If something bad happened to my scroll or charter, can it be fixed?

It happens. Despite your best efforts, your lovely award scroll or charter has not made it home safely. But do not despair! There is a good chance that the College can help make things right. Whatever you do, do not attempt to fix the trouble yourself without contacting the Principality Scribe first. It is surprisingly easy to make things worse!

So what to do?

The most common mishap is a broken wax seal. The good news is that this is also fairly easy to fix. First contact the Principality Scribe and let them know you require a replacement seal. Be sure to indicate if it is an Avacal or An Tir seal (it will say on the seal) and what colour the wax is. You will now need to remove the old broken seal. This is a slow and gentle process – take it slow or you will spoil it further! Take a hair dryer and gently heat the back of the seal – only heat this area! This will soften the rubber cement that holds the seal in place. With the glue softened you can now ease off little bits of the broken seal. I recommend using a dull butter knife to assist you in gently prying off the bits. Be careful not to cut or gouge the surface and do not tug too aggressively or you may tear the surface. Continue to work away all the wax bits and glue till the surface is mostly smooth. Reheat the area if needed. Once mostly smooth – it doesn’t have to be perfect – apply rubber cement to the back of the new seal and then press VERY GENTLY into place. Make sure to turn the seal to have the seal facing right way up. Now let it sit flat and undisturbed to dry for one day to ensure it is solidly affixed. You are ready to frame! There is no cost for replacement seals (within reason) but any shipping costs are paid by the recipient.

Sadly though much worse can happen. Water or beverage damage, dirty finger prints, chipped paint or gilding and other mishaps occur that make a scribe or illuminator shudder. Any of these require serious skill to fix and should only be attempted by an experienced scribe. Contact the Principality Scribe and let them know what happened and they can recommend how to proceed. Unfortunately if the damage is too extensive, it may be necessary to replace the scroll or charter. If this is necessary, please note that any costs to replace will be paid by the recipient.