SEALING WAX Sealing wax is made of shellac, with the addition of turpentine to prevent brittleness and to make it melt even ly, and of earthy matters to increase the weight and to prevent its melting too quickly. Pale or bleached shellac is used for light-colored sealing wax, but common shellac is equally suit able for darker colors. Sealing wax is frequently adulterated with com mon rosin, beeswax, stearin, and simi lar materials. The addition of too much rosin or turpentine causes the wax to run in thin drops when melt ed. The addition of camphor or al cohol causes sealing wax to melt eas ily. The sealing wax of the Middle Ages consisted of beeswax mixed with turpentine and various coloring mat ters. The finest qualities of sealing wax are frequently perfumed with balsam of Peru, storax, or various es sential oils and essences.
Colored Sealing Wax. — Various colors as desired may be imparted to sealing wax by the addition of cobalt blue, chrome yellow, bone black, ver milion, and other pigments such as are used in paints. These are added in powdered form to the melted wax.
To Make Best Red Sealing Wax.— Melt together with gentle heat 5 ounces of shellac, 1/ ounces of tur pentine, and 3} ounces of vermilion.
Or 3 ounces of shellac, 4 ounces of turpentine, 11 ounces of chalk or mag nesia, 1 ounce of gypsum or zinc white, and I ounce of vermilion.
Or 31 ounces of shellac, 3/ ounces of turpentine, 1 ounce of chalk or magnesia, 1 ounce of sulphate of bary ta, and 1/ ounces of vermilion. Use Venetian turpentine preferably in these three. Melt together, stirring constantly, and when all the ingredi ents are fully incorporated let the mass cool, and while still soft roll it on a marble or other smooth slab and shape it into sticks, or pour it while fluid into suitable brass molds.
An inferior sealing wax may be made by substituting red oxide of iron in the place of vermilion, and common rosin or New Zealand rosin in place of shellac.
Or dissolve with gentle heat 1 ounce of gum camphor in 2 ounces of alco hol, taking care that the alcohol does not take fire. Add 8 ounces of gum
shellac and stir until fully dissolved. Add 4 ounces of Venetian turpen tine and sift in through a hair or oth er sieve 21 ounces of vermilion, stir ring constantly to avoid lumps. When the whole mass is mixed smoothly to gether, pour it into suitable molds, or let cool until of the consistency of soft wax. Roll to proper thickness and cut out with a suitable die like a biscuit cutter. Or weigh into soft balls of equal size, roll to the desired length, and flatten by pressure.
For commercial use, the sticks of sealing wax are polished by being held over a charcoal fire in an iron dish, and while hot rubbed with mut ton suet or tallow and polished with chamois.
Or, for a larger quantity, melt to gether with gentle heat 2 pounds of shellac, 12 ounces of Venetian tur pentine, lA pounds of fine cinnabar, and 2 ounces of Venetian red.
Other proportions recommended for fine sealing wax are: Shellac, 6 parts; Venetian turpen tine, 2 parts; coloring matter, 3 parts.
Shellac, 3 parts; Venetian turpen tine, 1 parts; vermilion, 3i parts.
For a cheaper grade of red sealing wax, melt together with gentle heat 2 ounces of rosin and 2 ounces of shel lac; stir in lA ounces of Venetian tur pentine; sift and stir in lA ounces of red lead.
Or melt together with gentle heat shellac, 2 ounces; yellow rosin, 1 ounce; Venetian turpentine, 1 ounce; vermilion, 3 ounces.
Or, for a still cheaper grade, sub stitute red oxide of iron in place of vermilion.
Yellow Sealing Wax. — Melt to gether with gentle heat 2 ounces of shellac, 2 ounces of yellow rosin, and 1 ounce of chrome yellow.
Or 4 ounces of pale shellac, ounces of yellow rosin, ounce of Venetian turpentine, and 1 ounce of sulphuret of arsenic.
Gold Sealing Wax.—Melt together bleached shellac, 1 ounce; Venetian turpentine, ounce. Stir in gold-col ored talc to color.
Or bleached shellac, 3 ounces; Vene tian turpentine, 1 ounce; Dutch leaf ground to powder or enough gold colored mica spangles to color.