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Batik continued............
When you have made your sketch, stretch the cloth across the frame and fasten it with
drawing pins. You can prop the frame up with a book to make it easier to work on.
To Prepare Wax, use either the double boiler or a boiling ring. The
latter is more useful since you can keep it beside you while you work. Otherwise, you will
need to work beside the cooker.
Safety Hints: hot wax is very flammable so it is wise not to heat it
directly. Insulate the wax pan b using a double boiler, or by putting it in a large pan
with about 2.5 cm (1") water in the bottom. The water will need replacing as you
work, so keep a jug nearby. Try to prevent the wax from reaching a temperature where it
begins to smoke. As soon as the wax is bubbling gently, turn heat to low. When the wax is
hot enough to use it will penetrate a test piece of cloth, sealing it on both sides so
that light readily shines through and the fabric has a wet look. If the wax looks whitish
and opaque, it has probably not penetrated.
Place the wax beside you-to your right if you are right-handed, and to your left if
left-handed-to avoid reaching over your work and possibly dripping wax on it
unnecessarily.
Painting With Wax: You will need to work quickly as the wax cools and
dries rapidly on the brush. Stir the wax frequently with your brush, and let excess wax
run off before removing the brush from the pan.
Fill in the design with wax, following your charcoal lines. Let the width of your brush
determine the thickness of the line.
Do not go over the same place twice-this has no effect-but
paint on boldly, continually renewing the flow of wax on your brush.
You can also make dots and lines by dripping wax directly on to the cloth from lighted
candles, and this is often a good way to get your first sense of the wax technique since
virtually no preparation is needed.
If the shape you have made suggests any further shapes to you, add them.
Dying: When your sketch is finished in wax you are ready to dye. Unpin
the cloth, crumple it a little to encourage the wax to vein and crack, and immerse the
waxed cloth in the dyebath for the period of time suggested by the manufacturer.
When you remove the cloth from the dyebath, hang it up to drip, preferably over a bowl
or sink. Do not rinse, wring or dry by artificial means-impatience at this point is only
rewarded by pale and uneven dying. Leave the cloth to drip dry thoroughly. Remember that
all dyes look several shades darker when wet, so don't worry if the fabric looks
excessively dark when wet.
Multi-Colored Dying: If you want to enlarge on the design by adding
more color, do not remove the wax. Instead, when dry, pin it to the frame again and wax
any new areas. Bear in mind that these areas will retain the color of the first dyebath,
and that in the unwaxed areas the color of the second dye you have used will
blend with that of the first by absorption into the pores of the material itself. If
you are dying the cloth the same color the second time, remember that you can only dye to
a darker shade-light blue to navy, for example.
To remove the wax: Iron it off between sheets of newspaper or boil it
off in water. Wax can also be scraped off but this is not recommended for beginners since
it is too easy to cut the cloth and ruin the whole project.
After scraping, boiling or ironing, a small residue of wax will still remain on the
cloth, giving it a wet look, which you may find desirable for wall hangings and other
decorative devices, but for clothes and soft furnishings all traces of wax must be
removed. This is done by dry cleaning or soaking cloth in strong detergent.
Clean Up: It is worth being rigidly neat about putting away dyestuffs
and cleaning up after you have finished work. Use a sieve to empty the dyebath, since wax
would accumulate in the drain and cause a blockage.
That's all..........have fun with this Batik project.
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