Homemade wax seals part 2

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

Step 1 Placement

Put a small mark where the seal will be. I made a big mark so you can see it.

Comments

[sunshiine]

Oh my goodness! I love this! Thanks for sharing your hard work and great talent!

[CameronSS]

Where do you buy sealing wax? I'm assuming that a normal taper, plumbing, or birthday candle wouldn't have the right adhesive properties.

I've always wanted my own personal seal. Maybe I'll make one into a ring. Or I'll try sculpting that cool skull used by the Phantom in Phantom of the Opera.

[Darkgoddess]

Cameron S S I hope you are able to make that skull seal I'm trying everywhere to find one Please post how you did it. :)

[CameronSS]

I'm thinking of using a little plastic skull I have (attached to a little plastic skeleton) and actually casting the seal. I'm not sure what to use for a casting material, yet, though, I think the wax would stick to plaster. Actually, I might make a mold using either a couple negatives or positives, or with a positive using the lost-wax process, and casting it in lead. Then the seal would look like death AND be toxic.

[nepheron]

I've said before that polymer clay would not work... but I actually think it would! just moisten it slightly using a sponge before you stamp.

If you want to use metal, try tin plumbing solder. it's quite cheap and alows you to avoid toxic chemicals like lead.

To make a metal seal form your plastic skull, here is the process I propose:

1: Coat the part of the skull that you want to make into a seal with rubber cement or silicone caulk. be sure to put some kind of release on the skull first, like oil.

2: Remove the rubber cement or caulk from the skull (be careful not to tear it). fill the cavity with plaster of paris and let cure.

3: take a cardboard toilet paper tube and cut it to about 1 inch in length.

4: give the inside of the 1" long toilet paper a coating of thick plaster of peris and let it cure.

5: arrange everything as shown in the picture below:
I hope this picture makes sense...

[CameronSS]

If you want to use metal, try tin plumbing solder.

Except that both of our melting pots are filled with solidified lead...

[nepheron]

uh-oh I guess lead will have to be a go.

[nepheron]

its not about adhesive properties, its about durability. sealing wax bends, not breaks.

[snoyes]

I used plain old taper candles from the dollar store on our wedding invitation seals. They made it through the US mail service just fine. My only regret was that the candles were mostly white, just coated with red wax, so the color was not as intense as I would have liked.

[IlluminatedAntichrist]

I was able to buy some at "Barnes and Noble" book store around the section where they sell notebooks for journals, and writing material. You could possibly also buy them from craft stores.

[CameronSS]

How much?

[IlluminatedAntichrist]

They were expensive, they were about 13 dollars. Each box had four sticks of wax.

[Metalcaster14]

cool another good instructable

[Metalcaster14]

interesting... Coughlan's magnesium fire starter!

[a918bmxr]

crayons work really well (check out my awsome instructable)
http://www.instructables.com/id/flame_throwing_altoids_guitar

[harry_banana11]

I've only done this once but I liked the result...Maker's Mark Bourbon Whisky comes with it's own handy stash of wax. It actually takes it's name from wax stamping! Of course, more expensive and not available to minors but if you already have a bottle...and the name seems fitting for this site.

[nepheron]

lols yeah, i will keep that in mind :)

[nepheron]

i'm thinking about doing another instructable that will be about making a really nice seal stamp.... out of jade or something ... :)

[brodyf]

yes, please do that. I think it is pretty obvious that to make a seal you just melt the wax. If you showed us how to make the stamp for it, that would actually be helpful.

[nepheron]

This is wax seals part 2. Part 1 explains in great detail the process of carving a seal stamp. I apologize if I was not clear on the subject of a part 1

[nepheron]

sealing wax is very cheap, about a doller a stick. a stick will make 30-50 seals.

[saintshortckt]

man i really like the way u post comments on ur pictures lol nice work bro! cheers

[nepheron]

hey thanks :) i like nice feedback :)

[ruggrat]

I found "sealing wax" which works well in the candle-making section of a craft store (Michaels), it would seal a great many letter, but I don't remember the price. Under $10 at any rate. It was just a block of white, undyed wax. I bought some dye too. To seal, I scrape off a little chunk into a spoon and hold it over a candle til melted(ya, druggie chic), and then tip it onto the letter to seal. You could do this with a chunk of beeswax, although beeswax melts at a hotter temp. Don't ask me how I know this.

[ruggrat]

Oh duh, that was meant as a reply to CameronSS's comment...

[trooperrick]

I found a nice site that shows some wax recipes. hope it helps on making another Instructable, I'm too lazy to do it myself. http://codesmiths.com/shed/workshop/recipes/sealingwax.htm