* FAQ Choosing Sealing Wax *

Our most common questions over the years have been:

"Which sealing wax best fits my project needs?"
"How do I use this type of wax?"
"How much wax do I actually need?".

Please find brief suggestions below for specific situations for using wax.
For further explanation of how to use each type of wax and our related
wax melting tools, please visit our page "How to use Sealing Wax".



Click here for our Sealing Wax Comparison Table

It will show you seals per stick, wax finish, tools needed and country of origin.

1. I would like to give a seal and wax as a gift. Which wax is best for gifts?

Being given seals ourselves as gifts in the past, we couldn't wait to use them!
Choosing a wax with a wick allows for immediate use, anytime, anywhere.
With a wick, one can melt wax without any extra tools.

2. My seals are going to be mailed.
What wax is best for mailing?

Our top recommendations are:
Cire Souple line (shiny finish)
Glue Gun Sealing Wax (matte finish)
Faux Wax (lightly shiny finish)
Waterstons (shiny finish)
LetterSeals.com Wick (matte finish)
Aladine French Glue Gun Wax (matte finish)
Stuart Houghton Wick (matte finish)
Stuart Houghton mini Glue Gun Wax (matte finish)
J. Herbin mini Glue Gun Wax (slight pearl finish)

The strongest holding of these is our Faux Wax, which will hold
to smoother papers better than actual waxes (such as vellum).

Please remember that adding weight to your mailed item may increase the postage required for mailing.
If in doubt, take a completed item to your postal office for a postage quote.
If you opt to have items hand cancelled, your postal office may charge a fee for this service.

We do not recommend the following waxes for mailing,
as they are designed for use on hand held items:
J. Herbin Cire Banque
J.Herbin "Cire Nacree" Supple Pearlescent Wax
LetterSeals.com French Blend



3. I have a large event and need to produce many seals for mailing.

When faced with the time crunch of creating seals and mailing, we strongly recommend using
a sealing wax product designed for use with a glue gun.
Using a glue gun will greatly increase
production time and is very easy to use.

US & EU Wax Guns
- Aladine Glue Gun Wax for Standard Glue Gun
- LetterSeals.com Glue Gn Sealing Wax for standard glue gun
- Faux Sealing Wax for standard glue gun

Mini Glue Gun for U.S.
- J.Herbin Glue Gun sealing wax for MINI glue gun
- Stuart Houghton Glue Gun sealing wax for MINI glue gun


Our products designed for use with a glue gun are our Glue Gun Sealing Wax and our Faux Sealing Wax.

Faux Sealing Wax (standard glue gun)

LetterSeals.com Glue Gun Sealing Wax (standard glue gun)

Aladine Glue Gun Sealing Wax (standard glue gun)

Staurt Houghton Mini Glue Gun Sealing Wax (mini glue gun)

J.Herbin Glue Gun Sealing Wax (min glue gun)

Each of these waxes are our top recommendations for mailing.
Faux wax has a slightly higher performance percentage for surviving mailing and holding to most papers.

If you want to use a wax not molded to fit a glue gun, we have two sizes of melting pots
which allow one to melt down a quantity of wax, and spoon it onto the project.
This is also a very fast and easy to use method.
One could easily melt down both wick and non-wick waxes for this method. (Just fish out the wicks when melted).
4in Melting Pot
7in Melting Pot

Don't forget that we also create mailable self adhesive seals for you with Faux Wax and a double sided adhesive.
Take the time and effort out of seal production and allow us to use our time and materials to get the job done for you.

4. We are creating a large amount of seals, but do not need to mail them.

Since mailing is not an issue, any of our waxes would apply for this use.
We are addressing how to best create a large amount of seals.

The quickest and cleanest method of seal production is our Glue Gun used with Glue Gun Sealing Wax or Faux Sealing Wax.

If you want to use a wax not molded to fit a glue gun, we have two sizes of melting pots
which allow one to melt down a quantity of wax, and spoon it onto the project.
This is also a very fast and easy to use method.
One could easily melt down both wick and non-wick waxes for this method. (Just fish out the wicks when melted).


5. What is the most traditional sealing wax you carry?


We are very pleased to offer several lines of waxes from J. Herbin of France, and Waterstons of Scotland.
These waxes have been produced since 1670, and create some of the most beautiful seals we have seen.


6. I need a seal to crack or break upon opening.

For a seal to crack, it needs to be non-flexible - the opposite of our mailable waxes.
Our recommended wax for this use is our J. Herbin Cire Banque

This wax is formulated to be a security wax (referred to as "Bankers Wax"), breaking upon tampering.
We also suggest
J. Herbin Cire Nacree

J. Herbin Cire Kings Wax
.


8. Please explain how to use the waxes that don't have wicks.

Our glue gun waxes, and other wickless waxes, can be melted for use in the following ways:
* Break/cut off pieces, place into our melting spoon, and hold over a flame to melt (our alcohol lamp, candle flame, or heat gun).
* Melt sticks or pieces in one of our two melting pots and spoon onto your project.
* Hold the stick downwards to your project, and apply a flame from a lighter or small torch (a bit tricky, but can be done with great success).
Wax will flow as if you had a wick with the stick. Be careful to not actually light your wax on fire.

9. How much wax will I need for my project?

Great question!
This can be a bit hard to answer, as some of our customers enjoy a conservative use of their wax to create a detailed impression of their sealing coin;
while others find beauty in a large application of wax which will push itself out and around their sealing coin, creating a very opulent look.

Our estimate for wax use is based on a round 3/4" coin and the resulting seal being on the conservative side of sizes.
The conservative seal has enough wax to push up into the detailing of the sealing coin, and a thin lip to exude out the side of the impression.
If your preference is for thicker seals, or more excess on the sides, please adjust your use estimates.

Please keep in mind that you are welcome to return any unused waxes; over ordering for project needs may be a safety net you will need to meet your deadline.