Sealing Wax
A document is folded to make itself an envelope, the sealing wax is used as a sealing agent so that you know if the message has been tampered with. Some messages that are delivered by messenger do not use sealing wax by the sender. This is because the message is deemed to not be confidential or the sender was out and about and needed to send a quick message to another Zone and Segment, and didn’t have the equipment to seal it.
In these cases, the message sent is more than likely something containing;
Please await another message, I am out and about in Zone 4. I will send a sealed message. When I get back home.Most messages are written on a portion of A4, which is written on and ripped off the page and folded in half and sealed if required. For letters, they are written on one side of the A4 sheet and the unwritten side is reserved for the address [1].
History
Across the world and in the City of Birdencaster the only colour that is used for wax seals is red. While historically, multiple colours were used on their own that described what the message was about. This fell out of fashion after The Great Rewind, to save on resources. The table below describes the historic use for each colour [2][3].Colour | Meaning |
---|---|
Black | Mourning death or other bad news. |
Blue | Romance and passion. The deeper the blue the stronger the emotion. |
Brown | Dinner Invitations |
Green | Friendly Correspondence. |
Pink | Congratulations and Praise. |
Red | Formal or Business Correspondence. |
White | Invitation to private affairs and festivities especially weddings. |
Folding
Envelopes are not available for sending messages, as they are used to keep important documents, safe and protected. For messages, they don’t have the requirements for envelopes so they aren’t used. Instead, messages are folded. The common method, but certainly not the only one that doesn’t require the page to be cut are;- Have the page message side up and portrait.
- Fold the sides to the centre so that the message is covered.
- Holding down the two strips fold up the bottom portion so that it is mostly covers the first two folders.
- Next, with the top portion fold it down over the top and fold. What should result is an envelope looking piece of paper that has not been sealed
- Lighting a candle melt the wax or light the wick of the wax.
- With the other hand hold down the page and dribble the wax if you are using a wicked version. If not use the wax stick to move the wax over the two portions of the page.
- While the wax is still molten use a wax seal to put an impression on, hold the wax seal for a couple of seconds and remove.
- Once the wax is solid, blow on the wax to test how solid it is if the excess wax moves with your breath wait longer. However, if the wax is solidified, you can now take the new sealed message to a messenger for delivery.
Multiple Pages
For multiple pages, that does not require an envelope, are stuck into a cardboard tube. The top of which is PLA plastic. Is sealed with a ribbon and wax over the top end where the lid is. The address is written on the outside of the tube.3 10
Simon Collins
Captain of the Messengers’ Office
Western Pass
Manufacturing
The wax element of Sealing wax comes from Beewax which comes from the Beekeeping Industry. As beeswax is too runny when it is molten, a number of chemicals are added. Such as to make the wax less runny and able to snap when hardened. One of the other additives is a colouring agent, which dyes the wax from a golden yellow to red. This is more acceptable than bleaching the wax before dyeing, as this would hide its quality. The resulting molten wax is poured into differing moulds depending on the type they are making. The two types depend on the age or the skill of the person. One type has a wick that allows for the wax to be directed. A separate candle is needed to light the wax for each message. The wick has to be lit each time the wax is needed. The wax stick is blow out after each wax seal. This is for the younger person or those who are less skilled in moving wax. The other type is where the wax doesn’t have a wick therefore, needs to melt above the candle flame to melt a portion of the wax. This is used by more skilled users.
Value
1 Stick (Regardless of Wick): 200NS
Rarity
Prevalent
Colour
Red
Melting Point
45 C (113 F)
Common State
Solid
8.90cm x 1.10cm x 1.10cm
(3.50" x 0.43" 0.43")
Related Locations
Birdencaster
Related Technologies
Beekeeping
Related Profession
Sealing Wax Maker
[2]A Reddit picture on wax seal colour meanings
[3]What brown sealing wax means
1 Stick (Regardless of Wick): 200NS
Rarity
Prevalent
Colour
Red
Melting Point
45 C (113 F)
Common State
Solid
8.90cm x 1.10cm x 1.10cm
(3.50" x 0.43" 0.43")
Related Locations
Birdencaster
Related Technologies
Beekeeping
Related Profession
Sealing Wax Maker
Article Contents
Further Resources
References
[1]A Youtube video on Postage: The Dos and Don'ts Of Sending A Letter In The 18th Century[2]A Reddit picture on wax seal colour meanings
[3]What brown sealing wax means
Acknowledgements
Angsthase
Dazzlikat
Dazzlikat's World Anvil Author Page
Kahuna the Elder
Twitch
Kahuna The Elder's World Anvil Author Page
WriterGreg
Twitch
WriterGreg’s Website
WriterGreg First Draft - Twitch VOD Replay Channel
WriterGreg - Primary Channel
WriterGreg’s World Anvil Author Page