SEALING

WAX  . In medieval times, when the principal use of sealing wax was for attaching the impression of seals to official documents, the composition used consisted of a mixture of Venice turpentine, beeswax and colouring matter, usually vermilion . The preparation now employed contains no wax . Fine red stationery sealing wax is composed of about seven parts by weight of shellac, four of Venice turpentine, and three to four of vermilion . The resins are melted together in an earthenware pot over a moderate fire, and the colouring matter is added slowly with careful stirring . The mass when taken from the fire is poured into oiled tin moulds the form of the sticks required, and when hard the sticks are polished by passing them rapidly over a charcoal fire, or through a spirit flame, which melts the superficial film . For the brightest qualities of sealing wax bleached lac is employed, and a proportion of perfuming matter—storax or balsam of Peru—is added . In the commoner qualities considerable admixtures of chalk, carbonate of magnesia, baryta white or other earthy matters are employed, and for the various colours appropriate mineral pigments . In inferior waxes ordinary resin takes the place of lac, and the dragon gum of Australia (from Xanthorrhoea hastilis) and other resins are similarly substituted . Such waxes, used for bottling, parcelling and other coarser applications, run thin when heated, and are comparatively brittle, whereas fine wax should soften slowly and is tenacious and adhesive .