jen, i think lee has a good point and that video you posted on the crock pot method....... personally i think there are better methods to clean your beeswax.
i clean all my beeswax (cappings) before i melt down, and i use a solar melter to run my wax through and filter. i realize that not everyone can do this or does this.
i think for those looking to clean beeswax cappings is, if you can, first wash the cappings clean as best as you can. (get the honey out and some debris) use a 5 gallon pail and throw your cappings in a paint strainer bag. set this in the 5 gallon pail and run the garden hose through it til the water runs clear. let dry and use paper towels to soak up any moisture as it drys. store the dry cappings in zippies, throw in the freezer til ready to melt down.
if you don't wash out the wax, find yourself a nice size inexpensive stockpot from wherever. throw your wax in the stockpot, add water. you don't need much (don't fill the stockpot to the top) depending on if you are cleaning cappings or chunks/bricks and how much; just barely cover the bricks or fill the stock pot about 1/2 way full. bring to a GENTLE boil on a lower heat setting on your stove, then shut the heat off and take off the stove. let this cool completely. you will have a round brick of beeswax when everything cools down. dump it out. on the bottom will be debris. scrape it off. gentle heating/boiling with water gets most if not all of the honey out. repeat if necessary if you think the beeswax is not clean or still contains honey.
to get the wax cleaner, you can chop the wax down in chunks (chisel, hammer); melt it down double boiler style and use a milk carton or silicone bread pan covered in old t-shirt material, or layers of cheesecloth, to pour and filter the wax into. this will get out any leftover debris.
heat will discolor wax (make it darker) so you don't want to boil too long in the stock pot at a high temp. just enough to 'jumble' the wax around to get the honey and debris out. and it may take more than one round to do it.
hope this helps jen.
