CHAPTER XVII

BATIK

The last and perhaps the most interesting and most important process to which we shall call our reader’s attention is one which, after being practised in the East for many centuries, has been brought quite recently to the attention of European and American craftsmen.

The term “Batik” is a Javanese word, signifying painting in wax, and the process, somewhat modified, is known to professional dyers and calico-printers by the name of “wax resist.” When in the hands of a trained draughtsman the process has a charm and character of its own, which will warrant the interest now manifested in it, wherever it has been introduced.

=History.=—Batik was first introduced by the Dutch discoverers of Java, who, in 1648, sent home descriptions, with drawings, of the wonderfully beautiful textiles worn by the people, especially by the chiefs of that country. The art was known and practised in the East long before that time, for in Madras goods were made, by a combination of block printing and Batik, at least as early as the fifteenth century. And in the interior of Java there are some famous old ruins in which are found stone statues of Buddha, supposed to be at least 1,200 or 1,300 years old, clothed in garments the same as those used at the present day; and showing, from their decorations, that they were ornamented by Batik in the same general style of patterns that are still popular there.

During the last few years very careful studies have been made, especially by the Dutch Government, upon this Javanese process, and they have endeavored to introduce it into Europe. It was amusing to notice that in one of the reports issued by the Dutch Government on this subject it was stated that none of the modern dyestuffs could be utilized for this purpose, and that the only colors that could be recommended as fast to light were the old vegetable dyestuffs, applied in the complicated and troublesome methods of past ages. This curiously unscientific attitude has seriously interfered with the success of the process in Western lands, and is only now being abandoned.

=Javanese Practice.=—Detailed information about the history, technique, and designs of the Javanese process has been set down in a monumental work: “Die Batikkunst in Niederlandisch Indien,” published in Harlem under the auspices of the Dutch Government in 1899. Perhaps of more interest to the non-scientific reader is a short but well-written account of “Battack Printing in Java,” read before the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society in 1906 by an English chemist, John Allan, who spent several months among the natives, studying the process at first-hand.

According to these authorities the Javanese and, indeed, most of the natives of Malaysia, wear garments simple enough in style and cut, but elaborately decorated with great variety of both color and design. The principal garment, common to both men and women, is the _sarong_, in shape not unlike a large and elongated bath towel, which, according to the desire and sex of the owner, may be made to serve as trousers or skirt, overcoat or blanket, and is the universal bathing costume. It is made of calico, rarely homespun, almost always imported from Lancashire or Holland, and as the natives, both men and women, are exceedingly fond of bathing, the colors must be fast enough to stand constant exposure to water as well as to the fierce tropical sun.

They also wear head-dresses made from squares of calico, dyed with square centres of plain color and elaborately decorated at the sides; and _slendangs_, a kind of girdle or shawl, usually made of silk and less elaborately decorated. The costume is completed, for full-dress occasions, by a thin shirt or chemise and a light jacket.

For producing the designs on the sarongs, the process of wax resist is almost always employed by the natives. Unfortunately of late years the Javanese market has been flooded with an immense quantity of cheap and, generally, neatly printed goods made in Manchester and in Holland in rough imitation of the native styles. So it is not an easy matter, nowadays, even in Java, to get genuine specimens of Batik work. These can always be recognized, however, on careful examination by the peculiar and characteristic odor and “feel” of the wax left behind in the cloth, and, better, by the fine irregular “crackle” formed in the dye-pot.

_Variations in the Process._—Although there are different methods, the Batik process, as usually meant, is a means of dyeing in which, before immersing the goods in the dye-pot, the patterns are carefully drawn in molten beeswax, applied from a little copper cup with a fine spout called a _tjanting_. Frequently, however, to save time, the Javanese apply the wax by means of a metal die or block, made by inserting thin strips of sheet brass in a wooden frame, so that the edges of the brass form the desired pattern. These blocks, provided with a handle covered with cloth, are first dipped into the molten wax, and then the excess is removed by pressing against a pad, which is kept warm by being near the fire of the melting pot. The pattern is thus stamped onto the cloth instead of being poured onto it, through a small spout, out of a cup.

This Batik process is sometimes used by native craftsmen in other parts of the Far East. Plate I, for instance, shows a specimen of East Indian work, part of a long piece of stout cotton bought, years ago, at Liberty’s in London, with an elaborate design made with molten wax, applied by brush or tjanting. Even in the plate the characteristic ‘crackle’ shows plainly.

_Wax._—In Java, the wax used for pouring is a mixture of paraffin and beeswax, or an impure wax imported from Japan for this purpose. For stamping the patterns it is necessary to use a stiffer wax made from rosin and paraffin, sometimes mixed with varnish gums.

_Dyes._—The principal colors used are indigo and a beautiful golden-brown dye made from the bark of the mango tree. The combination of these gives a black, so that the fine old sarongs usually contain white, blue, brown, and black. Indigo is dyed first, and, before dyeing, all the cloth, excepting that which is to come out blue or black, is carefully covered with the wax. After the indigo bath (the Javanese use a fermentation vat) the color is set by oxidation. The old wax is then all washed off with boiling soap and water, and after drying, the wax is again applied to all parts, whether white or blue, which are not to receive the brown dye. The latter is made from a strong, syrupy extract of bark, and is used without mordanting, the color being set by exposure to air. As the dyes must be used cold, to avoid melting and obliterating the pattern, the goods are usually dipped in each dye-bath and exposed, several times, before reaching the desired shade. After the final dyeing, the wax is removed by a hot bath of wood ashes or soap, and the garment is pressed out ready to wear.

When a red color is desired, the natives use a variation of the old Turkey red process, dyeing with madder or munjeet upon cloth mordanted with alum and oil. The wax in this case acts as a resist against the alum mordant, which is applied cold, and thus prevents the dyestuff, which is applied at the boil, from coloring the cloth in the protected portions.

_Cloth._—The cloth used for this Batik process is strong common calico, but, before beginning to wax it, they give it a careful treatment, to improve both its texture and its ground color. For a period of several days they alternately soak it in castor oil, wring it out, boil out the oil with soda lye, and expose it to the blazing sun; until finally it becomes soft and smooth, and has a pleasant tan color which goes excellently with the brown, blue, and black dyes.

The peculiarity of all these Batik goods, whether from the East or made at home or in Europe, is the characteristic “crackle” effect, due to the breaking of the wax upon the cloth in the process of dyeing, thereby admitting the color to the protected cloth in fine lines and streaks. This distinguishes the wax resist work from the previously described paste resist, which if desired will leave a smooth, clean, white background, or if applied more lightly will give backgrounds shaded more uniformly and without so many irregular lines of color.

This crackle effect, so generally admired in the West, is often by the Javanese considered a defect, and a sign of poor workmanship. It can be largely, if not wholly, avoided by adding a large proportion of rosin to the wax, by batiking the cloth on both sides, and by dyeing the goods with as little crumpling as possible.

MODERN BATIK

The application of the artificial dyestuffs to this ancient process has simplified it greatly, and has brought it within the scope of craftsmen in general.

=Apparatus—Brushes.=—You will soon find that for a good deal of the work, such as covering large surfaces with wax, or filling in large and bold designs, a small-sized paint brush is all that is necessary. The wax is melted in a cup or casserole, and painted on the cloth wherever the design calls for it. It will be found, however, no easy matter to get sharp and clear outlines in this way, and intricate or delicate patterns cannot be worked out by the brush only. When the wax is hot, it is hard to prevent it from spreading and running too far over the cloth, and, on the other hand, it cools so rapidly on the brush that, unless applied at once, it is hard to spread it at all, and the wax is liable not to stick to the cloth.

Much is saved both in time and in accuracy and clearness of outline, by using the brush in combination with the tjanting, drawing the outlines with the latter, and filling in with the brush.

When large surfaces have been covered with the wax, and the characteristic “crackle” effect is desired, it is often well to cool the goods, by placing them in the ice box or out of doors for a few minutes, and then to crumple them in the hands, before dyeing them. The composition of the wax, also, has much to do with this part of the work, as will be explained later.

The brush can also be employed for painting molten wax on to the goods through a stencil, in resist stencil work. This, however, is not satisfactory, even with metallic stencils, and fails completely with paper stencils, because the wax, on cooling, fastens stencil and cloth together so that they cannot be separated without injury.

It is much better practice, where a stencil design is to be worked with wax resist, to make an outline of the design on the goods with a sharp pencil, and then, removing the stencil, to fill in the pattern with tjanting and brush. This same practice of drawing the outline on the goods with pencil, or tracing paper, or by transferring from a charcoal drawing, by rubbing, is always to be recommended: except for those craftsmen who are such thoroughly trained draughtsmen that they can draw their designs free-hand, with the tjanting, without danger of slip or mistake. A pencil or crayon line, if not quite true, can be erased without spoiling the whole design, but it is quite a troublesome matter to correct a mistake made in molten wax.

=Tjantings.=—The real interest in this Batik process lies in the use of some form of pouring instrument by which the molten wax can be applied to the material in a fine stream, with much the same freedom that a drawing can be made with soft pencil or crayon. This practice has been developed in Java to its fullest extent, and a fine sarong, containing two or three yards of calico, will be completely covered, from one end to the other, with wonderfully intricate and elaborate designs in two or three colors, all produced, perfectly free-hand, by curious little tjantings, in the light fingers of the little Javanese women.

[Illustration: FIG. 20—“TEAPOT” MODEL OF TJANTING]

[Illustration: FIG. 21—WALTHER GLASS TJANTING]

[Illustration: FIG. 22—“WAX PENCIL” MODEL OF TJANTING]

_Teapots._—When we began experimenting with Batik, in our laboratory, we had no model of the Javanese tools to work with, and, from the drawings, we could not see how they could be used without constant dripping. So we designed a little brass apparatus, which we and our friends nicknamed a “teapot,” which, with some modification, is shown in Fig. 20, in which the molten wax remains in the cup until it is poured out. This, with practice, works fairly well, and some very interesting work has been done with it.

It is hard, however, to draw with it on a horizontal surface, such as we are accustomed to work on. And to follow Javanese practice, and have the cloth hanging over a frame, and to press it out with the left hand while the wax is applied with the instrument in the right, is oftentimes a nuisance.

_The Walther Glass Tjanting._—It is evident that we were not alone in our fear of the Javanese models with spouts at the bottom, because, in Germany, Dr. C. Walther of Crefeld has designed and introduced a glass tjanting, shown in Fig. 21, which also delivers only on tipping the instrument forward. This we have experimented with but without much success. For we have found it difficult and awkward to draw with it on a horizontal surface, and also, being made of glass, while it is cheaper than the metal models, it is at the same time more fragile.

_Wax Pencil._—An entirely new idea has recently been applied to the art of Batik by the introduction of a (patented) “wax pencil” (see Fig. 22), made on the principle of the early stylographic pens.

This tool is made of heavy brass, with a removable wooden holder, and the wax, in cylinders, is shoved into it from the top after removing a cap. To melt the wax the wooden holder is slipped off, and the pencil is heated over a flame or on a hot electric plate, while the liquid wax is prevented from flowing out by a “needle valve” held in place by a small spiral spring. To use the tool, the holder is slipped over the pencil, taking care not to burn the fingers in so doing, and the pattern is traced in just the same way that it would be in ink, pressure on the projecting needle, by raising the valve, permitting a greater or lesser flow of wax.

These instruments are certainly more convenient to draw with than any of the forms previously mentioned, and, on hard smooth surfaces, such as leather, wood, bone, metal, etc., are satisfactory enough. But it is no easy matter to make them so that they will work well. For the valve which regulates the flow of wax works with a spiral spring. Now, if this spring is, or becomes, lax, the wax drips incessantly. If on the other hand it is too stiff, it is quite troublesome to press down the pin, at the tip, just hard enough to deliver a fine stream, without opening it too wide.

In our experience these instruments, which are quite expensive, do not work well with cloth and, especially, with rough weaves of cloth, like crash, scrim, pongee, coarse calico, and the like. For the pin is liable to catch and jump on the threads, and then it delivers the wax very unevenly.

[Illustration: FIG. 23—JAVANESE TJANTINGS]

[Illustration: FIG. 24—AMERICAN MODIFICATION OF JAVANESE TJANTING]

_The Javanese Tjanting._—After much experimenting one of our friends finally brought us, from Holland, a real tjanting copied directly from the Javanese, and five minutes’ practice with it satisfied us that it was superior to any of the “improved” models that we had been working with. Since then we have seen, and studied, several different styles of Javanese tjantings, and have learned how they must be used to get the best results.

The secret of these instruments is two-fold. First, the size of the delivery tube, and second, the temperature of the wax.

The genuine Javanese tjanting (see Fig. 23) is a little bit of a tool, holding only about 15 or 20 cubic centimeters of wax, made of very thin hammered copper, and fastened into a little bamboo handle, some four or five inches long. At the lowest part of the cup, which is drawn out at that point into a spout, is fastened the delivery tube, which is of _exceedingly_ small calibre, what chemists would call, in fact, a “capillary” tube. It will be noticed that the wooden handle extends forward, under the bowl, making it impossible to heat the bowl itself, or melt the wax in it, by a direct flame.

The wax is melted in a separate pot or large cup, and kept at a high temperature throughout; and the operator scoops out the wax from this pot with the bowl of the tjanting, wipes off the drip with a rag, and then proceeds to draw on the cloth. In Java, or wherever the cloth is kept upright, by hanging from a frame, the drip from the outside of the cup and the end of the handle is not so important, for it will fall in front of the cloth. When, however, the cloth is laid flat, for drawing, it is of the utmost importance to avoid all unnecessary dripping, and so it is probably advisable to ladle the wax from the pot into the tjanting, with a small casserole or ladle, rather than to dip it out directly.

Now, if the size of the delivery hole is right, and the wax is neither too hot nor too cold, it will form a little globule on the end of the tube, and stay there; and when this drop is wiped off and the tube at once applied to the cloth or other material, the wax will flow out in a fine thin stream, as long as it is drawn along in contact with the cloth, and when lifted up it will stop flowing until again applied to it. If the wax is too hot, so that it runs too freely, it is easy to cool it to the proper temperature by blowing on it. If it is too cool, so that it begins to chill in the tube, and to flow slowly and unevenly, it must be warmed by being again dipped into the hot wax for a new supply. Great pains must be taken to have the wax free from dust or grit, or else the delivery tube will be constantly stopping up. A fine but stiff bristle or a very thin whisk of broom corn should be always on hand for cleaning the tube. And after using the tjanting pains must be taken to clean out all the wax thoroughly before laying it aside, so that the tube will be clear for the melted wax, when it is next filled. The whole tjanting, tube and cup, should be gently warmed before filling, for fear of the wax chilling in the capillary tube before it can be applied. But the arrangement of the handle is such as to call for the use of an outside melting pot for the wax, while the small size of the cup is evidently so that the melted wax can be all poured out before it has time to chill.

_Modification of the Javanese Tjanting._—We have with much trouble had some tjantings made here (see Fig. 24), following closely the Javanese principles, which have proved extremely satisfactory. The delivery tube is equally fine, and the general action is the same. But the cup has been made somewhat larger, and very considerably heavier, so that it will hold more wax, and will hold the heat better. While, for economy’s sake, instead of hammered copper, the cup is made of spun brass, and the wooden handle is attached to its side, and not to the bottom of it. This enables the worker to heat the cup directly over the alcohol lamp, without danger of scorching the handle. Of course, when this is done carelessly, it is liable to char some of the wax in and near the tube, and so to cause stoppages. And also, it is hard to draw a series of fine lines of exactly the same thickness, unless the wax in the tjanting is always of practically the same temperature.

But there is no difficulty in filling these modified tjantings, just as the Javanese do, by scooping up the melted wax from a pot, or by pouring the melted wax into them from a casserole or ladle. While, in case the wax gets chilled in the tjanting, it is very convenient to be able to warm the cup quickly over a low clean flame, or by setting it upon the corner of a hot plate.

=Composition of the Wax.=—As a general rule we have found that ordinary unrefined beeswax, carefully melted and strained, or poured off, free from dust and sediment, is fairly satisfactory. It is, however, pretty expensive, and so can be replaced, without disadvantage, by the cheaper mineral wax, known in a crude state as _Ozocerite_, and in its refined form, which alone should be employed, as _Ceresine_. To make the wax more brittle, and thus to improve the “crackle,” it is well to add more or less paraffin. And it is well, too, to add considerable rosin, to make the wax adhere better to the goods, and not be so liable to rub or peel off. On the Continent, it is customary to use Japanese vegetable wax instead of beeswax, but we have not found this to be advantageous.

Where economy is desirable, or where it is hard to replace supplies, it is well to save the once used wax and use it over again, by extracting the wax from the goods, after dyeing, with boiling water, and then, when this cools, collecting the wax as a cake floating on the top.

=Dyeing Batiked Goods.=—In Holland and, to some extent, elsewhere on the Continent, where this process has been introduced, great stress has been laid upon the importance of using the old vegetable colors of the Javanese, along with their tjantings. It is hardly necessary to tell my readers that this practice is both unscientific and, in a true sense, uncraftsmanlike. The object of any intelligent craftsworker should be to produce beautiful and interesting and characteristic results in the most durable and effective manner possible, with the minimum expenditure of energy upon the mechanical, as opposed to the artistic, details. Why, after carefully batiking a good design on a piece of silk or calico, must the craftsman spend hour after hour of valuable time in some tedious, complicated, and expensive dyeing process, simply because “That is the way they do things in Java,” especially when, by using modern dyestuffs, he can get results quite as beautiful and far more permanent, in a few minutes’ time, and with far less danger of spoiling his work. Even the clever and skilful little Javanese could learn something from modern dyeing chemists.

The class of dyestuffs to use depends, of course, on the kind of materials that are being worked on. One of the great charms of this process is that it can be applied to all sorts and kinds of textiles and, indeed, of a host of things never included under that name.

Batik can be applied to cotton, linen, wool, silk, and other woven goods. It can also, if desired, be used upon basketry. And charming effects can be produced, by its aid, upon leather, pasteboard, parchment, vellum, and other bookbinding materials, as well as upon wood, bone, or indeed anything that possesses a smooth surface, and will hold a dyestuff.

On copper, brass, and other metals it can also be used, not, indeed, for dyeing, but for etching, with acids and other chemicals, with great success.

(a) _Calico and Linen._—There is no doubt that for vegetable fabrics in general Batik is very well fitted, especially since the introduction of modern dyes, which are applied in a cold bath and are set by oxidation. The Sulphur dyes work extremely well, in cold or lukewarm baths, especially if used in a strong dye-bath. But they, it will be remembered, are not very bright colors, and are very short on the red side. For soft, quiet colorings, however, extremely fast to washing, and quite fast to light, which can be applied easily and readily, they will be found very useful.

But the fastest colors known, both for light and for washing, are the modern Vat colors, many of which, once reduced, will dye in a lukewarm or even a cold dye-bath. While indigo, the type of these colors, and still most useful, gives a soft rather greyish shade of blue, more effective by itself than when mixed, there can be found among the Helindones, Thio indigoes, and the rest, a full palette of dyes which, properly mixed, will furnish any shade that may be desired.

The dyeing directions for batiked goods are the same as for ordinary calico. The materials, well wetted, are immersed, drained, wrung, and oxidized as usual. The wax is usually removed in one or more boiling soap baths, which help as well to set the color and to remove unattached dyestuff.

(b) _Silk._—Silk, as in other processes, can be dyed in several different ways, according to the fastness to light and washing desired.

The easiest way, especially when trying to match shades, is to dye, with the Acid dyes, in a soap bath acidified with a little sulphuric, or, preferably, with acetic acid. These shades, however, while brilliant and fast to light, are not at all fast to washing, and so the wax must be removed later, with benzine or gasoline, and not with a hot soap bath.

The sulphur dyes, with a little glucose in the bath, and plenty of dyestuff, will give extremely fast colors on silk, but in most cases these shades will be too dull for proper effect. They can be greatly improved in color, though with some sacrifice of fastness, by topping them, without removing the wax, in a cold bath of Basic dyes, dissolved with a little acetic acid.

For extremely fast colors the Vat dyes can be used. Easier to apply, especially for rather light shades, are some of the Salt colors which, though they do not take as well on silk, in the cold, as they do on cotton will, nevertheless, color it well, with prolonged immersion, in a strong bath, in the presence of formic acid, and once on, will stand a very considerable amount of washing.

(c) _Wool._—In case it is necessary to apply this process to wool, the latter will probably be dyed in the cold with Acid dyes, in the presence of some sodium sulphate (Glauber’s salt) and dilute sulphuric acid.

To make this color faster to washing, steaming, and the like, it is best, after dyeing, drying, and removing the wax with benzine, to boil the dyed goods for half an hour or more in a bath containing a little Glauber’s salt and dilute sulphuric acid, but no dyestuff.

(d) _Leather._—As a rule, the Batiked leather should be dyed with Acid colors, acidified with acetic or formic acid, though they can be shaded afterwards, if desired, by staining with Basic colors.

After dyeing, the wax can be removed by benzine or, softened carefully by the cautious approach of a hot iron, can be incorporated with the polishing wax, used for rubbing down and finishing the surface.

(e) _Wood._—Batiked wood can be stained by soaking it in, or by brushing it with, a solution of an acid color, acidified with a little acetic acid. These dyes are more soluble than most of the other classes, and hence soak into and penetrate the fibres better. They may bleed, however, if exposed to warm water.

The Basic colors or even the Salt colors can be used, but, while they are apt to adhere more firmly, they do not soak in as well.

The wax is either used for polishing, or is removed by benzine.

(f) _Baskets._—Basketry can be decorated by Batik, although it is but rarely done. The baskets would be dyed with Basic colors and acetic acid, excepting where yellows and reds were needed, fast to light, in which case the Acid colors would be used.

(g) _Bone._—Very pretty effects can be produced with Batik upon polished surface of bone or ivory. These are dyed carefully with Acid colors in a bath containing acetic acid.

This process is a combination of dyeing and etching, for the acid attacks the exposed surfaces, removing the polish and opening the way for the action of the dyestuff later.

=Batik Used for Etching.=—The talents of Batik are numerous, for the usefulness of the Batik tjanting and brush are not confined to the dyer, but can be readily availed of by any metal or wood worker who happens to be a skilled draughtsman as well. Wax is a good resist, not only against dyes and the weak chemicals used in connection with them, but also against many of the most powerful reagents known to the chemist, such as sulphuric acid, for instance, or strong caustic alkali.

Accordingly, if a piece of smooth wood is carefully batiked and then, instead of being painted with dyestuff in solution, it has some strong sulphuric acid, or a concentrated solution of caustic potash poured and spread upon it, in a few minutes, after the reagent is washed off and the wax removed with gasoline or otherwise, the exposed surfaces of the wood will be found softened and corroded, so that on scrubbing with a stiff brush, they can be readily rubbed away, and the waxed portions will stand out in relief.

Metal work, like copper or brass plates and dishes, can be etched readily in the same way, the pattern of the relief being drawn in wax, and the metal exposed for a greater or less time to the action of dilute nitric acid.

Without going further into details it is hoped that enough has been stated here to impress on the student the possibilities of this beautiful process in a large number of different directions.