Make Your Own Seal Stamp and Wax
by JGJMatt in Craft > Gift Wrapping
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Make Your Own Seal Stamp and Wax
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Hello fellow makers!
If you ask me the absolute perfect way to put a final personalized touch to your packaging or gift wrapping is a wax seal.
Unfortunately around here the wax used has become quite scarce and if you are lucky to find some they can be quite expensive which is not ideal if you want to use it for packaging.
So let's make our own!
In this Instructable I will be showing you not only how to make a very affordable and great looking wax but also a personalized seal.
Let's get started...
What You Will Need:
To make this Instructable you will need:
The wax:
- Clear/white hot melt glue
- Beeswax
OR
- Colored crayons
- Mica powder in the color of your choice
The seal stamp:
- Premade stamp
- 1mm Brass plate
- Access to a CNC machine
- Access to a 3D printer
- 2 part CA glue
*As an Amazon Associate I receive a small percentage from sales made through provided links at no cost to you, this helps fund future projects.
The Wax: Recipe
The ratio I always use to make my wax is:
1 part hot melt glue cut into small bits
1 part beeswax
If you want a seal that is a little more flexible and sticks more:
2/3 parts hot melt glue cut into small bits
1/3 parts beeswax
The Wax: Melting
With your hot melt glue cut up into similar size pieces as the beeswax we can now start melting the two together.
I use a little homemade pot that I constructed from an old aluminium container with a brass rod soldered on as a handle, but what I found works really well is a small stainless steel measuring cup.
You want to melt everything together over a low heat otherwise it will start to smoke, I found that the best way is to use a good old candle.
At first it will look like the hot melt glue does not want to melt into the beeswax and will just ball up around your stirrer, don't worry just keep stirring until it all comes together.
The Wax: Pigments
With the beeswax and hot melt glue now combined we can colour it.
For this Instructable I used some brown and pink mica powder that gives it a spectacular shimmer. A little goes a long way here.
You can also colored crayons instead of regular beeswax in the recipe to color your wax.
The Seal:
Wax seals are available premade and you can also have your own design made.
Or you can...
Make your own seal stamp:
I start with a piece of 1mm thick brass plate, my design uses a 22mm piece.
To easily mount the piece of brass to my machines table I cover the one side of the plate as well as the machines table with a layer of painters tape.
I then use 2 part CA glue with activator to stick the brass plate to the machine table.
This way it is solidly mounted but can be peeled away afterwards with no damage to the piece or machine.
Next I load the design and engrave it 0.2mm into the brass plate using a 20 degree engraving bit occasionally giving it a spray of WD-40.
Print the Handle:
Using Tinkercad I could quickly create a handle for my custom made seal.
I printed the handle out of SBS as I fear that PLA might deform over time from the heat of the wax.
My print settings are as follows:
Material: Black SBS
Speed: 80mm/s (Prusaslicer default)
Temp: 220 degC Nozzle and 85 degC Bed
Nozzle: 0.4mm
With SBS I use no part cooling fan
After printing I used 2 part CA glue to glue the seal onto the handle.
Downloads
Test Your Seal:
Now with the seal assembled we can test it out.
I use some play-doh to test my seals with and although this is the fourth seal I made you might have noticed in some of the photos that I made a mistake.
Yes...
You're seal design is supposed to be mirrored, it was a real face palm moment after I finished assembling the seal.
Using Your Wax and Seal:
Time to make your first seal!
Start by heating up your wax again over a candle until it is completely molten.
Now pour a blob of molten wax just under a inch onto your letter or packaging and then press your seal into the wax.
Tip: If you are having trouble with the seal not coming out sharp you can place the seal stamp in cold water before stamping.
I usually leave the seal stamp in the wax for about 30 second before removing it to give the wax time to set up.
Thoughts on the Wax:
The recipe can be adjusted according to your needs, it tears cleanly, can be peeled away, low cost, custom colours.. what's not to love!?
Plus it doesn't light your letters on fire like the candle type seal wax!
Enjoy!
I hope you guys enjoyed this Instructable and if you have any questions please feel free to leave me a comment bellow.