How-to Video for using sealing wax: link

[Gran]

Ran across this today: http://jas-townsend.com/product_info.php?c...products_id=378

 

Nice demonstration and instructions for using sealing wax and a seal. Gentleman in period costume and set.

[Clive Merrick Morel]

Ran across this today: http://jas-townsend.com/product_info.php?c...products_id=378

 

Nice demonstration and instructions for using sealing wax and a seal. Gentleman in period costume and set.

Hi Gran,

 

Thanks a lot for posting the link to that nifty video! After watching, my curiosity was piqued ... so I proceeded to watch every "sealing wax" video I could find on YouTube.

 

It used to be a real treat (and still would be) to receive letters in the mail adorned with wax seals. A few of my previous girlfriends and the occasional relative were the only ones to have sent them to me. It would have raised serious concerns, however, should one of the guys I knew sent me one!!!

 

Off the top of my head, the only letters bearing wax seals that would likely have been generated by men would have included such examples as: "Selective Service Induction Notice", "No Bail Arrest Warrant", "IRS Assets Seizure" ... and so on.

 

Cheers!

 

-Clive

Edited March 29, 2009 by Clive Merrick Morel

[chud]

Actually I use one on pretty much everything I send... it doesn't have particular connotations of romance as far as I can see, though if you're worried you might avoid the traditional red wax and heart-shaped seals... :-)

[Vulcan1066]

I seal almost every letter I send out to family and friends with wax regardless of their gender. Most of them seem to enjoy it...or at least tolerate it.

I have the skull and crossed sowrds from townsend and I like it. No affiliation just a happy customer.

If your interested in getting wax send me a pm and i can send you a list of some of my sources.

[Clive Merrick Morel]

Actually I use one on pretty much everything I send... it doesn't have particular connotations of romance as far as I can see, though if you're worried you might avoid the traditional red wax and heart-shaped seals... :-)

Chud,

 

Ha! When you're right ... you're RIGHT. And you ARE right!

 

I will heed your advice and avoid the red wax/heart-shaped seals ... and am going to look deeper into exactly what's available on the market these days. It's one of those things that doesn't ordinarily cross one's mind, however, when it does ... then one's (cobweb-filled in my case) brain becomes activated and all SORTS of ideas begin to materialize!

 

Very Best Regards,

 

-Clive

[Clive Merrick Morel]

I seal almost every letter I send out to family and friends with wax regardless of their gender. Most of them seem to enjoy it...or at least tolerate it.

I have the skull and crossed swords from Townsend and I like it. No affiliation, just a happy customer.

If your interested in getting wax send me a pm and I can send you a list of some of my sources.

Vulcan,

 

Thanks for the interesting (and compelling) post. Just might be PMing you at some point. Too many BILLS to get out at the moment. At least the darned things give me a chance to 'exercise my penmanship' ... :mad:

 

Cheers!

 

-Clive

[robeck]

The sexual connotation comment must be an American thing!

 

I seal all my letters in a variety of waxes though mostly red. I use a monogrammed seal to indicate my first name and I've never had anybody suggest I'm gay or that I'm making a pass at them. :roflmho:

 

Seals used to be extensively used - now they're just used by bofs like me...

 

 

Regards,

Dean

[Clive Merrick Morel]

The sexual connotation comment must be an American thing!

 

I seal all my letters in a variety of waxes though mostly red. I use a monogrammed seal to indicate my first name and I've never had anybody suggest I'm gay or that I'm making a pass at them. :roflmho:

 

Seals used to be extensively used - now they're just used by bofs like me...

 

Regards,

 

Dean

Hi Dean,

 

It's the good folks such as yourself that keep the time honored traditions alive and well, along with providing that extra touch of class that makes the whole affair a delight.

 

The sexual connotation was strictly a play, or a rather poor attempt at ... humor.

 

Very Best Regards from Across the Pond,

 

-Clive

 

P.S.: My late father was born in Folkestone, Kent.

[oracle202]

very cool.

[Inka]

I haven't used sealing wax in years, mostly because of one major concern.

I often get mail that looks torn up by automated mail sorters, mostly bills with windows shredded.

Here in the U.S., will a seal go through U.S.P.S. without being torn off or jamming mechanical sorting equipment?

Decades past when I did use sealing wax it was always on hand-delivered items, never by U.S. Mail.

Experienced feedback appreciated.

 

[dizzypen]

I haven't used sealing wax in years, mostly because of one major concern.

I often get mail that looks torn up by automated mail sorters, mostly bills with windows shredded.

Here in the U.S., will a seal go through U.S.P.S. without being torn off or jamming mechanical sorting equipment?

Decades past when I did use sealing wax it was always on hand-delivered items, never by U.S. Mail.

Experienced feedback appreciated.

+1

[Titivillus]

Ran across this today: http://jas-townsend.com/product_info.php?c...products_id=378

 

Nice demonstration and instructions for using sealing wax and a seal. Gentleman in period costume and set.

 

Very nice but you see that they sell the evil wicked wax with their seals

 

[SweetieStarr]

I use sealing wax for sending cards and letters. I write on the envelope "Please hand cancel" so the post office does not feed my envelope through the automatic sorter. My recipients often don't understand the "hand canceling" part, but the seals arrive in-tact.

[robeck]

I must admit I send my sealed letters and hope for the best. I have received many also with seals and some do show a roller imprint across the wax as though the letter had gone through some automated machinery. The seals seem to remain intact though and I've never received a complaint from the Post Office, though whether that means their machinery is unaffected or not isn't clear! No recipients of my letters have indicated problems either so I assume the equipment manages the seals OK?

 

Dean

[Gran]

I have only sent a few. I waited in line, and had them hand-cancelled.

[Rena]

Nice video to watch, Gran, thanks. The technique I use for sealing wax is a bit different, but I imagine there are quite a few techniques out there.

 

I see that some of you are wondering about a sealed letter making it through the automated postal system. I have copied the requirements for a standard letter from the USPS website and pasted below. Note that the envelope thickness cannot be more than 1/4 inch; so make sure the wax seal does not get so thick your "envelope plus seal" cannot make it through the machines. I use flexible sealing wax rather than the old, brittle kind, so it does not crack or shatter (note the machines require a bendable envelope).

 

One time last year I asked a postal clerk how the letters went through the machines. She told me they sit upright on the bottom edge and make their way around the conveyer, and must be able to make turns.

 

Normally I only take the letters to be hand cancelled if thickness exceeds 1/4" and/or weight exceeds minimum.

 

Hope this nudges some of you to begin using sealing wax. It is fun!

 

 

 

Letter:

 

Dimension Minimum Maximum

 

Height 3-1/2 inches 6-1/8 inches

 

Length 5 inches 11-1/2 inches

 

Thickness 0.007 inch 1/4 inch

 

Any item smaller than the minimum dimensions is not mailable.

For larger items, see large envelopes or packages.

For envelopes, length is the dimension parallel to the address.

 

Letters that meet one or more of the nonmachinable characteristics below are subject to the nonmachinable surcharge. For items over 3.5 ounces, see large envelope or package prices.

 

• It is a square letter

 

• It is too rigid – does not bend easily

 

• It has clasps, string, buttons, or similar closure devices

 

• It has an address parallel to the shorter dimension of the letter

 

• It contains items such as pens that cause the surface to be uneven

 

• The length divided by height is less than 1.3 or more than 2.5 (calculate this below)

 

Square Envelope

The minimum size for a square envelope is 5 x 5 inches.

Square letters are subject to the nonmachinable surcharge.

 

[Inka]

Excellent information regarding seals, steps taken and postal requirements.

Thanks!

[Vulcan1066]

I have to have all of my letters hand cancelled because even without a wax seal they wont make it through usually. I write on 32 pound 100% cotton for the most part and only on the front sides at that. A letter of just a few pages can get to the unbendable point quite quickly.

[Jared]

I have received a few letters through the mail with wax seals. One came from Europe with what once was a wax seal, but all that remained was a greasy spot as the wax had been completely sheared off. Others from the US came largely intact. The best looking seals appear to be made of Atelier Gargoyle wax, which is apparently reknown for its strength.

 

As a side note, I worked for the USPS for a year between college degrees, years ago, and was facinated by the new (at the time) mail sorting machines. Boxes of letters are dumped into the machine, which shoots the letters through the machines at a very high speed. The machine reads the zip codes and shoots (literally--super fast) them into appropriate bins depending on destination. Those that won't bend through the conveyor belt's turns get kicked out into a "reject" bin, which is then hand read by folks sitting in seats, operating machines with little suction cups which grab letters one at a time, allowing them to read the zip code, which they type onto a keypad for each "reject" letter. I suspect that letters with wax seals would end up in the reject bin, and go through this process.

[pmorin]

There is traditional sealing wax, which is primarily shellac for it's base, and is brittle. This is the type used once upon a time to ensure documents were not tampered with. There is also a newer sealing wax, which I am not sure what the composition is although I know someone who makes his own sealing wax recommend the addition of glycerin to the traditional formula should resolve the brittleness issue and provide enough pliability to survive the mail. Some are designed to go through a glue gun, others are the more traditional stick form - these are designed for surviving through the post.

 

JHerbin makes traditional, and postable varieties (stick and glue gun)

Stuart Houghton make traditional and postable variety in stick form

Atelier Gargoyle makes some really fabulous postable wax in stick form, and has a very nice section on their website that talks about why you would use it, how to use it, and some very nice tips. They have some of the best information I have come across. The owner uses wax seals on all of his correspondence - and has some examples of what they look like after going through the postal system.

 

Ateleir Gargoyle also has some of the nicest seals I've seen - I don't have the budget for them, but they have reproduced some extremely beautiful historical seals, as well as having some originals.

 

 

Herbin and SH primarily do initial based seals, but I know Herbin has a small selection of other seals as well.

 

I've purchased a number of seals from Season's Creations - they have a decent variety in a range of prices, as well as postable wax, and other writing accouterments.

 

I use SH sealing wax because I can purchase it locally, and I've had good luck with it. I also have some of the JHerbin glue gun style in ivory, and use it occasionally. I carry 3 seals, a lighter, and a stick of sealing wax in my briefcase, and use it on almost all of my correspondence. I tend to use seals that are not 'fluffy hearts' being a guy - there is a huge amount of choice available.

 

I have never had any of the items I've sent using the mailable wax hand canceled, and they have all survived in very good shape as they've traveled all over the world.

 

Canada has similar restrictions on thickness - I have had seals come close to making it too thick, but they have always fit through the little size testing templates they use. As I've gotten better with my seals, I've stopped worrying about the thickness, and the guy at my nearest postal outlet seems to have gotten tired of testing as he no longer bothers.

 

(Sorry, got a little long winded).