A beginner's guide to wax seals

1. Welcoming introduction: Hi everybody, I'm Rina and I'm a calligrapher and engraver based in Denley. If you have always wanted to create memorable experiences when gifting something or you just want to have some fun with wax seal. This course is exactly for you. This course, I'll teach you everything you need to know in order to start your wax selling journey. I'll start by telling you how wax seals were used in the past versus how we are using them today. I'll show you some tools, some materials, and some techniques in order for you to be able to create a modern looking wail and a vintage looking wax seal. That being said, this course is for beginners, be it artists or not, who are interested in making their lives and the lives of those around them more beautiful and special. If that's you, then hop on to the next class. 2. History & Modern day use: Sealing wax has its origins in Ancient Rome, but let's leave its historical journey for another time. In the Middle Ages, wax seals were used to authenticate contracts, agreements, and letters, serving as a substitute for an actual signature. The use of seals as a symbol of authority and genuineness was frequent among nobles, clergymen, and rulers. However, as the mid to late 19th century witnessed the invention and widespread use of pre gummed envelopes, wax seals gradually became less commonplace in everyday life. In recent times, wax seals have experienced a comeback extending beyond their traditional role in letters and documents. They now embellish wedding invitations, holiday cards, name cards, product and gift packaging, and even corporate branding. The distinctiveness of a wax seal conveys a sense of craftsmanship and attention to detail, elevating the aesthetic and the value of the item it adorns. 3. Materials & tools: One of the most important materials in the making of wax seals is, of course, the wax itself. Here you can see some examples of wax speeds. You can find these in different shapes and colors. The first box has some pastel colors. In the second one, you can see the colors are metallic. Also, I like to reuse the wax from the stamps that didn't turn out so well. Here we can see some examples. Another option is to use wax sticks. This can be also found in different colors and sizes. What I have here are some golden, bronze, and champagne colors also. This one here actually is a glue stick. The reason why it's here is because it can also be used is wax. Don't tell anyone, it's one of our secrets. But mainly it's because we use this wax gun to melt the wax. It works exactly as when you work with glue sticks. You introduce the wax stick, you press this, and on the other end you will receive the melted wax. You can create a perfect stamp. When we melt the wax speeds, we will need a spoon like such. I got mine on Amazon, but you could use whatever spoon you like. There are different designs and you can try whatever you feel like. You place the bits in the spoon, you place it over the fire. You have to be careful though, You cannot have the spoon too close to the flame. You can place your melted wax directly on your envelope or other surface of your choice. Or you could use a silicon mat. I have already used mine several times. It has these spots here, but do not fret. It still makes perfect wax seals. After you've created your wax seal with this technique, you can stick it with a double sided tape to your surface of choice. Another tool that you would need are the wax seal stamps. I love this. I'm extremely obsessed. I buy them all the time. And here's my little collection. This one is an Asian fan. I love it. It has butterflies. It's extremely cute. This one is a Lily of the Valley, one of my favorites. It's very elegant. This one here is a wrath. This one goes well for everything, really, all the occasions. This one here is the goddess Themis. It's also one of my favorite. This one here is the only square one that I have. It is a fish. It's extremely cute, and it has flowers on the corners. The next one is a little unorthodox. It's actually meant for leather, but it works perfectly fine on wax. I was looking for a Fleur de lis stamp. I fell in love with this one and it was a perfect choice. 4. Spoon pouring technique : Finally, our long awaited moment, we are going to create our first wax seal. In order to do this, I take my spoon, you can see it already has some melted wax from a previous melt, But that's totally fine. You just have to add your wax beads. I'm going to create a marble with this one. You can see there are different colors. You place it above your flame. Now, you do not place it into the flame. It has to be a little bit above the flame. The temperature is not too high. When the temperature is too high, it creates a lot of bubbles and they are quite tricky to get rid of. If you don't have the proper tools here, you can already see it's creating some bubbles. But that's not to worry. I'm just going to take one of my tools. I'm using a torch in order to get rid of the bubbles just a bit, and then I tap on my silicon map. I repeat this process for as long as needed until I get rid of all the bubbles. Now to the stamp, This one has an inscription. It says, Hold your hand and grow old together Because of the inscription, I need to know how to correctly position the stamp. The inscription is not upside down, that's why I'm marking it with a pen. After that, I'm checking where I want my stamp to be. I know in what place to pour the wax. I'm also pouring the wax in an oval shape, which simulates the shape of the stamp. Then gently place the stamp on top of the wax and leave it there until the wax is hardened. Since I still have some wax left in my spoon, I'm going to save it for later. For that, I'm going to melt my wax again and then pour it until my pad. In order to clean the spoon, I take a paper towel and clean the spoon as much as I can. Sometimes, it's not possible to get all the residue out, but still you should try your best. This is because when you have to do your melt next time, you don't want the colors to influence each other. Here you can see that the wax was hardened on the outside part of the spoon. So I have to melt it again and then try to clean it again. You have to repeat the process as many times as needed in order to get all the wax out of your spoon. And here we have it, our first wax stamp. What do you guys think? I think it turned out pretty cute. 5. Glue gun pouring technique: We're going to create now a modern looking wax seal. I'm starting by pouring out my wax, by creating this round shape, like a coin. You always have to pour in the middle. When you place your stamp, place it right in the center and applying even pressure all over the stamp. This way you have this round, perfect edge. Wax doesn't go to one side more than to the other side. Here you have it. It's a clean looking wax stamp, clean shape. Now we are going to create our vintage looking wax seal for this. Apply blobs of melted wax randomly. I just chose here to make four corners and then applying some more wax as I go for this one, it doesn't really matter on what side you place the stamp. Just place it as you think it's best. And it will create this uneven shape, which is extremely pretty. It gives it the vintage look. I think it's actually my favorite. Now, you need to be careful not to lift the wax stamp too fast, because if you grab it, it will create this mark. The wax is not harden yet, but you can still use it later. Just cut it up into pieces and you can actually melt it right away and create just a blob of this wax. Or just save it in your wax box. Just like you saw in the beginning of the video. Like what I do now, I think this one is ready. Actually, it didn't come off, so I was a little scared that it wasn't ready. But yes, it is ready. Here you have it. Vintage looking wax seal. I think it so pretty. I really, really like it. The modern one. It's also extremely pretty. I love them both. But me, in my nature, the vintage one is my favorite. Here you have it. I hope you guys have fun and learned a lot. Have fun making your own seals. 6. Class project: Congratulations, you have finished the course, which means you have the skills now to make your own wax seals. For this class project, I would like to invite you to create a modern looking wax seal and a vintage looking one. Please use the same color for both and let me know which look is your favorite. Feel free to post any ideas, thoughts, or questions that you might have on the topic because I will be more than happy to share my opinion or to reply to your questions. I'll see in the next course.