Your Guide to Making Perfect Wax Seals
Here at Pietà Paperie, we’re on a mission to help devout Catholics evangelize loved ones through Beauty. As part of this beautiful mission, we create intentionally Catholic wedding invitations and stationery for the Sacraments that not only invite your loved ones to your celebration but also into the reality, the mystery, and the beauty of what truly happens during the Sacrament.
From the delicate touch of our premium papers to the intricate details of our heirloom Catholic wax seal stamps, every piece we create is designed to reflect the richness and the Beauty of our Catholic faith.
In this blog post, you'll learn our proven methods to creating perfectly round wax seals. We hope you find this free guide helpful! Should you need any assistance, do not hesitate to reach out. We are here and happy to help!
Supplies You'll Need to Make Wax Seals:
Our DIY Wax Seal Kit comes with all the tools you'll need to get started:
- Wax melting tool of your choice: Wax Melting Spoon or Wax Melting Gun
- Wax in the color and form of your choice: Wax Beads (for your spoon) or Wax Sticks (for your gun)
- A gorgeous, findely-detailed Wax Seal Stamp
You'll also need a candle from home.
Other tools that are helpful but not necessary:
- Parchment Paper, a Marble surface (like a countertop or coaster), or a Silicone mat
- 3M Adhesive Stickers
- A Silicone Stir Stick or tooth pick (for stirring the wax)
- A sewing needle (for popping bubbles)
- Ice cubes in a bowl or an ice pack (for cooling off your brass stamp in between making wax seals)
Wax Seal-Making Tips & Techniques:
It’s definitely a bit of a learning curve to make perfectly round wax seals, among other aesthetically pleasing natural shapes. Here are a few tips to get you started in the right direction:
Step 1:
Use a flat surface that your wax won’t stick to, like parchment paper (pulled taut and taped down to your working surface so it remains flat and does not wrinkle), a silicone mat, or marble. That way, you can put a 3M Adhesive Backing Sticker behind it so you can stick your pre-made wax seals right onto the envelope or final surface once you’re happy with the shape.
Step 2:
Move your wax melting spoon OR gun in a circular motion as your pour or release the wax onto your flat surface. Two to three full pumps of wax should be enough to make a 1in wax seal. (We tend to use three full pumps of hot wax because we just love the thick rims!)
Step 3:
Immediately after pouring your wax, gently lower your stamp onto the center of the wax. Don't press, just gently place it on top of the wax letting it sink in. Evaluate the shape. If your stamp isn't fully centered and the "rim" or "edge" of your seal looks lopsided and not that circular shape that you're after, gently tap the side of the brass stamp head in the direction you want it to go in so it's fully centered.
Step 4:
Once you're happy with the placement and the wax starts to cool, press down firmly. Then remove your hand from the stamp handle without lifting the stamp.
Step 5:
Wait 1-2 minutes to ensure the wax has fully cooled and hardened before lifting your stamp. During that 1-2 minutes, don't touch it. If you touch it while it's still cooling, you will either A) burn your fingers or B) leave a fingerprint impression on the "rim" or "edge" of your seal. We like to use a small handheld fan (akin to the kind you might see people using at Disney or other theme parks) to help speed up the cooling process.
Step 6:
After the 1-2 minutes, lift your stamp! If it won't budge, try rocking it to one side or twisting it slightly as you lift it. And voilà! You've made a beautifully round wax seal! (If you haven't achieved that perfectly round shape you're after, don't get discouraged! Keep practicing. Practice makes progress.)
Troubleshooting Q&A:
-
Why does my wax have bubbles in it?
The wax is too hot! Find that middle-ground where the wax isn’t too hot or too cold to get the best impression and the most predictable circular shape. Wax that is too hot will cuase bubbles to form. If you see some bubbles in the rim of your wax seals, use a sewing needle to pop them while the wax is still hot. This usually does the trick.
-
Why is my wax runny and not staying in the circle shape?
The wax is too hot! Wax that is too hot will morph into unpredictable shapes moving uncontrollably, just like any other liquid. If you're using a wax melting gun and the wax is coming out depressingly chunky looking, the wax melting gun hasn't fully heated up yet. Make sure to heat up your wax gun for 10-15 minutes with the wax stick in the gun. Wax that is too cool will come out chunky and not nearly malleable enough.
-
How do I achieve that “Goldilocks” wax temperature? If you’re using a wax melting spoon and candle, make sure the candle heats up the wax evenly. Consider using a silicone stir stick or a tooth pick to bring all of the wax to a consistent temperature.
If you’re using a wax melting gun, this may require you to plug in and unplug your wax gun (when you start noticing that it's starting to get runny or it's causing bubbles to form) every so often to keep the wax at the right temperature.
Make sure the brass stamp head isn’t too hot or too cold. If it’s too hot, cool off the brass stamp head by setting it on top of some ice cubes or an ice pack each time after stamping the brass head into the hot wax. That way, the stamp head is cold when you go to make your next wax seal, making the wax cool much faster.
-
What do I do with all my messed up practice wax seals? Give it new life! Cut it up with scissors into tiny pieces, melt it again with a wax melting spoon, and make an entirely new (and much improved) wax seal. None of your wax will go to waste!
- How do I make wax seals in bulk quickly for my upcoming Sacrament? Use an ice pack or a bowl with ice! Place your brass wax seal stamp on the ice pack or ice cubes to cool it between making each wax seal. This will make your wax seals cool almost immediately cutting your time down significantly. You can cut the time down even more by having multiple stamps in the same design so you can make multiple seals at once depending on how quickly you want to make them, but this is certainly not necessary.
Happy sealing! May God bless you!
Ready to master this beautiful craft? Get a DIY Wax Seal Kit and save 15% right here >>