FIG. 20—“TEAPOT” MODEL OF TJANTING
FIG. 21—WALTHER GLASS TJANTING
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.