Hey everyone!

In this Instructable, I want to show you how to make wax seals without wax stamps or wax seal candle sticks. With this method you can turn any object that you have lying around into a wax seal - without damaging it.

Supplies

play dough (store-bought or homemade, see step 2)
random small items
circle cutter or round object
either glue gun or small melting pot / spoon
silicone or baking paper
hot glue sticks (clear or colored)

Optional:

crayons
nail polish
eye shadow
thin cardboard
craft knife
candle

Step 1: The Play Dough Stamp

For the single-use wax stamps, all you will need is some sort of water soluble play dough.

I recommend using a store-bought one (I used the classic Play-Doh), but homemade play dough is an option too (see next step).

Start by flattening out the play dough and use a round object or circle cutter to cut out a circle.

You can smooth out little cracks with water.

Step 2: Homemade Play Dough

Store-bought play dough is easier to work with (unless maybe you make really fancy homemade play dough), but I tried out a lazy homemade version for those of you who don't want to go out and buy play dough.

All you need is flour and water: Add water to flour until it forms a dough. Add more flour if it's too sticky. I also added green food coloring for aesthetic reasons ;)

This play dough is not made to last long, but it probably keeps best in the fridge.

Step 3: Hunt for Random Treasures!

Next it’s time to hunt for random objects that would look nice as a wax seal. You will be surprised what treasures you can find at home!

Earrings worked quite well for me. Simply push your item into the dough and your wax stamp is ready!

The play dough can pick up details surprisingly well.

Step 4: Creating Letters / Custom Shapes

You can also use thin cardboard to create letters and other shapes.

Keep in mind that letters have to be mirrored, so a transparent template can help (because you can flip it and see the mirror image).

Unfortunately, letter stamps face the wrong way, so they don’t work!

Step 5: Why Normal Candle Wax Doesn't Work

Let’s talk about the wax next. You may be wondering: Can I not just use normal candle wax?

Unfortunately, it’s too thin, brittle and oily to create seals.

That’s why the 4 methods I show you will all include hot glue. You can melt it with a pot/spoon or use a glue gun.

Step 6: Hot Glue & Nail Polish Method

Method 1 is squeezing out some hot glue onto silicone or baking paper and placing the play dough stamp on top.

Once the glue has cooled down, you can remove most of the play dough and wash off the rest with a brush and water.

Then you can paint the seal with nail polish. If the nail polish isn't pigmented enough, you may need multiple coats.

Step 7: Optional: Highlight With Paint

I highlighted the details of some wax seals with acrylic paint.

Step 8: Crayon & Hot Glue Method

Method 2 is creating crayon shavings with scissors and forming little piles. You can add glitter too. Then add (transparent) hot glue on top and add the stamp. That way, you get an interesting marbling effect from the crayons.

With this method, you will most likely have to highlight the details of the seal.