Wax seals

[finalidid]

If you are having difficulty, here are the instructions for using a wax seal.

 

Yeah, those presume that you CAN "light the taper." Mine don't have a wick ...

 

[RandyE]

If you are having difficulty, here are the instructions for using a wax seal.

 

Yeah, those presume that you CAN "light the taper." Mine don't have a wick ...

 

Check my post above - it's got a link to instructions on how to use the non-wick variety...

 

- R

[finalidid]

Yeah I saw that. But I've tried it and it doesn't seem to work as handily as they report. You're supposed to just "hold over flame" and let the softened wax "drip through the flame." This causes flaming fireballs of death. I don't think that's what they had in mind.

 

[Shangas]

May I ask something of the more knowledgeable in this field?

 

But may standard candle-wax be used for seals? Light a candlestick, drip a few blobs onto some paper and then slap on a seal at an appropriate time. Does that work?

[RandyE]

May I ask something of the more knowledgeable in this field?

 

But may standard candle-wax be used for seals? Light a candlestick, drip a few blobs onto some paper and then slap on a seal at an appropriate time. Does that work?

 

It's very brittle when dry and will likely only leave a stain on the paper and crumbs of wax. The postal process bends letters quite a bit and standard candle wax won't fair well.

 

- R

[finalidid]

I found that standard sealing wax doesn't fare any better ... I think the "flexible" stuff is essentially the only thing that will run through the postal machines on a standard flat letter envelope any more.

 

[KingJoe]

I've been sealing things with this...A special gift from Maker's Mark Whiskey. Came with the wax and the seal. Everyone to whom I write thinks I am a sot.

 

A fellow Ambassador here on FPN?? :hmm1: Who'd have thought! Well, I guess when one likes the finer things in life, they like ALL the finer things. Good to see you, brother. If you happen to come to Redheads and Thoroughbreds sometime, or your barrel opening, give me a yell. [/OT]

Edited April 3, 2008 by KingJoe

[djh1031]

A fellow Ambassador here on FPN?? :hmm1: Who'd have thought! Well, I guess when one likes the finer things in life, they like ALL the finer things. Good to see you, brother. If you happen to come to Redheads and Thoroughbreds sometime, or your barrel opening, give me a yell. [/OT]

 

 

Well what do you know. I guess it really is no surprise to have a fellow Ambassador on FPN. Trust me, if I make the trip I'll look you up. (I will of course expect some of that hospitality for which you southern folks are known) Since we've already hijacked the thread, have you tried Four Roses? Someone gifted me some of the single barrel 100. Superb. Probably more superb since you can't get it anywhere but Kentucky, and more importantly, it was a gift.

[Titivillus]

Yeah I saw that. But I've tried it and it doesn't seem to work as handily as they report. You're supposed to just "hold over flame" and let the softened wax "drip through the flame." This causes flaming fireballs of death. I don't think that's what they had in mind.

 

Here's my method. Use a lighter or candle flame or minitorch but hold the wax above the heat and let it soften but not bubble or burn. when it starts to drip remove heat and let it drip onto the paper. Repeat a s necessary but the more time the better change of hardening of the wax on the paper. I sometime freshen the wax on the paper with a lighter.

 

Kurt

 

And I'm waiting for my barrel opening as well. Don't know if I will be able to attend

Edited April 3, 2008 by Titivillus

[Ridgepeach]

Something I'm doing wrong? I've thought about trying to boil it so the hot water softens it, but then how would I get rid of the water? Microwave maybe? I dunno ... so elaborate ...

 

 

"Authentic Models" makes a brass spoon & alcohol burner set designed specifically to melt sealing wax. I agree about the sticks with the wicks, I'm not very fond of them either, which is why I like the "faux" was so much. I've also found that, to keep the seal from sticking to the wax - no matter what kind, if you sort-of "paint" the end of the seal with a colored marker (NOT a Sharpie or indelible ink type), it comes loose very easily. It also adds a depth to the pattern of the seal.

[Shangas]

So am I right in assuming that I can use standard melted candle-wax as sealing-wax for letters & etc?

[p-zero]

If you mean the kind of candles you light around the house, no, those won't work. They are a different kid of wax.

[journeyman42]

I have been using sealing wax on and off for years. The technique I use I got off of a movie of all places (a man for all seasons). What I do is hold the stick of wax over a candle and rotate it slowly so it doesn’t drip into the candle. When it seems to be starting to get liquidy I bring it over to the item to be sealed and rather than let it just drip I actually push it lightly down into the paper and twist it when I remove it. This way I get a good blob of wax on the spot. Then it is just a matter of a quick press from the seal and voila.

 

With this method you don't have to let the wax burn or get smokey nor do you have to go back and forth a lot and risk getting wax where you dont want it. I don't know how it works with every wax out ther, but with what I am using (it says "Aladine" on it) the process seems to work flawlessly.

[tfwall]

I've also found that, to keep the seal from sticking to the wax - no matter what kind, if you sort-of "paint" the end of the seal with a colored marker (NOT a Sharpie or indelible ink type), it comes loose very easily.

 

Try breathing on the seal just before you press it into the wax. Similar to how you'd clean a set of glasses. You just need a vapor barrier (not much moisture is needed at all) to prevent the metal from binding to the wax. I do this with all my seals and it works great.

[finalidid]

You can Pam the seal-head too. That lasts ten or twenty impressions, roughly.

 

[tfwall]

Yup, cooking spray works if you are doing a lot (i.e. holiday cards or invitations) though it can leave an oily residue on the wax which can transfer to the paper. I usually set the seal on an ice cube when I have a lot of impressions to make. It cools seal, which can get hot depending on the metal and temperature of the wax, and it provides a vapor barrier without any additional effort.

[murph]

I am having a seal made by a small shop in the French Quarter of New Orleans on Royal Street, called Papier Plume. FPN member falika told me about it. I'd discovered the family tree from a distant cousin doing genealogical research, and then came the old family coat of arms (Switzerland, of all places), so the "field" is being embossed into a wax seal for family members to buy. The shop offers a flexible modern wax that does not crack in postal machinery.

 

I don't know how often I will use it before it gets to be silly, but (like pens) I wanted it so I ordered it.

 

Fred

 

Are you allowed to use any coat of arms in the US?

I think coats of arms only belong to a single person in Scotland so what's often called a family/clan coat of arms often really belongs to a single lord. Well, it's a bit more complicated wrt sons or other close family members, iirc, but that's the basic idea.

[tfwall]

Are you allowed to use any coat of arms in the US?

I think coats of arms only belong to a single person in Scotland so what's often called a family/clan coat of arms often really belongs to a single lord. Well, it's a bit more complicated wrt sons or other close family members, iirc, but that's the basic idea.

 

Yes, the U.S. has no heraldry rules per se. There is a federal agency that generates them for official uses, but they do not regulate use by non-governmental bodies. You are free to use family arms or any non-copyrighted design you desire for yourself or your business.

[richardandtracy]

My goodness. I'm not the only one to use a seal! Now that's a turn up for the books.

I use a plain Stuart & Houghton 'R'.

 

Regards

 

Richard.

Edited April 9, 2008 by richardandtracy

[FredRydr]

In the USA, I would not be able to use a coat of arms or other emblem that represents a foreign head of state (e.g., kings, queens, princes, presidents etc), but beyond that, I could use whatever I want. However, a claimant owning a recognizable right to a coat of arms might seek to stop me through trademark (or possibly even copyright) infringement depending on what I was doing with it and what he was doing with it. But personal use is pretty much fair game.

 

I submit that a claimant to certain heraldry originally granted by the College of Arms to his ancestral family in Colonial Virginia would fail in the USA to enforce an exclusive right of use today. General Motors would have a better chance to defend their Cadillac coat of arms! (If the claimant's Tory ancestors fled Virginia for England and the claimant now makes his claim in the UK for use in the UK, that's a different question altogether).

 

Fred

Edited April 9, 2008 by FredRydr