How to Make a Harry Potter Wax Seal

Have you ever wondered how to make a Harry Potter wax seal? These are a great way to make a Hogwarts letter look authentic and interesting, and it’s relatively easy to do it yourself at home. Without a seal, a letter looks incomplete and lacks the air of mystery carried by a sealed letter – so let’s plunge in!

What You Need

Before starting, gather up your supplies. You will need:

Step One: Dye The Envelope

Before you make your wax seal, you’ll want to get your letter and your envelope ready, because the wax will only stay hot for a short amount of time, and it needs to be used to seal the envelope shut.

Firstly, you need to stain your paper. You should do this before you write the letter, as there is a risk of smudging the ink otherwise. To stain the paper, get a cup of tea, using a teabag, and allow it to cool down a little bit. Take the teabag out and squeeze it so that it is just damp.

Next, run the teabag lightly over the paper. You can stain it as much or as little as you like, and distress the edges of the paper if you choose to, making it look more like parchment.

Do the same for the envelope, getting it to match. When the paper is dry, you can write the letter and address the envelope. It’s a good idea to make a rough draft on a piece of paper before writing on your actual paper or envelope.

You should then fold up the letter and put it in the envelope, and you’re ready for your seal!

Step Two: Heat Up The Glue Stick

Turn on the glue gun and place it on some scrap paper or cardboard so that you don’t get anything on the surface you’re working on. Put the wax stick in and allow it to warm up.

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Apply a small splodge of the wax to the front of the envelope, making sure that you cover the flap of the envelope, and press it against the bottom part of the envelope so that it is held shut by the wax.

Next, take your seal stamp (Read: “The Best Seal Stamps”) and press it firmly into the wax. Try not to slip, or it will smudge the shape and ruin it. Hold it in place for about 20 seconds, and then lift it carefully off. This should hold the envelope shut and make it look perfect for the Hogwarts theme!

Allow the wax to cool before handling the envelope, as the wax will remain pliable until it has gone cold.

It’s worth noting that if you don’t have a red wax glue stick, you can use any wax glue stick, and some paint. Simply follow the above directions, and then paint over the top of the seal to change the color. You may find that dark waxes are challenging to cover up, however, so opt for a clear or light wax if possible.

Alternative Option: Making Your Own Seal

If you don’t have a seal set, you don’t need to worry, because you can make your own. To do this, you’ll need some air-dry clay and a pin or a craft knife.

Roll out a cylinder of clay, getting it to about the width that you want the seal to be. Next, press one end against your craft mat or another smooth surface to flatten the end. You want it to be cylindrical and neat because this is what is going to press into the wax.

Turn the flattened end to face you, and then take your craft knife and carefully cut an “H” symbol into it in the center.

You can then draw around the “H” to create the crest. If you feel very adventurous, you could even add a few more details, but it may be challenging on this scale. Make sure you cut deeply enough so that your cuts can press into the wax and mold it.

Once you are happy with your stamp, set it aside until it is fully dry, and then follow the above directions to stain your paper and envelope, and write out your letter.

You might want to do a couple of practices to check that you are happy with how the seal looks. Drip some wax onto some scrap paper and press the seal down onto it for 20 seconds, and then lift it away. Inspect the seal and decide whether you want to have another go, or whether you are happy.

If you’re happy, drip the wax over the envelope’s flap as before, and press your seal down onto it. Make sure you press down for about 20 seconds, and then neatly lift the seal away without smudging the wax. Set the envelope aside to allow the seal to cool.

You may not get quite such neat lines with the handmade seal as you would with a commercial one, but it should work.

What If I Don’t Want To Stick It Straight To The Envelope?

If you want to make lots of wax seals without applying them straight to the envelopes, get a sheet of parchment paper and drip the wax onto this instead. You will need to be more careful not to smudge it when stamping because it won’t stick down.

You can make multiple seals, and then allow them to cool. When they have done, simply bend the paper to peel off the seal, and then use a dab of glue to stick it to whatever surface you wish to seal.

Conclusion

So, now you know how to make Harry Potter wax seal! There are a couple of different methods, depending on what you have to hand, so don’t worry if you haven’t got official seals or the right colored wax. Just get out your craft supplies and have fun!

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