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GENERAL CHEESE MAKING BOARDS (Specific Cheese Making in Boards above) => EQUIPMENT - Aging Cheese, Everything Except Caves => Topic started by: ConnieG on September 02, 2010, 03:58:03 AM

Title: cleaning the wax brush
Post by: ConnieG 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?
Title: Re: cleaning the wax brush
Post by: wharris 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.
Title: Re: cleaning the wax brush
Post by: Boofer 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-
Title: Re: cleaning the wax brush
Post by: ConnieG on September 02, 2010, 02:21:09 PM
Yeah, they do have sort of a homemade look to them ::)
Title: Re: cleaning the wax brush
Post by: Gina 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. :)
Title: Re: cleaning the wax brush
Post by: wharris 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 (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,556.msg18023.html#msg18023)
Title: Re: cleaning the wax brush
Post by: ConnieG 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.   ::)