Drawing an outline is helpful when you’re starting out. After you get accustomed to crafting seals out of glue, try making them freehand. Non-stick surfaces like silicone and wax paper are a great way to practice making seals. Since the seals won’t stick, you are able to move them onto more permanent surfaces like envelopes after they harden.
Wax seal stamps are available online or at some hobby stores. They come in a variety of designs and some retailers even allow you to order custom designs. Rubber stamps aren’t useful since they are prone to damage from water and sticky glue. Instead, use objects like buttons or bottle caps to create custom seals without metal stamps.
Clear or white glue sticks are very common, but glue gun sticks are made in a variety of colors. You can use any color to make a seal. Getting colored glue sticks is the simplest way to customize your seals. Painting or dying is an option if you wish to customize white glue, but it isn’t mandatory.
Don’t worry about making the glue base look perfect. Flaws become details that give seals unique characteristics. You are unlikely to ever use too much glue.
If you hold the stamp in place too long, the glue will stick to it. Hot glue takes about 30 seconds to harden. Once the seal hardens, peel it off of the stamp by hand. The glue will be cool to the touch and won’t break apart.
Colored food dye is another way to transform bland seals. Carefully drip the dye onto the seal to color it. Permanent markers are another way to shade a seal. Add dark colors to ridges, for instance, to make the stamp’s design stand out more.
Another way to attach a seal to a surface is with a double-sided adhesive. Peel off the backing, then press the sticker to the seal and your project.
Choose a glue stick according to the color of stamp you wish to make. If you can’t find colored glue sticks, try melting part of a crayon with an equal amount of a white glue stick. Stir them together to create colored glue. An advantage to using a spoon is that it allows you to create unique colors by melting different glue sticks together.
Wax melting spoons are available online and at some craft supply stores. Melt enough glue to fill the bowl of the spoon. Cut off more glue and melt it as needed if the bowl isn’t full. Stirring the glue with a toothpick speeds up the melting process and helps ensure the liquid isn’t chunky.
The easiest way to pour the glue is in a mound. Move the spoon slightly to help spread the glue. Since the glue is liquid, it will finish spreading and settling on its own. If you choose to pour the wax onto a non-stick surface, you will need to attach the seal to your project with an adhesive like hot glue or a double-sided sticker.
If your “wax” seal sticks to the stamp, push it off with your finger and use an adhesive to bind it to your project.
As long as you don’t boil the glue, neither the spoon nor the glue will pose much of a burn risk. Still, play it safe and avoid letting hot surfaces brush against your skin.
Melting glue sticks this way is tricky since the glue tends to drip on the lighter. Get a torch lighter instead of a disposable lighter if you can. Torch lighters are far easier to aim.
Let the wax melt onto envelopes or wherever you need the seal. Alternatively, use a non-stick surface like a silicone craft mat to practice and select the perfect seal for your project. Dripping glue is the slowest way to create a seal, so be patient. Hold the glue stick steady until it gets nice and hot, then make sure the melting glue drips where you need it.
Rub the glue stick gently against the surface to avoid spreading the glue out too much. For the best results, spread the glue with circular motions. Imperfections in the seal are fine and make it unique. Most seals look noticeably different from one another, so you don’t need to spend a lot of time fixing dripped glue.
Hold the stamp in place for about 5 seconds, enough for the “wax” seal to solidify.
