Wax seals

Kirsten Elliott <loopyla8 [at] yahoo__co__uk> writes

>I am working on a printed document from England in 1786 which has a
>red wax seal applied to one corner. Does anybody know what type or
>nature of red pigments may have been used in wax seals around this
>date? From the literature I have found it seems that it could be a
>beeswax seal or a mixture of beeswax and mineral wax, is this
>correct?

Many wax seals used shellac resin with pigment added. This can be
heated, melted and impressed with a seal.

Robert Mussey


                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 15:39
                Distributed: Tuesday, November 27, 2001
                       Message Id: cdl-15-39-004
                                  ***