How to Use a Wax Seal

Finished wax seal

Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson created the first Seal of the United States on July 4, 1776, according to Nostalgic Impressions' History of Sealing Wax. But you don't have to be sealing the Declaration of Independence to use a wax seal. Although self-sealing envelopes are the norm in stationery, there's something special about sealing a letter with wax. This ancient custom can be a nice addition to your letter writing.

Things You'll Need

• Envelope to be sealed
• Wax stick
• Wax seal stamp

Instructions

1. 

   Light the wick of the wax stick, and hold it upright like a candle until the wax starts to melt.

2. 

   Carefully tilt the wax stick to allow the hot wax to drip onto the envelope where you wish to place the seal.

3. When enough wax drips have accumulated, blow out the wick and carefully place the hot wax stick on a heat proof surface.

4. 

   Working quickly, align and press the wax seal stamp into the hot wax. Remove the stamp and let the resulting seal cool before mailing.

Tips & Warnings

• Wax seals can fall off during mailing, so for best results, hand-deliver wax sealed letters or place the wax sealed envelope into another, outer envelope for mailing.

• Keep the flame away from the paper and anything else flammable.

References

• Nostalgic Impressions' History of Sealing Wax

Resources

• WaxSeals.com sells stickers that look like wax seals if you want to avoid using fire.
• The Letter Writer's Alliance is a group dedicated to preserving the art of letter writing.