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Me too: on-line sources quote up to 1lb of wax from only 4lb of berries, which is an amazingly high yield from my very limited experience, and sounds like others' too.
Is part of the problem that there is more than one species of 'bayberry'? Myrica cerifa (American bayberry, wax myrtle, more southern), M. pensylvanica (Northern bayberry), M. gale (sweet gale, bog myrtle, holarctic) all seem as if they might fit the description often used, "E. Atlantic coast".
Perhaps one of these (cerifa?) produces lots of wax, but the others don't? That might explain the varied experience in collecting wax.
Does anyone know which species is most commonly used for candles (cerifa?)?
Does anyone know which species we have locally here, or is there more than one species?
It may be essential to get these identifications straight to avoid further disappointment, before embarking on more candle-making.
Steve (Hfx)
________________________________________
From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca [naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca] on behalf of Margaret Fraser [m_fraser65@yahoo.ca]
Sent: Saturday, January 31, 2015 12:22 PM
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Bayberry
I did a little online research last night and the most sensible suggestion I saw was to let the water cool and then pick the wax off the top,then remelt it and strain through a layer of cheesecloth. The wax,as I recall,is very strongly scented and do a little will scent a fair bit of beeswax (but I can't give you proportions). I don't think we strained the wax,but I remember the pillar candle we made was a funny colour and kind of gritty. And it had a layer on the bottom that was unburnable. I also remember my mother was very happy when we were done and stopped messing up her kitchen [http://l.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/1.gif] . This has reignited my interest in candle making. Now I have to find bayberries in Cape Breton-should not be hard as they were everywhere when I was a child. Cheers,
Margaret
From:"David & Alison Webster" <dwebster@glinx.com>
Date:Sat, Jan 31, 2015 at 11:39 am
Subject:Re: [NatureNS] Bayberry
Hi Nick & All, Jan 31, 2015
I also, about 1959, did the obvious; simered about 5L of berries in 8L of water+berries and got a yield of nice odor and almost no wax.
Because partitioning the agreeable odor is the objective I would try a different approach entirely it I were to attempt this again.
The melting point of Bayberry wax is fairly low; 42-48oC (Place & Stiles, Auk paper) So a logical first step would be to feed berries slowly into a rotating inclined screen cylinder in an enclosure that was heated to about 65oC and wick wax from the zone of melting with a fixed wiper blade. Wax isolated in this way might be clean enough for some purposes. If too dirty then the isolated wax could be distilled into melted paraffin wax.
Yt, Dave Webster, Kentville
----- Original Message -----
From: Nicholas Hill
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Sent: Friday, January 30, 2015 7:55 PM
Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Bayberry
that's super, Margaret. We tried a few years ago, got discouraged because we didnt really trust the process. Will try again. Any tips?
I have often seen bayberry in mink scats in the fall.
On Jan 30, 2015 7:19 PM, "Margaret Fraser" <m_fraser65@yahoo.ca> wrote:
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