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Summary Wafers are thin, flat, baked adhesive discs which were used for a variety of sealing and joining functions. In use as early as 1635, wafers were largely displaced by the end of the 19th century by pre-gummed envelopes and seal papers. Recipes for wafers called for fine white flour, isinglass, glair. yeast and a colorant, typically vermillion. Other pigments such as indigo, verdigris, gamboge and red lead were also used. The ingredients were mixed into a paste, diluted with a gum solution, and baked on a metal sheet, or between the faces of a ‘wafer iron’. After cooling, the wafers were cut out of the sheets by hand with round steel punches. Wafers were produced in different sizes for use as adhesive joins or for affixing paper-covered seals on deeds, indentures or other official documents, and are often mistaken for resinous (sealing) wax seals. The use of wafers for repair of torn paper and for mounting of photographs has been observed. The brittleness of wafers can result in breakage and loss, and they are also susceptible to mold. Repair and/or consolidation is sometimes required. Wafer joins must occasionally be separated to reveal obscured information.
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