage the steam is directed into the pressure drum ' and the contents brought to a vigorous boil. In a few minutes the steam is shut off and directed again into the boiler drum and the pump brought into operation. When valve J in the diagram is opened and valve O is shut the pump draws hot water from the boiler drum and forces it up . through the pressure drum. Under this impetus the wax is driven through the screens and thence out through the top opening and spout to a wax separator, whence the water returns to the boiler drum and the pure wax runs off into a bucket or mould. After the wax run-off decreases until no more wax is flowing from the separator, the pump is stopped and valve J is closed. Valve O is then, opened for the water to return by gravity from the pressure drum to the

boiler drum. When the water level in the pressure drum has been lowered approximately 6in., as may be seen by the rise of water in the boiler drum, valve O is closed and the steam again used to agitate the contents of the pressure drum. Pressing is then repeated. These operations may be repeated as often as desired, although three pressings should suffice to retrieve all the wax that is economically recoverable. The residue from the pressure drum, now contained in the inner liner, is removed by hoisting the liner clear of the drum, removing the top strainer, and pouring the dross into a suitable container for disposal. The liner and screen are replaced and pressing can then be continued with only a few minutes’ delay. From the results obtained in trial runs it is considered that up to 1001 b. of clean wax can be recovered from combs in a working day.

Hew Dominion President of Y.F.C. Federation

Mr. E. Rabbidge, jun., of Glenham, Southland, was elected Dominion president of the New Zealand Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs at the fifteenth annual general meeting, held in Auckland on June 21 and 22. Mr. A. O. Lloyd, Te Puna, Bay of Plenty, was elected vice-president, and Mr. J. Barclay, Dominion president in 1947, was elected a patron of the federation.

Every aspect of the federation’s activities was carefully considered at the meeting and it was agreed to continue the national activities undertaken the previous year. Some suggestions for further national activities were referred to the Dominion executive committee for more careful consideration, as many delegates felt that in holding too many national activities the federation ran the risk of hampering the effective work of the movement in the clubs themselves; it was freely admitted that it was in the clubs that the most valuable phases of the organisation’s work were to be seen.

Amendments to Constitution

Two important amendments to the constitution were a reduction to 2s. 6d. for annual membership subscriptions of members of secondary school clubs and a. change in the title and composition of district executive committees. These committees are to be known as district committees (a term which in any case has become common usage) , and the basis of each committee has been altered to give effective representation from every club in each district.

National Memorial

At the date of the meeting the national Y.F.C. memorial fund, being raised to commemorate the memory of those members who lost their lives in overseas service in the Second World War, stood at £15,516 Bs. lid. The objective of the fund is £20,000 for the purpose of erecting additional buildings at Massey and Canterbury Agricultural Colleges to provide facilities for special short courses for Y.F.C. members. The meeting decided to close the appeal on May 15, 1950, by which time it was hoped that the goal would be reached. <

In his report the Dominion president for 1948-49, Mr. D. G. McLachlan, stated that on April 30, 1949, there were 316 active clubs. That represented an increase of 10 clubs compared with the number the previous year. In the year 24 new clubs had been formed, but 14 clubs had been temporarily closed.

National activities undertaken in the 1948-49 year included the debating contest (won by Upper Franklin Club) and the stock-judging contest, in which the Christchurch district team won the trophy for the highest team aggregate.

Windmill Used to Remove Milking Shed Waste

A N effective method of removing droppings and drainage from his milking shed by means of an old. windmill and pump is. used by Mr. R. J. Hart on his small farm at Whakaronga, . Manawatu. The windmill and pump, which had been discarded, were overhauled and' mounted on a pole over a sump of 40-gallon capacity. The shed waste is pumped through a 60ft. hose and is spread over adjacent pasture, the outlet end of the • hose being moved periodically to give wider coverage. The pole was cut from a macrocarpa tree and the sump is,a 40-gallon oil drum with one end cut out. The pump : handles all the shed waste without trouble, provided the heavier material is sufficiently diluted with water. A screen is provided to exclude debris' such as leaves and twigs, and a pebble trap is fitted to catch small stones. . ' With a tank and spreader the liquid may be applied to any part of the farm.

—H. A. DU FRESNE,

Farm Dairy Instructor, Department of Agriculture, Palmerston North.