Homemade wax seals part 1

How to make wax seals for invitations, gifts, or other stuff. Everything besides the seal wax is homemade from super easy to find stuff.

what you need:
A grinding wheel for use with a drill press (True Value, $3.50)
Limestone rock
Dremel
"Odd broken drill bit looking thing" dremel bit ---Update! its called an "End-mill"
Drill press
Sand paper
Pencil
Soft clay
At least 3 fingers

Step 1: Find a limestone rock

Find a cool rock that kinda looks like this. I don't know if you can see this but it's
*kind of* shaped like a 3 faced pyramid with a *kind of* flat base. I'm holding the rock with the base facing up.

Comments

[thewoodcarver]

Good job , Maybe Soapstone since it carves easy you can use a butter knife and sandpaper on it

[Scurvymcdiggle]

soapstone would be perfect for this. you can get harder grades of soapstone as well that need a little more effort to work. and it wouldnt degrade. it would however be sensitve to scatching and and dropping. i love soapstone. awesome stuff.

[nepheron]

soapstone may work, but it may deteriorate. than again I've never tried it ( i lost all my soap stone :/ )

[thepelton]

Soapstone is available through woodcraft.com

[thewoodcarver]

They use to make sinks out of soapstone ,I remember one on our back porch back in the mid 60's the house was built in 1920 or so and I seem to remember seeing it used as a fireplace or woodstove
I have a soapstone ashtray that is missing I am told a carved matchbox but i did buy it to used as a base for something else I was carving (got to finish that someday)after I finish my x mas gifts I will find the chunk of soapstone I have and try one of these

[Metalcaster14]

be nice

[Cryptonat]

Does it have to be stone? Could you use wood, or are we trying to avoid porous materials?

[nepheron]

wood does not work well. to pourous

[thepelton]

I have made seals out of wood, but I use hardwoods that are varnished, waxed and buffed before I use them. Preferably a wood that is far less porous than red oak, and harder than cherry. I have had success with hard maple and walnut, and was planning to use some foreign woods like yellowheart and purpleheart.

[Ausmaus]

you could always go really old fashioned and make a signet ring.

[darkmuskrat]

I think would be fine as long as its been laquered dude. I just think the stone is for looks.

[jtobako]

I think the thermal mass (ie the stone stays cold) is important so that the wax 'freezes' before it can stick. A wood seal may have to be dipped in water rather than lacquered.

[nepheron]

you are very right. this is the same reason i prefer not to use polymer clay.

[dwhp]

duh

[=SMART=]

Awesome !

[making_hands]

thanks for the help but I prefer you make the seal with metal or copper stuff like that. I was hopping you would show me how to make the wax seal, I am so tired of having to make my own :(

[nepheron]

Hey! hanks for the comment. i don't really understand what you are asking, could you rephrase the question? you said : "thanks for the help but I prefer you make the seal with metal or copper stuff like that. I was hopping you would show me how to make the wax seal, I am so tired of having to make my own :(" are you asking me to make an instructable on making a seal stamp out of metal? thanks for the comment! I would love to help you. -Nepheron

[PyroMaster007]

Cool.

[gotclawz1]

do i have to use limestone or can i just use a rock or maybe some leftover marble i have lying around

[nepheron]

of course. i used limestone because it is easy to carve with rudimentary tools

[maninamousesuit]

i had sealing wax for my wedding invites but i ran out so i used a red crayon and it worked perfectly

[nepheron]

crayon wax is very different form sealing wax. it works but is very brittle.

[gamer]

If you want to make an "A" mark it as an "A", thats funny. very nice idea. -gamer

[nepheron]

:)

[egreen767]

i've always wanted to do this sweet instructable!

[snoyes]

For the wax seals on our wedding invitation, I just used a $3 rubber stamp that had my initial in relief, and a box of ordinary red candles from the dollar store.

[stranoster]

Looks Great! I was going to buy a seal about 3 weeks ago but then I'd have been set back about $100. Wasn't going to happen. Good instructions with clear pictures. Nice to see macro mode still gets used occasionally. :)

[nepheron]

thanks for the comment :) remeber that this instructable was just a quick guidline. if you spend more time on shaping and practice allot you will be able to make a really nice seal. good luck! ps i'm going to try to work out a homeade recipe for seal wax...cant be too hard :/

[stranoster]

Maybe a gelatin and candle wax mix? I'm not sure if it'd combine but it would make it less brittle. The easiest solution is to buy a coloured candle and just burn it I suppose. Again this is a great instructable

[nepheron]

thanks :) this is only my 2nd instructable so im happy it went over well

[PocketSized]

Thanks for the Instructable. I really like it. I'm going to have it give it a try.

[joejoerowley]

Very Cool! Well done!