Using a knife, cut a hole in the side of a cardboard box, taller than the matches are and as wide as possible, given the size of your box. This hole will be used as a drying rack for the matches; the more matches you can fit on the hole at once, the more matches you can waterproof in a single sitting.
Place double-sided tape above the hole you cut in the box. The tape holds your matches in place while they dry, like clothes drying on a clothesline.
Place paper towels under the edge of the box to catch any drips from the drying matches.
Using the pliers, forceps or tweezers, dip the match heads, one at a time into the shellac. Dip at least half the length of the match into the shellac.
Stick the dry end of the match stick to the tape and allow the shellac to dry, following the directions on the shellac can.
