How to use a wax seal?

Unless you have the right tools for the job, and a few insider tricks. Luckily, I work with sealing wax for decoration regularly and I'm going to show you how to use a wax seal, together with my favorite tricks.

You can watch the video above or read the steps below.

Step 1: Chill Your Sealing Wax

A cold wax seal works faster than a room temperature or hot wax seal will. While this is not as important when you are only making one wax seal, if you are assembling all of your wedding invitations, you want to make this process as quick and easy as possible!

I prefer to fill a sandwich baggy with ice and water and place that in a bowl. Place the stamp face down onto the ice so that the metal is able to cool.

Pro tip: Reserve a place to put your glue gun or melting spoon while not in use! I like to have a plate or something that the wax can drip on without making a mess.

Step 2: Melt the Sealing Wax

Option 1: Use a traditional melting spoon over a tealight or small flame

Option 2: Use a standard glue gun (shown above)

For large orders, I prefer the glue gun. It's fast, it's easy, and you can keep the wax in it if you need to take a break or save it for another job. But the spoon is great for smaller jobs (and it makes me feel fancy! haha). No matter which method you use, the goal is still the same: melt the wax.

Pro tip: One mistake that I see often is wax that is too hot. It bubbles and the impression is not as crisp. Set your gun to "low" if it has a temperature setting.

Step 3: Pour the Sealing Wax

The correct amount varies from seal to seal and depends on the look that you want. The messier you pour, the messier the edges are! Though I have found that the wax seals tend to unify the wax a little more, so don't worry if it feels "too messy" for you.

For a 1 inch, circular wax seal, I have found that 1 to 1.5 pumps on a standard glue gun is just about right. If you're using the wax beads in a spoon, 1 bead should equal 1 seal, though I like to start with 2 to get the wax flowing nicely!

Step 4: Blot & Press

Now it's time for the real fun to begin! Your wax is melted and has been poured onto the desired surface! Take your now-chilly stamp off of the ice, blot on a clean paper towel or wash cloth to remove any water that may have collected, and place the wax seal at the center of your wax!

Pro Tip: Get a straight wax seal stamp every time by marking the top of your wax seal with a small pencil line along the side of your wax seal stamp!

Step 5: Reveal

After you wax has cooled, give it a gentle pull. If the wax seems to move, then leave the stamp for a few more moments. If the sealing wax feels stiff as you start to wiggle the wax seal stamp, then it should be safe to pull the stamp off.

Now sit back and admire your beautiful work! Isn't it satisfying?

And don't worry. That feeling never goes away!