Wax Seals!

[Scriptor]

I bought myself some sealing wax about a year ago and have sent off two or three letters using it.

I don't know if the ones I sent by mail arrived intact, I can only assume they did, as the wax I bought seems quite rubbery.

I only have two colours so far, gold and dark green. The gold has a wick in it, so it only needed a match, but the green just came in sticks, so I took a table-spoon from the kitchen and melted it over a candle. I'd like to get a proper melting spoon, as a lot of wax remains in the spoon when I'm done, and it is a shame to waste it washing it off each time... it is also very hard to remove.

 

Some of the monograms are very pretty, but I much prefer a picture. I haven't found a seal I like enough to buy yet, so in the mean time I've been using the brass buttons that keep popping off my winter coat. They have the relief design from the old English pennies on them, and are just the right size for making impressions.

[Titivillus]

The gold has a wick in it, so it only needed a match, but the green just came in sticks, so I took a table-spoon from the kitchen and melted it over a candle. I'd like to get a proper melting spoon, as a lot of wax remains in the spoon when I'm done, and it is a shame to waste it washing it off each time... it is also very hard to remove.

 

In my wax collecting I got a set of beads and spoon & it was the worst experience I'd had I would suggest just using a candle or lighter and hold the stick turning until it starts to softer and then use it. THe wick wax for me also always had lots of carbon floaters from the wick.

 

 

As for removing the wax from the spoon- try acetone ( nail polish remover) I have been able to clean up several seals that had pieces within.

 

 

Kurt

 

[Pendragon]

These sites came to mind:

 

Wax Works Based in Canada. Looked most promising.

 

Cannizzaro Most of my local stationery stores order embossers and wax seals from them. It is a New York based business. I was hesitant because of their sucky website (there's only one page) but I did communicate with them thru phone and E-mail with modest satisfaction. I'm guessing if all the stores use them they must be pretty good or at least okay.

 

Scribes Delight (although I believe they use Cannizzaro's service) seemed somewhat knowledgeable; nice on the phone.

 

Nostalgic Impressions Contacted them for a custom seal quote. Twice they claimed they never received my JPEG attachment file. They gave me another E-mail address to send the file to, never heard back from them. I did order one standard initial seal from them and the delivery was prompt.

The Design Station also does custom wax seals.

[LDF]

Most of the wax seals I've gotten didn't fare too well or were missing altogeter.

While I like the idea of wax seals, the fact that there is a good chance they get

pulverized or damaged by the postal system makes me not want to use them.

I have received seals that are not really wax, more flexible and survive mailing, but they

don't look or feel real.

[Titivillus]

Most of the wax seals I've gotten didn't fare too well or were missing altogeter.

While I like the idea of wax seals, the fact that there is a good chance they get

pulverized or damaged by the postal system makes me not want to use them.

I have received seals that are not really wax, more flexible and survive mailing, but they

don't look or feel real.

 

The suggestion/ recommendation that I have recieved about getting wax seals ( real brittle old style ones) the survive through the mail is to first tape a piece of padding over the seal then put the entire envelope in a bubble mailer and write hand cancel on the outside of that.

 

The hot glue versions are something I have not messed with yet.

 

This is the reason that most of my marks are made on presents and packages that I either give by hand or mail inside another box.

 

 

Kurt

 

[LDF]

Most of the wax seals I've gotten didn't fare too well or were missing altogeter.

While I like the idea of wax seals, the fact that there is a good chance they get

pulverized or damaged by the postal system makes me not want to use them.

I have received seals that are not really wax, more flexible and survive mailing, but they

don't look or feel real.

 

The suggestion/ recommendation that I have recieved about getting wax seals ( real brittle old style ones) the survive through the mail is to first tape a piece of padding over the seal then put the entire envelope in a bubble mailer and write hand cancel on the outside of that.

 

The hot glue versions are something I have not messed with yet.

 

This is the reason that most of my marks are made on presents and packages that I either give by hand or mail inside another box.

 

 

Kurt

 

 

 

Thanks for your experience.

But it seems wax seals just aren't worth the investment

for routine snailing.

Edited December 9, 2007 by LDF

[Titivillus]

Thanks for your experience.

But it seems wax seals just aren't worth the investment

for routine snailing.

 

The one that I use most is a three inital one with a stamp pad. So I can use both methods- wax and ink. So in that way you do have the use for routing writing.

 

Kurt

 

[WhosYerBob]

I've tried them any number of ways, but the mail sorting machines have ALWAYS broken them. Of the 10 or so times I've tried over the past couple of years, NONE have made it through the US mail intact.

Try the amazing stuff that Atelier Gargoyle sells. I've sent hundreds out using their house wax and have never had one not make it.

[WhosYerBob]

I did not think many people still enjoyed seals.

Oh, man, do they! I've got a coworker's son collecting all that I can send them and everyone that receives one says it really makes the whole package stand out. Do it; you won't regret it.

[Friend of Pens]

Grrr... I should've never opened this topic...

 

Stopped in Michael's crafts this weekend and used one of their coupons to pick up a pack of their red wicked sealing wax, and was motivated to go digging around in storage to find the three seal I already own (one plain initial, one small thistle design, and one from my honeymoon.) No sign of my old wax sticks though, I suppose this is the Lost Wax Technique? :ltcapd:

 

Have picked up a metallic gold stamp pad (what a COOL idea) and stopped at the local cigar shop to pick up a nice wooden box. Am about to go out to find suitable wool for knitting and felting a liner for same. Bad forum! Bad bad bad! As if I should be playing with matches and making pen trays and liners and the like. Arrrrrgh!

[chud]

Thanks for your experience.

But it seems wax seals just aren't worth the investment

for routine snailing.

 

If you don't care for the more flexible, more robust ones then I would tend to agree. Traditional wax can survive if you are stingy with it and make a very thin seal, and you have a bit of luck, but your odds aren't all that great.

 

Personally I do prefer the traditional, brittle seals, but the flexible ones aren't that bad so I do use them for mailing. Not quite as good as the traditional ones, but reliably arriving intact is worth something.

[Jen]

Try the amazing stuff that Atelier Gargoyle sells. I've sent hundreds out using their house wax and have never had one not make it.

 

 

Do you do anything special with these mail like using the hand cancel method or stuff them in a larger envelope, etc.? If you didn't do anything special and each one of the seals made it to their destinations safely, then as Chud said "reliably arriving intact is worth something".

 

Jen

[Jen]

My dad passed on his signet ring to me that he'd had made as a young man. He'd commissioned his family crest to be engraved onto the ring. Really enjoy using it.

 

I' keen to get a paper embosser with a personalised pattern now, just debating whther to use the family crest of my father or have a dabble with adding my own twist as I believe was customary for each subsequent generation to do. Never been much into heraldry but I'd hate to offend the ancestors!

 

I want one of those Dexter signet rings... AND a paper embosser as well... Family crests are just so appropriately fascinating in the context of seals and sealing waxes.

 

I use a torch-style cigar lighter -- it's basically like the (bleep) child of a creme-brule torch and a cigarette lighter

 

Just wanted to say the way you described the cigar lighter made me laugh out loud :roflmho:

 

Grrr... I should've never opened this topic...

...

Bad bad bad! As if I should be playing with matches and making pen trays and liners and the like. Arrrrrgh

 

Welcome back to the club! Enjoy your new "project"! And you brought up a very good point, more than one time now it struck me: shoud I be playing with fire? It's a frigging torch for goodness sake and I'm NOT known to be a non-clutz.

Edited December 11, 2007 by Jen

[goldkiwi]

For those of you who have used Atelier Gargoyle's wax, is there a noticeable smell? I recall reading somewhere on their website that they use essential oils and things and I'm just wondering if it's really apparent or more subtle...

[bosipipes]

I just received a Gift from Markers Mark last night.

It was a sealing stamp and wax. My first one. Now I'm looking for more.

[Bill D]

For those of you who have used Atelier Gargoyle's wax, is there a noticeable smell? I recall reading somewhere on their website that they use essential oils and things and I'm just wondering if it's really apparent or more subtle...

 

I get a very faint whiff of cinnamon from the red wax I have from Atelier Gargoyle.

 

Bill

 

[WhosYerBob]

Do you do anything special with these mail like using the hand cancel method or stuff them in a larger envelope, etc.?

Nope - nothing special like hand canceling or stuffing them in larger envelopes. I just try to keep the seals below the stamp and cancellation portion of the envelope, nothing more.

 

Other issues I have discovered: A) Too much heat will brown the interior letter - not enough to burn, but enough to discolor it. Photos on the front of cards either have to be turned away from the seal or protected with a cover-sheet inside the envelope - for the same reason; too much heat will bond the inside of the envelope to the photo.

 

But once I discovered the issues to be aware of, it was simple to work with and around them.

[WhosYerBob]

For those of you who have used Atelier Gargoyle's wax, is there a noticeable smell?

Their AG wax is scented, with each color having a unique scent. The Red can smell strongly of cinnamon depending on how recently it was made, while the other scents are more subtle. The Gold, Copper and Silver have woodsy scents, while the Royal Blue has a berry-like scent. If you're really interested, Linnea can provide a list of the scents they use.

[Jen]

Nope - nothing special like hand canceling or stuffing them in larger envelopes. I just try to keep the seals below the stamp and cancellation portion of the envelope, nothing more.

 

What is the 'cancellation portion' of the envelope? Is that where we would normally put our stamp (upper right hand corner)?

 

When you say keep the seals below the stamp do you mean keeping the seal below the stamp on the back side (because the stamp would be on the front side and the closure of the envelope is on the back side)

 

Thanks!

 

Jen

[Jen]

For those of you who have used Atelier Gargoyle's wax, is there a noticeable smell? I recall reading somewhere on their website that they use essential oils and things and I'm just wondering if it's really apparent or more subtle...

 

Nope! not to me. I think all of them (real or flexible) stink!! Have that foul smell of whatever... maybe burnt plastic? But when I go home tonight I will open up my nose a bit and see if I detect any scent. Even though they stink to me the finished product is so nice I don't care about the unpleasant 30 seconds.