How to Filter Beeswax for Candle Making
Turning raw beeswax into beautiful candles is worth the effort! Here’s a quick guide on how to clean and filter your beeswax:
Many beeswax candle makers get their wax already purified (hopefully from a reliable source and not "beeswax" from India or China that is mainly paraffin). However, at Hyland Beeswicks we prefer to source directly from apiaries. This means I am getting raw chunks of beeswax that often needs a few additional filtration steps to ensure our candles burn perfectly.
Here are the steps I take:
1. Prepare the Wax
Remove visible debris like dirt or hive pieces.
2. Melt the Wax
Place the chunks in a double boiler or a heat-safe container over a pot of simmering water. Slowly melt the wax until it’s fully liquid. Avoid putting beeswax on direct heat to prevent scorching.
3. Filter the Wax
Line a strainer or sieve with cheesecloth or an old cotton T-shirt. Pour the melted wax through the cloth into a clean container to catch impurities. Do this a few times with different mediums of filters. I use commercial maple syrup filters as they work very well.
4. Cool and Store
Let the filtered wax cool and solidify. The water will stay at the bottom and the clean wax will float and then cool at the top. I normally use 5 gallon buckets. Once it is fully cooled and solidified, remove from the container. Store the clean wax and you are ready for crafting.
5. Make Your Candles
Melt your purified wax in a double boiler or wax melter and pour through an additional cloth filter into your wicked molds.! Enjoy the satisfaction of creating natural, air-purifying candles from scratch.
It is very important to test burn your candles to make sure you get the correct wick size. Sometimes it takes many attempts to find the right size wick for your mold to ensure a beautiful clean burn.
With a little time and care, you’ll transform raw beeswax into something beautiful and practical!