Sealing wax ... What is it? This is what blows antiquity, palace coups, conspiracies and secrets. These are love letters, secret messages that should not be read by those to whom they were not intended. All envelopes when being sealed with a wax seal. It was a password on the mailbox for centuries, which could only be cracked by skillful hands, but in such a way that the mosquito of the nose would not undermine.
What is it?
To better understand the meaning of the word "sealing wax", what it is and why it is needed, it is worth looking at explanatory dictionaries. They say that sealing wax is a resinous substance, solid, but heated to low temperatures, capable of melting. This material is used for sealing, sealing and decoration.
And if you give a more understandable definition, then sealing wax is a substance that consists of a mixture of resins, oils, balms and dyes.
Composition
The twenty-first century is the time of computer technology, the era of electronic communication, chat, SMS and social networks. It is not surprising that the layman is unfamiliar with such a thing as sealing wax. What is it, what is it made of - few know the answers to these questions.
But such neglect is an unforgivable liberty. Mankind has used sealing wax for many centuries, polishing its skills in its manufacture.
And if the basis of the first wax seals was beeswax in its pure form or diluted with clay, now the composition has more than a dozen ingredients.
First of all, these are resins. This list includes rosin, shellac, digging and turpentine. Such a mixture is heated in a special bowl, and after it melts, additional substances are added to it, due to which the sealing wax acquires the necessary strength, structure, gloss and color. This includes materials such as chalk, heavy spar, talc, gypsum, barium salt.
What is in the letter?
At first, this material had only a protective function. However, with increasing demands of the nobility (the high price did not allow ordinary people to use this substance), it was necessary to create sealing wax of different colors, to come up with forms for prints. Some even covered the print with a layer of gold or silver.
It is human nature to show extraordinary and individuality even in everyday and simple things. And if at first glance the letter is only part of the business correspondence, then it should be understood that before this was the main means of communication from a distance. Letters were written on various occasions. With messengers they sent notifications of the death of relatives, the birth of children, invitations to celebrations, passed friendly notes and secret love messages.
Each letter had its own style, and often, color prints were used to emphasize it. So, colored wax served as a sign, which from the threshold could make it clear what was in the message.
For example, a black seal meant that the correspondence received contained information about someone’s death, white is not in vain familiar to light and good events. Such a seal decorated wedding invitations, shared information about the engagement.
Red sealing wax had its own color due to its composition and the addition of minium in it. This color was the most popular and was used everywhere.
So they do not wait for letters, so they wait for letters ...
It is impossible to imagine how often, when printing the coveted letter with trembling fingers, the recipients nervously fiddled with the seal, trying to break it faster. The remedy must have been a cause for annoyance and unnecessary anxiety.
Sealing wax in our time often has only a decorative function. Of course, there are still romantics, lovers of the verbal genre who want to be original. But still, lump wax, granular and pelletized is also popular, it is bought individually, often for needlework, gift wrapping or other crafts. Lovers of antiquity will like such an element, and a postcard sealed with a wax seal will become something new and exotic.
Red, white, dry, fortified
Sealing wax found another application in wineries. They can decorate them by pouring molten material onto the surface. Having left a print, the winemaker can put some information on the bottle. This may be the batch number, the date of the spill or the grape variety from which the drink is made.
In some wineries, bottles are thus clogged. True, it is used as an outer layer of cork. For these purposes, lump wax is best suited, it comes in different colors, externally has a rough texture, its pieces can be confused with chipped bricks.
How long have we been writing letters on paper? It seems that this has never happened. The convenience of e-mail is not in doubt. But try to pamper a distant friend whom you have not seen for many years, parents living in another city, the first teacher in a letter written with your own hand. And to seal it, take sealing wax. What is this, we already know, you can buy it at the post office, in office supply stores or needlework. Give loved ones unforgettable minutes and touching memories!