Well this thing has a seive to catch the slumgum, and the sun is free
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The wax is still contaminated though with probably minute particles of blackness
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As to the economics commercially, I can remember melting hundreds or thousands of old brood combs when working for Bray and Gosset. There was a large tank which was heated by a nearby diesel boiler, we used to put on a big pair of rubber gloves then all the queen excluders which was around 6 thousand of them got melted, and all the "rummies", brood combs past their useful life. As a layer of wax built up on top some water was added to overflow the wax into tins, the slumgum was also scooped up and put into sacks which were squished in an underwater press to get the last bit of wax out.
Had to do all this by plunging your gloved hands into the boiling water to pull frames or excluders or whatever out, so had a 4 gallon tin of cold water next to it to plunge your hands straight into afterwards to avoid the gloves getting too hot and causing burns. No OSH back then obviously. It was a very hot job but was normally done during cold times in winter so at least you didn't get bitten by those freezing cold Leeston winter days
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All this was probably rendered economic by the very minimal wages we were paid LOL, when I think about it, the place was pretty much run by teenagers when I was there.
The stink of the slumgum penetrated every pore of your body and no amount of washing removed it, just had to smell bad through the process and for several days afterwards.
If the wax came out brown it stayed that way, I've always wondered though if there would be a way to lighten it.
