I look forward to following this thread and seeing how your first Edam turns out! I'm making my first one tomorrow (when my fresh milk delivery arrives). Having done a little research beforehand, I invested in some cream wax that contains mold inhibitors with which I will coat the Edam prior to hard waxing (in accordance with recipe directions). Are you taking this approach or going with a natural rind maybe?
I experimented with the cream wax on a cheddar I recently air dried. There were some little crevices on the side that I wanted to "protect" with the cream wax before hard waxing. Had some issues with knitting on the (first attempt) white cheddar, so the morning after pressing I tried using a heating pad under the stainless steel draining plate seal the ends...and it worked! However the sides still had a few minor crevices that were more evident after the drying period. Anyway, hoping this cream wax does the trick. It's fun to use too (applied with fingers because I like to play with my cheese).