Lin Rosa Spaabæk: The conservation and reconstruction of wax seals: A reversible method.

This paper will describe the method and materials used for restoring wax seals in the Arnamagnæan collection, University of Copenhagen. Due to brittleness and dryness diseased wax seals in the collection were in a fragmented and deteriorated state. To secure the brittle and fragile seals from further crumbling a method to rebuild and restore the edges was developed.
We wanted the new filling to appear as close to the original material as possible as far as gloss, texture and colour were concerned. To find a suitable filling material we tested and mixed various waxes. To avoid wax blooming the material had to be soft and easy to apply at max. 45-50 degrees Celsius.
A mixture of 80 % pure unbleached bees wax and 20 % paraffin wax resulted in a very suitable wax paste. By adding modern wax and mostly modern pigment to the paste the restoration wax became chemically different from the original wax. This difference is visible in UV light which secures any future removal of the restorations.
To apply the restoration wax to the deteriorated seals a mini hot spatula was used. The heat of spatula, which originally was developed by dentists, could be controlled.