How do Warhammer 40K purity seals work?

They're just old, archaic reminders of a religious past. Primaris marines don't bother with that kind of superstition.

Durawax and papersteel

FAITH AND MAGNETS!

This isn't even counting the ones in the Dark Imperium set.

Maybe the wax is slightly elastic? Maybe they just reapply ones that get broken off?

Same way they work in medieval fantasy, since they were just ported over.

They're duct tape used to hold old and busted things together. That's why 30k era doesn't have really any of them and in 40k, the more of a relic something is (older and more busted), the more seals it has.

>The purity seals are essentially a pledge loyalty to the emperor
Also, they were invented by the word bearers just like all other religious parts of the imperium

They fucking annoy you, when you're trying to build mark 6 marines out of your space marine bits.

They're torn hymens.

The seals don't do anything themselves, they just represent something done to the weapon. They're a stamp of quality workmanship and maintenance, a certification of having been the recipient of 'blessed' rituals, and so on.

grocery list pinned to them so they dont lose it on the way to the store.

The wax probably some sort of magnetic nanopaste that sticks easily to adamantium, whereas the 'parchment' is probably some sort of printed steel or silicoid material that is suitably archaic but still futuristic enough to survive a missile impact.

I recall reading somewhere that they are wax and parchment when initially granted, but they are copied soon in metal to make them truly last the trials of warfare.
No source, can't remember.

>the tech priests have begun covering our guardsmen in blessed wax seals
>we intended to stop them at first but I think moral is improving
>please advise

If you cover Mortarion in purity seals would it banish him?

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Faith in the God Emperor made manifest

Two can play that game!

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>a force of guardsmen from a planet on the fringes of imperial space misinterpret the translation of "seal" from High Gothic
>their rough riders have Purity Seals, genetically engineered battle seals that they ride into battle on land and sea

Chapter culture is probably hard to change unless they're literally starting from scratch.

I still more interested to know how the tubes. FUCKING. TUBES. work and why everyone is addicted to them.

I also read this somewhere, in one of the old codexes or chapter approveds?

In 'Space Marine' they're used to basically certify something has been inspected/purified/ritual complete/etc.

maybe they are oaths of moment instead

they are used to mark inspection standards met.
they are replaced after each battle because the item attached to is inspected again.

Leo your armour clean and functional.

The wax is different in those, isn't it?

It would be extremely painful.

This but considering the nature of the warp, if you believe something hard enough it's probably real

this and They're mostly just decoration, I don't think i've ever seen any indication in fluff they do anything. But we do know faith in the Emperor has had an effect, even though logically it shouldn't.

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youtube.com/watch?v=2uq34TeWEdQ

Faith, and that is all that matters

Demons are repelled by aquilas, and hexagrammic wards are a thing, so I expect the seals to have some value regardless of the wearer, if only because of mankind's collective belief in them.

Same as WAAAGH and ork weapons work.

People believe that they work and thus fuel it through warp with their faith.

Mortal beings exists natively in materium, while their souls dwell in immaterium.
These souls transfer their energy using faith to an object of belief, here it being purity seals.

All the other answers are true. Also, they sometimes are just wax and paper and they DO break away during battles.

Faith. The faith then makes cool shit happen. Chaos related and otherwise.

Not quite, before the Heresy other legions swore 'oaths of moment' which were promises they made for the coming battle. Or were those also invented by the word bearers?

He's a big guy.

>Mortal beings exists natively in materium, while their souls dwell in immaterium.

Fukken humie normies stealing da meme magic. REEEE !

They make things pure. And seal it.

They do come off in battle and then the chaplain gives them new ones before the next battle.

They don't. They come off. Chaplains and Priests reapply them to rebless the wargear.

I hate the purity seal aesthetic. Something about it just intrinsically repels me.

Sounds like you've been tainted by chaos to be honest.

Poorly.

Probably something similar to those Japanese paper amulets every anime priestess uses.

the seal itself does nothing.
the seal is basically a certification that something is pure.

For example a mechanicus purity seal means that an engine has been properly monitored and fixed up.

A marine purtiy seal means that hsi armor has been mmaintained by the chapter serfs abnd blessed by the chaplain and so on.

For you.