Part 3

For waxing, bees-wax with a mixture of white paraffin wax is used by most batikers, the proportion varying according to the brittleness desired. This of course is best worked out to suit the individual batiker’s requirements and after a little experimenting one soon learns to get a satisfactory mixture. One part paraffin to five parts of bees-wax will give the consistency of medium to produce the crackle surface so popular with many artists in America. Pure bees-wax cracks very little and will stand the highest temperature when in the dye-bath, and inversely the larger proportion of paraffin used the more the medium will crackle and the cooler the dye-bath must be used if one does not want one’s design to melt away. When no crackle at all is desired, the solution can be made more pliable by the addition of rosin. Use this, however, in hot dyes only, for it has unpleasant mannerisms, one of which is to increase the mixture’s brittleness when it is made to undergo a cold plunge.

Whilst on the subject of wax, a word may be well said regarding the care that should be taken to keep water out of the neighbourhood of the wax pot. One has only to allow a drop of water to get itself into the melted wax just once, to find out what a horribly messy spattering and explosion can result. One may gain in understanding and be able to sympathize with long-suffering relatives who declare that “Batik is such a messy business,” but it is hardly worth it. Of course it need not happen if a few precautions are taken, and it is perhaps better to take care at first than to run the risk of becoming unpopular in the household.

Another warning that may be of service to the worker in the country. Do not apply wax, in summer time, seated near an open window. A really true story tells how a batiker was sitting coolly working by a window and was visited by a solitary bee, who took a good look and one sniff at the wax pot and flew away. He returned immediately, however, with all his relations who swarmed gaily all over the work, the wax pot, and the worker to the great discomfort of the visited and the visitors. Exploding in boiling wax can hardly be a comfortable end to a busy life.

[Sidenote: HEATING APPARATUS]

To complete the outfit one also needs a small agate pan in which to melt the wax, one about four inches deep will answer best and some sort of heating apparatus. A kerosene stove should not be used unless one is willing to blacken one’s utensils and most probably one’s self. Gas or an alcohol lamp with an adjustable burner are more satisfactory than an electric attachment as the ability to regulate the heat makes for great comfort when one wants to keep the wax at an even temperature. Of course if necessity demands it, any heat producer available can be used; an electric flat-iron turned upside-down can even be pressed into service although the inconvenience of having to keep one eye on the melting pot is great, when one wishes to give all one’s attention to the design; but if it is not watched the result may be a most uncomfortable “smoking-out.” Work in a warm room or near the stove and it will be found that the wax when in the tjanting will chill less quickly and will consequently be more manageable. These little hints may seem of small importance, but it is as well to take advantage of everything that will make the actual tool handling easier. There are likely to be troubles and mis-adventures enough with the rest of the process.

[Sidenote: DYES]

[Sidenote: REMOVING STAIN]

A great many people seem to be under the impression that the ordinary household dyes that are on the market are not good enough to use in batik work. There is a strong prejudice against Diamond dyes, but there is no reason for it, as these dyes when used according to directions, produce admirable results and are most practical for the beginner who is not in need of large quantities. For any one going extensively into dyeing, it is rather an expensive way of working and it is better to buy the dyes in bulk direct from the manufacturer. Rubber gloves will give some protection to the hands when handling materials in the dye-bath, but if, in spite of care, the hands or clothing become stained, soda or ammonia in the washing water will prove helpful. Lava soap is very good for removing stains from the skin.

[Sidenote: DYE TUBS]

One of the chief helps in successful dyeing is a good vessel for use as a dye-bath. If one is possibly obtainable, the best thing to use is a seamless copper tub. This utensil, however, is not within the reach of every student and it is quite possible to do satisfactory work in a good agate or enamel pan. Galvanized iron is safe to use with most dyes, but in time the acid used with some colours will eat into the metal. Be sure to get a big enough vessel as disaster follows goods that are crowded in the dye-bath.

A thermometer is quite a necessity, and one should also have a glass spoon and a stirring rod. For this latter, a couple of smooth round pieces of wood can successfully be substituted; these are used for lifting and manipulating the material in the dye-bath.

[Sidenote: FABRICS]

Batik can be done on all kinds of woven material, such as cotton, silk, velvet, wool, mixed goods or leather. It is rather difficult to get satisfactory results on cotton owing to the fact that cotton dyes have to be boiled in order to attain any degree of brilliancy, and of course boiling is not practical when one is dealing with waxed material. Japanese habutai silk is perhaps the easiest fabric to use and best for beginners’ experiments, as the wax penetrates easily and it takes colour well. This applies to chiffon and similar sheer materials, but of course their delicacy makes them harder to handle. Fibre silks, being composed of both animal and vegetable matter, should be dyed in “mixed goods dyes,” or should be first dipped in a bath of cotton dye, and then immersed in a dye for silk, of a similar shade. Very heavy silks and velvets are magnificent when batiked, but they should be sent to the professional finishers to be treated when the piece is completed as it takes a great deal of effort and considerable skill on the part of the amateur to finish a large heavy silk panel or to raise the flattened pile of velvet. Taffeta silk and very heavy satin are not good fabrics for the batik process, owing to the loading used in their manufacture.

TJANTINGS

Ever since the batik art has been practised by occidentals there has been a search for a tool to replace the tjanting, or perhaps not so much to replace, as to develop an improved edition. But after many trials, it seems that the tjanting in its original form, with just a slight variation in its handle, is after all, the best instrument for fine line and dot work.

[Sidenote: PRICE OF TJANTINGS]

The Dutch edition of the original Javanese tjantings is better than the native tool in two particulars. First, it is made out of heavier metal and is consequently much stronger and the second distinct improvement is the re-modelled handle which replaces the little tied-on bamboo affair. Of course when the difference in price is taken into consideration the Javanese tjanting stands away above any other,—it costs from 1 to 10 cents in Dutch money, which is the equivalent of five tjantings for two cents, American money, whilst the Dutch-model tjanting made here in New York, is sold for from $5.00 to $7.00 apiece.

Various kinds of tjantings are shown in the accompanying illustrations. 1. The original Javanese tjanting. 2. The Dutch tjanting. 3 and 4. Belgian tjantings. 5. The Walther glass tjanting. 6. The wax pencil. The first two of these types have already been described.

3. A Belgian tjanting. This tool has a few very good points, but the trouble is, that whilst each factor in itself is good, the combination of them in the tjanting is not desirable. The cup of this instrument is made out of a brass ball out of which a segment is taken to form the top opening; on one side, not quite at the lowest point of the ball, the spout is placed, while the handle is fastened opposite to it on the other side. This placing of the spout has one great advantage as any impurity in the wax will settle below the spout opening, and clogging is less liable. The spout is made of solid brass plate; it is tapered and the nozzle has a fine opening. The only disadvantage to it is, that it cannot be shaped, that is, it cannot be bent up or down at the will of the worker.

The main objection to this tool is, however, that it is rather heavy by reason of its very solid cup and it does not balance well in the hand.

Besides the before-mentioned advantage of the spout being unlikely to clog, the greatest thing in its favour is, the long time that it holds the wax hot; on account of its round shape, the small opening on top, and above all, because of the thickness of the walls of the cup, the wax retains the heat longer than in any other tjanting made.

4. A second type of Belgian tjanting. This tool very much resembles some of the first tjantings made in this country. It is not very good, mainly on account of the spout, which is not tapered, and another weak point is the cup, which holds only a very little wax.

[Illustration: VARIOUS TYPES OF TJANTINGS]

5. The Walther glass tjanting. This is a German invention and is certainly no improvement on any existing type of instrument. In fact it is a clumsy and awkward tool, difficult to handle, and being made of glass it is of course, very fragile.

6. The wax pencil. This is another German attempt to replace the tjanting and is made in two separate parts. First, the metal cylinder which holds the wax and replaces the cup and spout of the tjanting and the second part is the wooden holder, which slips over the cylinder and serves as a handle. The cylinder itself is of brass, shaped to a point at one end and at the other is closed with a brass stopper. The pointed end is fitted with a fine needle which is held in place by a minute spiral spring. This needle closes up the opening in the tube and prevents the molten wax from flowing out. When a flow of wax is desired, the pressure of the point of the “pencil” on the fabric, will push back the needle and release the wax.

To fill the tool, the wax is scraped into fine chips, or better still, cut into a thin bar, and inserted in the tube and closed in with the stopper. The wooden handle is then slipped back and the tool heated in a flame to melt the wax; when the instrument is sufficiently hot, the handle is slipped back in position, and work can be started.

A great drawback to this tool is that it gets very hot, so hot in fact, that the wooden handle is likely to char, as is shown in the one illustrated, and after working some time one has to stop in order to give the handle a chance to cool.

Very fine work cannot be done with this instrument and the opinions as to its usefulness are very divided. Some people say the tool is as good as useless, whilst others cannot or will not work with anything else—this is most probably because they never had a good tjanting, if they had they would soon put their wax-pencils in the discard.

The main thing in favour of the tool is, that it makes very little wax smoke in the room, but this is its only virtue and it does not have a monopoly of that, as any batiker, with a little care can keep his or her wax as hot as it is needed without having a column of smoke constantly coming out of the wax pot.

Although much time has been spent and trouble been taken in endeavours to supply a tool which would be better and more practical than the tjanting, it can be safely said that the original appliance has stood up successfully against all competitors and nothing better has yet been made.

THE BATIK PROCESS

[Sidenote: PREPARATION OF MATERIAL]

The first step in the batik process is to prepare the material. This is nothing more elaborate than a thorough washing, which will result in freeing the goods from any artificial loading and will shrink the piece and the size will not be an unpleasant surprise when the work is finished and one will not find that the triangle especially cut for a lamp-shade will not fit by an inch or so. If one is using “dyed in the piece goods” (that is, material already dyed one colour when bought), it is a good plan to boil it for ten minutes, in order to remove any loose colour, and to make sure that no unexpected colour will run and mix itself with the dye in which the fabric is being dipped. The drying and ironing of the material makes it ready for the application of the design.

[Illustration: SCARF BATIKED BY HAZEL BURNHAM SLAUGHTER]

[Sidenote: APPLICATION OF DESIGN]

[Sidenote: FOLDING MATERIAL]

Some people when making a simple design draw directly on the material with wax, but it is usually the best plan to make the design on paper first, together with a coloured sketch to be used as a guide when the dyeing part of the process is reached. In using transparent material, the design can of course be placed underneath it and the pattern traced directly through, but this is not practical with heavier fabrics. When waxing very thin material such as chiffon, it can be doubled or in some cases even folded in quarters, laid perfectly flat and the wax applied. This short cut was used in the batik illustrated facing page 50. It was designed and executed by Hazel Burnham Slaughter, and it is a representative piece of the beautiful work done by her on sheer materials. It is made with only two colours—the original colour of the chiffon, a very light tan, and a soft mellow red; the design is an arrangement of free ornament, floral and animal life. It is a free-hand all-over design, and repeats itself four times, having been folded as described above.

This folding process only has satisfactory results when _very_ thin material is used as the wax will not penetrate through two or more thicknesses if the fabric has any weight at all.

The most satisfactory means of transferring the design, is to prick the outline with a pin, or wheel perforator, place the perforated paper on the fabric and rub charcoal through the holes. If one cannot obtain any charcoal—though one must be far indeed from the madding crowd to be out of reach of even charcoal tablets, lead-pencil dust can be used, though it is not at all to be recommended owing to the dirty smears that it makes when rubbed.

Be very careful to have the material quite straight and place the design on it squarely, or the final effect may be very twisted and distorted. If the pricking has left a jagged edge to the holes in the paper, rub the perforations lightly with sandpaper in order that the charcoal may go through cleanly and easily.

[Sidenote: REDRAWING OF DESIGN]

When the finished work is to be in more than one colour, it is advisable to strengthen the charcoal outline with pencil or Conté Crayon No. 2, otherwise it is washed off in the first dipping. This redrawing is not necessary if one wishes to have an undyed outline edging the different colours, as in that case the outline of the whole design will be drawn in, in wax, and this will permanently indicate the pattern.

[Sidenote: PREVENTING THE WAX FROM STICKING]

The American method of working differs from the Javanese in the fact that the native hangs her material vertically in front of her when she is waxing her design, whilst the American is decidedly more comfortable with his material flat on a table. Usually it is stretched on a frame or canvas-stretcher to prevent it from coming in actual contact with the surface of the table whilst the wax is being applied. If it is not kept clear, it will be found that when an attempt is made to lift the textile, on the completion of the waxing process, it will be sticking in places and the wax torn in consequence; the effect of this damage will be that in dyeing the colour will penetrate from the back, and the material exposed by the breaks will turn out to be some shade quite unplanned for in the original scheme. For very big pieces, however, it is rather impractical to use a frame and as an alternative to stretching, the fabric can be waxed on a table which is covered with thin smooth paper; with careful lifting, little or no harm need be done to the wax, but in any case it is well to make a thorough examination of the reverse side in order to be sure that there are no exposed surfaces that should be retouched.

Some artists work with a sheet of glass under their material, instead of paper, but this, whilst having the advantage of not sticking as much has the great objection of rapidly cooling the wax with which one is working and cool wax does not penetrate the material properly.

[Illustration: THE RIGHT WAY TO HOLD THE TJANTING]

[Illustration: THE USE OF THE BRUSH FOR FILLING SPACES]

[Sidenote: CLEAN OUTLINE]

[Sidenote: HANDLING THE TJANTING]

A clean edge to the design is obtained with more certainty if the flat masses are outlined with a fine brush or preferably with a tjanting, before being filled in with the larger brushes. Where the work is done with a tjanting, it is difficult to have the fabric stretched on a frame as this tool is used with the palm of the hand resting on a steady surface. The illustration facing page 54 shows the way to hold the tjanting when the work is laid flat on the table. The wrist and the lower part of the hand rest on the table, the tjanting is held between the thumb and the two first fingers, while the remaining fingers act as an additional support. All small movements can be made with the wrist remaining stationary; for big curves the hand and arm are slowly moved in the required direction, keeping the tjanting at an even level. Though in the beginning this may seem difficult, it will be found that after a little practice, it will be quite easy to make even and regular lines.

Having covered up with wax all the parts of the design which are to remain white or the original colour of the fabric (if an already dyed piece is used for the foundation) it is now ready for the first dye-bath.

Select the lightest shade in the colour sketch for the initial dyeing. To be sure of getting the desired shade it is well to test a sample of the fabric. To do this, wet the piece and immerse it in the dye for a few moments; when it is dry it will be several shades lighter than when it is wet. One can get an approximate idea of the colour that a wet piece will be when it is dried, by looking at it against the light.

The simplest batiks, of course, are those in which only one colour is used and consequently only one dipping is required. Details of dyeing and the matter of colour schemes will be treated at length elsewhere in this book. After dipping, the material should be rinsed thoroughly in luke-warm water. Avoid the use of cold water, especially when another dyeing is to follow, as the cold will cause the wax to become brittle and crack, and unintentional crackling is a sign of poor craftsmanship. If the batik is to be in only one colour it is now ready for the removal of the wax, which is a simple business, consisting of rinsing the fabric very thoroughly in gasoline or Carbona.

More elaborate colour schemes are produced by a repetition of the process, simply covering up with fresh wax the parts one wishes to retain in the shade of the last-dyed colour. This re-waxing, dipping and rinsing is continued until all the colours that the scheme demands are obtained, and then the wax is removed as described.

[Sidenote: GASOLINE]

A word here on the use and mis-use of gasoline may be in order. Gasolining should be done very thoroughly; one of the faults common to all amateurs is insufficient rinsing and the fabric still stiff with wax is placed on the market as a finished product. Often the lovely softness of a drapery will be lost and a papery quality substituted just because there have not been a sufficient number of gasoline baths used.

[Sidenote: PRECAUTIONS]

When possible, gasoline should be used out of doors, although if proper precautions are taken, there is no reason why people should be nervous about using it in the house. In the first place do not use it in a room in which there is a fire burning and do not imagine the room is safe for a lighted match immediately after the vessel containing the gasoline has been removed. Gasoline fumes are heavier than air and if undisturbed will hang low in the room for some time; it is therefore a good plan to have the window open slightly, at the bottom as well as at the top, in order to create a current of air. The hot air rising and the fresh air coming in at the bottom of the window, will soon disperse the fumes.

[Sidenote: GASOLINE ECONOMY]

Have the gasoline in an earthenware vessel. Enamelware easily gets chipped and the exposed iron when touched by the hand may give a slight electric shock, as electricity is sometimes generated through rubbing the fabric. It is well, in any case, to avoid hard rubbing and to use as little friction as possible, taking particular care on bright clear days when the air itself seems charged with electricity. Gasoline can be used over and over again. The last baths for one batik, containing only a small amount of dissolved wax, can be used for the first bath next time, and with an apparatus similar to that illustrated, it is quite easy to run off the dissolved wax (which sinks, being heavier than the gasoline), and save only the clear fluid.

The last stage of the process is the ironing, which needs no more description than the suggestion that the work is placed between papers; this hint may prevent the streaking which sometimes ruins a batik that has successfully survived the various stages of a decorated textile’s creation.

[Illustration: _Clean Gasoline_

_Dissolved Wax_

TANK FOR SEPARATING WAX FROM GASOLINE]

SUCCESSFUL DYEING

[Sidenote: TEMPERATURE OF DYE-BATH]