Featured Antique Wax-Melting Stove (London, Ca. 1900).

Isn't this fantastic?? All complete, all singing, all dancing! I imagine it would've been on the desk of some busy legal, banking or big-business firm, for sealing parcels, envelopes and important documents like deeds, wills, etc, etc...

Very simple: Sealing wax goes into the pan at the top. Burner goes in underneath. Light the burner, and the heat of the flame warms the pan, and melts the wax...

Front:


The burner:


The wax-pan, with red sealing wax:


The pan lifts out, like so:


The Back:


And here it is in operation:



I'm sitting here, waiting to see how long it takes to melt the wax. So far it's been nearly half an hour. Nothin' yet...

 

Isn't that a clever little contraption! I could think of a dozen uses for it in contemporary life life as well if I gave it a bit of thought! Its in beautiful condition.

Edit to add: I'm sure you thought of it, but that IS sealing wax in the pot nd not something else that isn't melting properly?

 

It reminds me of an old autoclave! I thought the form was familiar, but couldn't place it immediately.

 

No, it's sealing wax. I recognise the consistency. It's been warming through for about an hour and a half, as of this posting. THERE IS A LOT OF WAX IN HERE!!

It's about an inch and a half, two inches deep of solid, bright red sealing wax!! It'll be a while before it's liquid enough to do anything with it...

 

Yowza! It didn't appear that deep/thick. You will be able to pen any number of missives before that is ready for use! Ah, but you have a nice slope/desk, so writing would be a pleasure for you, neh?

 

Shangas, that's lovely to add to one of your collections!!! You sound excited!!!! But I wouldn't think practical today what with all the neat little colored sticks with the wick in them!!!! Is that a lawyers firm printed on the side of it?? I didn't see before......yes, it just might take FOREVAH TO melt an inch and a half's worth of WAX!!!!

 

How do you take out the right amount for a seal, not burn yourself & not drip it where not wanted?

I can see Bob Cratchit being grateful to have documents to seal so he could warm his hands.

 

I think they would've scooped out the molten wax with a little ladle or spoon-type device, and poured it onto the paper/page/envelope or other document, and then sealed it with a seal.

After heating it through for 2 hours, it got soft, but not liquid-soft. I'm gonna have to figure out a better way of doing this. One of the problems is that this is SEALING WAX - which means it's VERY different to candle-wax, which makes handling it very difficult...

 

Is there a chance that this is not originally designed for sealing wax? It appears very impractical and I'm not certain that a small spirit lamp is enough heat to keep a vessel of wax that size soft enough to pour, even with the aid of a ladle. On the other hand, I am not familiar with things of this sort, so??????

 

Simple..... put the container into the freezer for a few hours and the wax can be popped out by turning it upside down and banging it against a piece of wood. Or possibly just hitting the bottom with your hand.

 

Looking up the name and address that is on the container, they are listed as dairy appliances & scientific glassware, (seems an odd combination to me). Maybe something to do with milk?
https://london18.co.uk/streets/TooleystreetNorth.shtml
Whatever it is, it is pretty cool
here is one from an auction
Late 19th century. A desktop wax seal on stand consisting of ball-footed tray with shell corners, troughs for wax cylinders, an alcohol burner, ivory handled ladle and monogrammed ivory-handled wax seal or "sceau".

 

I still get an autoclave from this - possibly for small dental tools or scientific instruments.

 

yup, I agree I don't think you would need that much melted was for seals, but I have never had to use a seal so I could be off base on that comment.

 

While I can see situations where a large quantity of sealing wax may have been necessary in certain situations, I think this is just too large and difficult to use - not at all practical for a busy situation where many seals need to be made in progression. It is obviously designed to be functional, not at all decorative.

I still covet it though!

 

Sutherland, Thompson & Company - Spirit wax-melter:

https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-us/...0015/lot-4e2aabdf-7da1-4ff3-8919-a444000e184a

It's sold as a box-lot, along with, and I quote:

"COPPER MUG, SHOVEL, and BRASS PENCIL STAND".

So the thing in the back has to be the sealing-wax stove. And if you ask me, that looks VERY similar to what I have, to say nothing of being by the same manufacturer.

It has the hinged carry-handle at the back, it has the rows of perforations for airflow, and it has the same hinged lid at the top, and rectangular design.

The only thing it has which mine doesn't, is the lift-knob at the top.

I'd say that we got a winner.

 

Also, it just occurred to me:

Sutherland, Thompson & Co - DAIRY APPLIANCES.

Don't some people seal cheese in wax, to preserve it? I've seen it done. Perhaps that was the original purpose?

 

Cheese! When waxed it IS usually with red wax, and with a ladle this would probably be a convenient size, so that makes sense. It would explain the "industrial" form as well - possibly designed for home or small production use.

Cool!

 

If it doesn't get hot enough to melt sealing wax, does it get hot enough to function as an effective autoclave?

 

Sealing wine bottles

 

@Shangas Is this the way the contents looked when you got it? Appears someone used an implement similar to a melon baller to take out the soft but not liquid wax, about the right quantity for a seal, no?