Homemade Sealing Wax - EASY! PICTURES!

In this instructable I am going to show to how to make your very own sealing wax for signing documents and such. Sorry for the lengthy instructions, it is mostly pictures.

SEE MY OTHER INSTRUCTABLES FOR INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO CARVE A SEALING STAMP

Step 1 Preparation

Everything you need and MORE!

FABRIC HOT GLUE: It looks like hot glue, except it's white. the stuff I use is called "fabristick" or something.
DYE: Any kind of colorant can be used. I prefer RIT dye (very cheep).
BEE'S WAX: You only need a tiny bit. If you don't have this, paraffin works OK.
MORTAR AND PESTLE: You will need it for grinding the RIT dye into fine dust.
A CANDLE SETUP: It is featured in the picture below. Looks like a candle under a metal tripod.
ALUMINUM DISH (OR EQUIVALENT): Use one that is small enough to be used in the candle setup.
WORK PAPER: Something that you won't mind getting wax on. your going to work on top of it.

BEGIN!

Comments

[Syrrah]

Hopefully, this instructable isn't dead!
I'd like to commend you for how thorough your 'ible was.

I have a question though; is bee's wax a requisite or would normal candle wax work? I see you said that paraffin is acceptable too; is paraffin synonymous with normal candle wax?

Thanks!

[nepheron]

No, it's not dead at all :)
Regular candle wax and paraffin are typically the same thing. However: regular candles might not be entirely paraffin, they might also contain a percentage of beeswax. Which is totally fine :)

Good luck!
-Calvin

[Datwinksta]

I *love* this! I think I've been using too much wax. I'm using fabric glue and bee's wax, but the sticks melt in my hands and take forever to set and the design isn't very clear...any tips?

[TheAmateurArtisan]

would this be flexible enough for the mail?

[deathnotx101]

I've always wanted to make an old fashion letter after watching so many old movies. :) thanks for making my wish come true!!!

[jcoronel1]

Great tutorial. Easy to understand and really helped me make it my own. Lots of room for self editing! Also I used a small ceramic bowl to mix it all up, it took a long longer than i think it should have so i am assuming it is alot easier with a metal one?

[crimsonhalo]

Does the colour transfer to any other surface once the mix has been applied as a seal? Or is the glue and wax sufficient to keep the dye contained?

I'm planning on creating mailable seals, so I'm curious to hear from someone who's got more experience on this stuff.

[eranox]

Fantastic 'ible! Great photos, and really easy to follow. Finally I can make this stuff myself without getting scammed at the store! One question, could a wick be added to the wax, or would the hot glue part prevent this from working?

[nepheron]

No, a wick would not work .. I have tried it XD.

[eranox]

Y'know, I wonder if you could actually just pour the stuff into a tube the same diameter as the original glue stick, and then use the glue gun to apply it. The beeswax might make the melting point too low to pull this off, but it'd be super sweet if this works.

[bespectacled]

Maybe if you used a high temp glue stick and low temp glue gun?

[baronbrian]

You might try shaving the glue into slivers some how (pocket knife, kitchen grater, whatever). That way it will melt better. You can do the same thing with wax to make it melt easier.

[nepheron]

Thanks, I hadn't thought of that!

[Oryctolagus habilis]

Wow: what a great recipe & you can do it in any color RIT makes! I'm sure you could use standard candle-casting techniques to add a wick to the stick if you wanted to.

[nepheron]

Yep, any color!
You can't add a wick, I've tried :(
The wick doesn't stay lit because there is not enough wax in this mixture fuel a flame. The only reason you add wax is to disrupt the stringy qualities of the hotglue.

[Oryctolagus habilis]

Aha! Thank you for letting me know that, since I'm definitely going to make this & now know not to bother trying to add a wick.

[harmless matt]

Really great instructable!

Any source for the pigment/dyes?

[nepheron]

 It is Ritz Fabric Dye
It can be purchased at most craft stores, and is staple in any fabric stores.
I believe Wall*Mart stocks it, as well.

[tolga]

very cool!How do you make the stamp?

[nepheron]

Oh, I'm so sorry! here is the link!
This instructable is pretty old... no wonder you had trouble finding it! It's also not quite as well done as my newer ones...

http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-wax-seals-part-1/

Good luck and tell me how it goes!
-Nepheron

[tjk94]

That's an excellent question! It says "SEE MY OTHER INSTRUCTABLES FOR INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO CARVE A SEALING STAMP" but I can't find that Instructable anywhere! If anyone knows where it is or why I can't find it please tell me!

[nepheron]

Oh, I'm so sorry! here is the link!
This instructable is pretty old... no wonder you had trouble finding it! It's also not quite as well done as my newer ones...

http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-wax-seals-part-1/

Good luck and tell me how it goes!
-Nepheron

[thepelton]

Interesting. I am going to try this, and see if my Mesopotamian style roller seals will work with it. I will return with a report, but it may not be right away. I need to get the materials together. Beeswax is actually quite easy to obtain. Many small places that sell honey have small blocks of beeswax. Not the big Grocery stores, but the small places like Farmer's Markets where beekeepers sell their own personal stuff. Also, try sewing supply stores, art stores, and lumber stores. With a little digging you can find a place that sells beeswax.

[thepelton]

I was in a hobby store just the other day, and saw a five pound chunk of beeswax there.

[Metalcaster14]

good instructable!

[thepelton]

One other thing. I suspect you used the bottom of an aluminum can for your wax pan. Right? Any of them would work, as long as you made sure you didn't cut yourself on the edge.

[filthyfury]

i do this too but i just use a brass button for the stamp and melt a wax crayon

[junits15]

will this be like real wax or is it goopy and thick?

[denzani]

Awesome work!

[trooperrick]

Great! I've been waiting for this one. Thanks for sending me the message.

[nepheron]

Thanks for liking it!

[omnibot]

I like it to :)

[ERNesbitt]

Craft stores usually carry sealing wax in large white blocks. You can use candle dye to color it. When my wife and I got married, we put wax seals on all of the invitations to the wedding. The benefit of using wax is that you can add a wick if you'd like.

[keng]

awesome! thanks for the i'able. now, for the obvious....what if i only have the standard hot glue (the sticks don't fit the gun I now have) and regular wax? will that work?

[nepheron]

Using regular wax will work, but I have not ever used normal hot glue before... it will probably work fine though. The reason I used fabric hot glue is because it seems to be a bit more flexible and rubbery. The fact that it is white is also a plus (you cannot see through it.)

[fritsie123]

Yes, that will work also.

[CameronSS]

About time you got this one up! ;-) Nice job.

[nepheron]

OH yeah, i have been mixing recipes forever! I am so happy that I have finally got this right :P !!!