Using Your Faux Wax to Make Seals

Public disclaimer (please read)

Materials and tools needed:

• Faux wax sticks in color of your choice
• Brass, pewter, ceramic, or other type of seal (click here for a tip on how to use a rubber stamp as a seal)
• Ice cube
• Paper towels or kitchen towel
• Optional: glue gun release pad
• Low-temp mini glue gun (your faux wax sticks can be used in a hot melt glue gun for other crafting purposes, but the faux wax will come out very thin and difficult to use for making seals)

1. Insert the faux wax stick into glue gun and plug in. Do not begin to make the seals until the faux wax has had the chance to heat for several minutes! Caution! Even with a low-temp glue gun, the melted faux wax and the nozzle of the glue gun are very hot and can cause burns! Do not touch while in use!

2. Chill the seal by pressing it onto an ice cube, then pressing onto a paper towel or kitchen towel to remove any moisture from the seal. Chilling the seal after each impression will help the seal to release quickly and easily once you press it into the hot faux wax. If the seal becomes too warm while you are making the seals, it will stick in the faux wax and not make a very clear impression.

3.  To make the seal directly on the stationery or envelope, squeeze a small mound of faux wax onto the place where you want the seal to be. Press the chilled seal firmly into the faux wax, then remove. (You will have to experiment on a scrap of cardboard or paper to get the amount of faux wax just right.  There should be enough on the paper so that a small ridge of faux wax is pressed out all around the sides of the seal, but not so much that the seal is too thick and bulky. The brass seal I used to test this project is approximately 3/4 inch wide, and it worked best with a blob of faux wax the size of a raisin.)

If you plan to send your faux wax seals through the mail on the outer envelope of your correspondence, try to make the seals as thin as possible. Although faux wax seals will not crack or break off of any item to which they are applied, there has been a report that the heat from postal machinery can re-melt the faux wax resulting in damage to the seal. Although this is rare, you can try to minimize the risk of damage by making your seals as thin as possible, and also by having your sealed items cancelled by hand when you post them. Your Post Office may charge a $.12 per piece surcharge for hand-cancelled items.

Click Here for a special note about using faux wax seals on scroll, pochette, or envelopment-style invitations!

If you find your chilled seal sticks in faux wax, just leave it in place for a minute or two before gently removing. It will take longer to do each seal, this way, but your results will still be good.

If a "thread" of faux wax forms when you pull away the glue gun, go ahead and make the seal and let the faux wax cool completely. The thread will be easy to brush away with your fingertips once the faux wax is cool. Some readers report that threads during use are minimized if you put the faux wax sticks in the freezer for a few hours before use.

If you feel that a seal you have made has not turned out well, you can "re-do" the seal by re-melting the faux wax with a hand-held hair dryer set on high heat, then impressing the chilled seal again (add a bit more faux wax from the glue gun if necessary to get the results you want).

Optional: If you want to make the seals separately and then glue them onto the envelopes or other craft projects, make the seals on a glue gun release pad. Let the seal cool completely before peeling it off of the surface. (The release pad is large enough to make several at one time.) Attach the seals to the envelopes with a paper adhesive.  Using more hot glue or a white craft glue to attach the seals will result in too much bulk. For other craft projects, you can attach the seal with more faux wax.

Tip from a reader: Amy writes: I've also found that using a rubber stamper and clear stamp pad works well, too. You "ink" the stamp well each time before you make the impression, and that helps release it from the faux wax.

(Questions or comments? Send me an !)

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