Author Topic: cleaning the wax brush  (Read 5698 times)

ConnieG

  • Guest
cleaning the wax brush
« on: September 02, 2010, 03:58:03 AM »
 I just waxed my first cheeses (a sage derby colored with juiced spinach and a stirred curd cheddar) and now I'm looking at the brush and wondering what anyone else does to clean it?  Do you clean these throughly as if a painter or do you leave the gunk on there and melt it in the next batch?

And do you leave your wax in the pot or bowl?

wharris

  • Guest
Re: cleaning the wax brush
« Reply #1 on: September 02, 2010, 12:59:31 PM »
I do not brush my wheels of cheese.  I dip them in various ways.

But I have dedicated a 2 gallon pot for this purpose.  It is currently about 3/4 full of wax. I simply re-heat this when its time to wax.  Every so often, I toss in a new block of wax to refil.

Offline Boofer

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Re: cleaning the wax brush
« Reply #2 on: September 02, 2010, 01:38:46 PM »
I tried brushing the hot wax on when I did my first cheese. It quickly proved to be messy, frustrating, and inefficient. I gave up the brush at that point and moved to a foil pie pan resting in a small skillet filled with heated water (double boiler). That worked much better. With that I dipped my cheeses in and produced a much cleaner, more professional-looking waxed cheese.

...then I started vacuum-bagging and haven't done a lot of waxing since.  ;)

-Boofer-
Let's ferment something!
Bread, beer, wine, cheese...it's all good.

ConnieG

  • Guest
Re: cleaning the wax brush
« Reply #3 on: September 02, 2010, 02:21:09 PM »
Yeah, they do have sort of a homemade look to them ::)

Gina

  • Guest
Re: cleaning the wax brush
« Reply #4 on: September 02, 2010, 03:45:46 PM »
When I wax I am also a dipper, but if I were to use a brush, I'd not bother to clean it. When it got cool and hard, I'd wrap it as is in plastic to keep clean, and store with the wax. The wax is kept in a pot purchased cheaply at a yard sale and also kept covered.

After being dipped in wax, what else could you ever use the brush for? If you were using different colors of wax either use different dedicated brushes, or dip in boiling water, swish around till the wax melts, and let dry very, very well. I've never done this, but that's what I'd try first. :)

wharris

  • Guest
Re: cleaning the wax brush
« Reply #5 on: September 02, 2010, 04:24:15 PM »
This is a good waxing tool that others have created...
http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,556.msg18023.html#msg18023

ConnieG

  • Guest
Re: cleaning the wax brush
« Reply #6 on: September 02, 2010, 05:07:54 PM »
That's ingenious - I saw the post and was thinking of adding it to the 'honey-do' list.   ::)