It is a resist dyeing process in which the designs are made with wax on the fabric which is subsequently immersed in the dye to absorb the colour on the unwaxed portions is known as “batik dyeing”.
It is perfected by the Japanese.
It has been done in orient, and to some extent in Japan.
In batik prints wax serves as a resist substance.
Another form of resist dyeing which produces patterns like those in prints.
Method:
Fabric used for batik should be smooth and thin in order to get a good effect.
Silk, soft cottons and organdie are the best preferred fabrics for batik. Heavy coarse and thick fabrics are not much used.
Fabrics for batik must undergo through scouring process before using. Dyes will not be absorbed properly if fabric is not clean.
Before tracing of design on to fabric, the fabric must be ironed well. Then the design is transferred on to fabric very lightly with a sharp pencil.
Bees wax is the best wax to use for batik work.
Resins can be added to give crackled effect to wax in the proportions of 1:4.
Brushes of various sizes are required to apply wax on the designs of the fabric.
There are two methods. The technically more difficult and more artistic designs are drawn by hand.
Most of the patterns used for batik are generally in geometric, floral, bird or animal motif.
The application of wax must be done on both sides of the fabric.
The wax to be applied on the cloth has to be hot so that this liquid gets soaked in the cloth.
After each application of wax, the fabric is first immersed in cold water and then dipped in to dye bath to obtain a particular colour.
The portion of the fabric that is not covered by the wax will absorb the dye and the rest of the cloth serves as a resist.
After the dye has been fixed and the material is dried, the cloth is boiled and rinsed in hot water to remove the wax.
The procedure is repeated as many times as there are different colours to be obtained.
Tools used:
A small instrument made of short, straight reed handle to which a small funnel- shaped copper cup with one or more spouts is attached is called tjanting.
The tjanting is refilled by hot liquid wax, the worker blows in to the spout to eliminate any blockage and allow the wax to flow.
The faster method of designing is done with tjap, a pattern made of fine copper strips soldered together. The tjap is pressed on to a pad of cloth saturated with liquid wax. The wax is picked up by the stamp and is applied to the cloth.
Characteristics:
A typical batik is characterized by crackled design with no precise out line.
The crackled effect gives a delicate cob-web like lines on the design.
