This is by far our most asked question of all times - which kind of wax should I choose?
There is a variety of wax, namely wick wax sticks, non-wick wax sticks, glue gun wax sticks and wax cubes (wax beads).
Before we go into the details, we should start with the fundamental concept behind - melting the wax and creating an impression with a wax seal stamp. The kind of wax you choose will affect the wax melting process and the tools you need. There is no definite answer as to which kind of wax is better. Some prefer one over the other, but it always comes down to what works for you.
Wick wax sticks are convenient because you only need a flame to lit up the wick and it will continue to melt. A tip for you here is to hold the wax stick horizontally and rotate it slowly while melting so the wax drips evenly onto the surface.
Its convenience comes with its own defects. The burnt wick may drop ashes on to the melted wax, thus creating dark spots on the final seals. Also, this method of wax melting is slower compared to other types of wax. If you have a larger wax seal stamp like a 30mm one, by the time you have dripped enough wax for the seal, half of it may already be cooled when you press in the stamp to create an impression. Because of the time consumption, we suggest using wick wax sticks only if you are creating one or two seals.
Non-wick wax sticks require more tools than wick wax sticks - a sealing wax spoon and a tea light candle. This method allows you to have better control over the wax temperature. Cut the wax stick into small pieces and melt it with the spoon, it should be held slightly above the flame to avoid burning the bottom of the spoon. This is a great method for creating trendy wax marbling. The shortcoming is that it requires one to eyeball the amount of wax needed to create a seal. It will take some practice, time and patience.
Wax cubes (wax beads) work the same as non wick wax sticks, just that each cube is measured to provide enough wax to create 1 seal with a 22/25 mm stamp size. It is also a less messy and convenient way to create wax marbling.
Although you may use glue gun wax sticks just like how you use non wick wax sticks, it is ideal for mass producing wax seals and only requires a low heat glue gun. Melting with glue gun efficiently shorten the time required to create a wax seal. One tip here is that you can maintain the wax temperature by turning the glue gun on and off. Please get yourself a brand new glue gun for your wax seal project as glues left in a used glue gun will affect the final presentation of your seals. We also suggest using the same color with 1 glue gun as it is costly for you to change from one wax color to another using the same glue gun.
We hope you find the above information helpful and will test them out for your next project. Until next time!
