Instamorph - Envelope Seals

This is a tutorial on making Instamorph (https://www.instamorph.com/) seals for envelopes or invitations. Instamorph is a great crafting tool. It is also reusable if you don't like the final product, just toss them back in the water and make it into something else.

This was done as part of the Tech Valley Center of Gravity Instructables Build Night.

Place about two tablespoons of Instamorph to water. It says on the package to have water about 140 degrees, I kept it closer to 160 degrees. It makes the Instamorph get pliable faster and was still cool enough to touch. Make sure to use a pan you will never use for food again. I used a temperature controlled hot plate to heat the water. And a candy thermometer to keep track of the temperature of the water.

Instamorph also has a pigment pack in blue, yellow, red, and black. You can mix all the colors to make all sorts of colors.

Here is the Instamorph page that shows what amount of pigments necessary to make each color. It does not take much and the amounts are very accurate. https://www.instamorph.com/techniques/instamorph-p...

Here are the six little seed bead size red pigments. I used more than suggested because I was using more Instamorph than they recommend.

I use a metal fork to take the Instamorph out of the water. It sticks a little to the metal of the fork to get it out. But it pulls away easily. If you use a plastic fork, the Instamorph will stick to it and may or may not come off clean. So don't use plastic utensils.

This also lets the hot water fall away from the Instamorph so you don't burn yourself.

Instamorph comes out clear, you can see where the red pigment pieces are in there. You need to stretch the Instamorph out into a long string, then fold it back over itself and keep doing that. I tend to break it into small pieces and squish it together to keep the mixing going faster.

You will be stretching and folding over a lot. It takes a bit to get the color mixed in. And to get the bead feel out and make the Instamorph to smooth out.

This is what it looks like when you tear it into little pieces to mix it.

You will need to keep adding it back to the water to become pliable again. I ended up putting it back in the water about six times before the color fully filled the Instamorph. Let it dry fulling and look for light color areas to make sure there is color everywhere. If there are light areas reheat the whole thing again. It means there is Instamorph without color in it.

I made a bunch of different colors. I make them all wide flat pieces so when I was ready to use them I could toss them in the water. If flat like this they will reheat and become pliable faster. Better than making them into big balls of plastic.

Pull apart the Instamorph into pieces about the size you want the final seal to be. So you can see if you have enough prepared Instamorph for you project. If not, make more. It is easier to do each step together.

Put each piece one at a time into the water and roll it into little balls. If you can't get the sides smooth in the first round, Stick it back in the water and then take it out and roll it again.

Once you have all the balls made. Try to make sure they are the same size. Then one at a time you will put then in the water again to make them soft.

Use the fork again to take the balls out of the water so you don't burn yourself,.

I took an actual wax seal, but you can use a rubber stamp if you wish. While the Instamorph is still soft, push the seal into the Instamorph as far as you want it to go. The less you push the taller they are. If you push harder the larger the rounded outer edge is. Push as far as you want until it looks the way you want it.

If you push too much or you don't like it. Take it and put it back in the water, make a ball, and start it again. Instamorph is totally reusable.

As long as the stamp is not plastic the Instamorph will not stick to it. If you are concerned, place a little olive oil on the stamp with your finger before pressing it into the Instamorph. Then wipe off the Instamorph once it has dried so it is not oily.

You can decorate with acrylic paints, nail polish, or in this case pearl ex pigments. I sprinkle with pigments or paint and then seal it so it doesn't rub into everything.

Take the Instamorph seals and seal then with Mod Podge of choice so they stay the new decorated colors you just made them.

You can attach it to the envelope directly or to a ribbon to attach to the envelope. Great for wedding invitations or other fancy projects where you would want a seal. Also it is cheaper to make then wax seals. And are more durable and likely to not crack or break before it is received.

I used epoxy, glue guns won't work well on the plastic. But you can also use glue dots or super glue if you want as well. Epoxy 6000 is flexible when dry so I used that so the paper can still flex.