A Batik Robe, by the Noank Studio, New York
One end of a Javanese Sarong. Property of A. B. Lewis
The brush is in much more general use than the tjanting and is preferred by many who have experimented with both. A small red sable, No. 4, is good for outlining. If it seems to carry too much wax or does not point well, let the wax harden and trim off the projecting hairs. A No. 6 to a No. 12 brush will fill in flat surfaces rapidly. With practice, beautiful line work can be done with a small brush. In the beginning, it is safe to wipe off a little of the wax on the side of the cup instead of trying to carry to the cloth all the wax the brush will hold. It is so easy to drop a bit of wax from an overloaded brush and so troublesome to get it off that considerable caution pays. If a brush overloaded with hot wax is set on the cloth, the wax will spread in a drop or blur at the point where the brush touches the cloth, which will make the line irregular. Of course, to have an even flow of wax from the brush, the temperature of the wax must be kept the same. If the worker dips first into wax that is hot and which sinks into the cloth easily and then into wax that is so cool that it stays on top of the cloth and refuses to penetrate the fiber, the finished work will be ragged and uneven about the edges.
While applying the wax the cloth may be held up, free from the table, with the left hand. With small articles this is quite easy. A larger piece can be managed in the same way, but this is not recommended as the very best way. Instead, a wooden frame, adjustable in size at the corners and faced with cloth, to which the material can be either basted or pinned, is advised. With a Batik frame such as described the cloth is held smoothly and firmly in place, making it easy to get good edges and long smooth lines with either a tjanting or brush. If no frame is used great care must be exercised to avoid letting the wax penetrate the cloth and touch anything behind, as it will stick. In lifting it away the wax covering will be torn from the back of the threads. If this is not noticed before dyeing the dye will have a chance to penetrate these fibers and so spoil the clearness of the pattern.
If, in applying, the wax spreads too far over the pattern, it is probably too hot. To remove the overflow, it will probably be necessary to take off a larger space than is exactly needed. This will leave ragged edges, which will need re-waxing. If a drop is spilled in the wrong place while carrying the brush or tjanting, it must be completely removed or the finished product will be marred. This cannot be over-emphasized, as it is usually incompletely done. To remove the wax from a spot or part of a design, lay the spot over an absorbent pad of some kind, such as a soft towel folded. Wet the spot with gasoline, benzine or carbona. Continue wetting and very light rubbing until the wax is completely dissolved and is either absorbed by the cloth with which you have been patting, or the pad below.
