Here at Pietà Paperie, we’re on a mission to help devout Catholics evangelize loved ones through Beauty. As part of this beautiful mission, we create intentionally Catholic wedding invitations and stationery for the Sacraments that not only invite your loved ones to your celebration but also into the reality, the mystery, and the beauty of what truly happens during the Sacrament.
From the delicate touch of our premium papers to the intricate details of our heirloom Catholic wax seal stamps, every piece we create is designed to reflect the richness and the Beauty of our Catholic faith.
In this blog post, you will learn two of our tried and true, proven methods to creating perfectly round wax seals. We hope you find this free guide helpful! Should you need any assistance, do not hesitate to reach out. We are here and happy to help!
Supplies You'll Need:
When Using a Wax Spoon:
- Wax Melting Spoon
- Wax Beads
- Wax Seal Stamp
- Candle or Wax Seal Stove
- Parchment Paper or Marble
Shop tools & accessories or wax supplies here!
When Using a Wax Gun:
- Wax Gun
- Wax Sticks
- Wax Seal Stamp
- Parchment Paper or Marble
Tips & Techniques:
It’s definitely a bit of a learning curve to get wax seals to be round among other aesthetically pleasing natural shapes.
Here are a few tips to get you started in the right direction:
Use a flat surface that your wax won’t stick to, like parchment paper, a silicone mat, or marble. That way, you can put an adhesive backing behind it, and stick your pre-made wax seal right onto the envelope or final surface once you’re happy with the shape.
Move your wax melting spoon or gun in a circular motion as your pour or release the wax onto your flat surface. One or two pumps of wax should be enough to make a 1in wax seal, (but we tend to use three to four pumps of hot wax because we just love the thick rims.)
After impressing your stamp upon the hot wax, if you don’t have a perfectly circular “rim” around the stamp or that circular shape you’re after, tap the sides of the brass stamp head just slightly to center it onto the wax. The key is to make any adjustments while the wax is still hot.
Find that middle-ground where the wax isn’t too hot or too cold to get the best impression and the most predictable circular shape. Make sure the wax isn’t too hot to avoid bubbles forming in the wax around the rim of your wax seals as well as causing your seal to morph into unpredictable shapes. Wax that is too hot will move uncontrollably like a liquid. Wax that is too cold will be firm and not be nearly malleable enough. Get the temperature just right, and voilà
Here’s how to achieve that “Goldilocks” wax temperature:
If you’re using a wax melting spoon and candle, make sure the candle heats up the wax evenly. Consider using a silicone stir stick to bring all of the wax to a consistent temperature.
If you’re using a wax gun, this may require you to plug in and unplug your wax gun every so often to keep the wax at the right temperature.
Make sure the brass stamp head isn’t too hot or too cold. If it’s too hot, cool off the brass stamp head by setting it on top of some ice cubes or an ice pack each time after stamping the brass head into the hot wax. That way, the stamp head is cold when you impress it upon the hot wax again, and thus the wax will cool faster each time solidifying that circular shape as quickly as possible.
Wait until the wax seal is 100% cool before touching it, picking it up, or scraping it off of your flat surface. Not only can touching your wax seal too early cause burns on your fingers, but you could also run the risk of leaving noticeable fingerprint marks around the rim of your wax seal or worse—ruining the circular shape that you worked so hard to achieve, causing you to start over.
Practice, practice, practice. If at first you don’t succeed, don’t get discouraged. It may take several practice runs to master these techniques.
Reuse messed up wax seals by cutting them up with scissors and reheating them with a wax melting spoon over a candle flame.
Looking for more tips and support? Download this complete guide to making perfectly round wax seals here!
Shop Catholic wax seals and wax seal supplies here or find the perfect pre-made wax seal here.
Happy sealing! May God bless you!