Batik Making Process
Batik is a traditional process that uses wax-resist technique in its making. Wax resist methods prevents the dye from spreading to the entire cloth, ultimately creating beautiful batik designs and patterns. The cloth used for Batik can either be cotton or silk as it can quickly absorb the wax used in dye resisting procedure. The fabric must be densely woven and should be of high quality so that the intricate patterns are reflected in the Batik quality designs.
The cloth used for Batik is initially washed and boiled in plain water for a number of times before the wax is applied. It is done so to remove all the traces of starch, lime, chalk or other chemicals are completed washed away from the cloth. The traditional method of creating Batik was that the cloth was crushed with wooden mallet or ironed so that it becomes smooth and flexible and this helped to make best designs and Batik patterns. But now, the machine made cloth is smooth and supple enough to omit the pounding or the ironing process. Generally this system was adopted in the Batik making process.
The best quality of cloth used to make Batik designs include Primissima and Prima, and the quality of the cloth is also mentioned on the edge of the pattern. Blaco is often used for Batik which is a lesser quality cloth.
Design equipments
Though Batik designs and patterns may be intricate, but the Batik design tools are quite simple. Canting, the wax pen is a pure Javanese invention, is a thin walled small copper container with a spout having a short handle made of bamboo. Its length is about 11 cm and is filled with melted wax and with the help of canting artisans creates beautiful designs on the cloth. The spouts are of various sizes which help to create different design effects. For a fine and detailed art, a spout with diameter 1mm is used and to fill in the larger designs wider spouts are used. A canting with 9 spouts is used to draw dots or parallel lines. A clump of cotton is tied over the mouth of the canting or may attach it to a stick and this acts as a brush to fill up very large sections.
Once a pattern or a design is drawn on the cloth, it is ready to be waxed. To maintain the original color (white or cream) of the cloth, the artisans apply wax with the help of the canting. The fabric is wrapped over bamboo frames for the wax to cool which later on becomes hard. The wax is melted to attain the desired consistency in the wajan in which the artisan dip the chanting and fill it with melted wax. For a well defined batik, wax is applied on both sides of the fabric.
After the application of the wax, the fabric needs to be dyed for the first time. Initially, earthenware tubs were used for dying but now large concrete vats are used. The fabric is draped on the ropes with pulleys and immersed in a dye tub. For a darker color the cloth must remain in the dye for a longer period after which it is put in cold water to make the wax harder. After the cloth is dyed properly for the first time, the artisans apply wax to the areas where the first dye color is to be maintained. Now the area that was waxed initially needs to be cleaned by removing the wax with a small knife, dabbed with hot water and then resized, so that it can be dyed in similar manner with a subsequent dye tub. You can even give a marble effect by cracking the wax so that the dye enters into the cracks before it is put for dye bath.
Lastly, you need to wash the traditionally dyed Batiks with soap and water or lerak fruit which is available in traditional markets. Always dry the Batiks in shade and not under direct sunlight.
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