A smooth and shiny wax seal stamp head is a major necessity for making perfect wax seals. However, wax seal stamp heads often tarnish. Faced with the problems of wax seal stamp heads tarnishing and storage of the wax seal stamps, I put together a guide that goes over just exactly why tarnish happens, how you can prevent tarnish, and how you can clean your own tarnished wax seal stamps. If you are a wax seal lover, don't miss the information below.
Why does wax seal stamp tarnish?
Wax seal stamps head are often made of brass. Brass is a hard alloy and is very durable. It is not easily deformed and it can be stored for a long time. But all brass naturally tarnishes over time. What causes brass to tarnish is the metal copper within the alloy. When copper comes into contact with oxygen in the air and various external items such as grease, sweat and cosmetics, a chemical reaction occurs, resulting in oxidation. Oxidation then causes metal tarnishing or even blackening. If you often expose the wax seal stamps to the air or touch wax seal stamp heads with your hand, the wax seal stamp heads will tarnish.
How to prevent tarnish?
Gold plating is a good way to prevent oxidation. Gold plating is a method of depositing a thin layer of gold onto the surface of another metal by chemical or electrochemical plating. It uses electrolysis to attach a layer of the metal film to the surface of metal or other materials to prevent metal oxidation, such as rust, to improve wear resistance, electrical conductivity, reflectivity, corrosion resistance and enhance aesthetics. We have two kinds of wax seal stamp heads. One is the brass head without gold plating, the other is the gold plated brass head. Of all sizes of wax seal stamp heads, the 35mm and 40mm heads are default brass heads without gold plating. While the 25mm and 30mm heads are default gold plated heads, which are not easy to tarnish. So I recommend you choose gold-plated brass heads when purchasing wax seal stamps.
At the same time, good storage habits prevent tarnishing. You should put wax seal stamps in a dry place in avoiding contacting corrosive liquids such as acids, alkalis and salts. When the stamp is not in use, put it in a separate box, and a sponge pad should be added to the head surface for protection. These behaviors can effectively prevent the oxidation and tarnish problems of wax seal stamps.
How to clean tarnished wax seal tamps?
For the wax seal stamps that have been oxidized, you can bring them back to shine in the following ways:
- Wash the oxidized wax seal stamp, put it in a container, and pour a little vinegar into it until the stamp is submerged. Take it out after 24 hours and use a small brush to remove the residual rust. Then rinse it with water and dry it in the shade.
- Soak oxidized wax seal stamps in water at 176-194 degrees Fahrenheit. Take it out after 3 minutes, use a small brush to remove the residual rust, and then dry it in the shade. If the patina is serious, you can soak it in boiling water to make it fall off.
- Use the special copper brightening cleaning agent for cleaning, then rinse it with water and dry it in the shade.
I hope this helps you get a better feeling of what tarnishing is and that it’s not a terrible thing. It's completely natural for metals to tarnish. Take good care of your wax seal stamps, you can easily prevent tarnish.
