An abbreviated outline of the process is as follows: First, remove all waxing with benzine, using several baths; second, raise the nap with dry steam, that is, steam carrying as little water as possible. Avoid touching the nap while steaming and do not crease or fold while damp. After the nap is raised by the steam, brush it gently in the direction of the nap with a bristle clothes brush.
For more elaborate work, where a combination of colors is desired in the design, the painting process may be used. As in the previous cases, the material is stretched on the Batik frame and the design outlined and then waxed in. If a combination of colors is to be used, it is best to have the design in colors on paper as a guide. It is very easy to become confused as to colors to be used on the various sections of the pattern, and mistakes in painting with dyes are serious, as the color can only be removed with a solution of ammonia or washing soda.
With the colored design before one, the dyes are mixed and tried on a scrap of the material.
This method of applying color with a brush is desirable only for small spots or surfaces. It is not possible to cover large surfaces evenly with a brush, as the color will be stronger in the spot first touched by the brush. In dyeing one color over another the result is a modified color which seldom harmonizes with spots of color that are painted in. In addition, the color is not as fast when applied in this way, as it does not have the chance to penetrate the fiber of the cloth as in dyeing.
This use of the brush is a convenient method of inserting small spots of a contrasting color that would otherwise require a re-waxing of the whole piece of goods, but is not recommended as a substitute for dipping process.
The center panel of a Javanese Batik
