DOI Heft:
The international Studio (September, 1907)
DOI Artikel:Priestman, Mabel Tuke: The craft of batik making
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.28252#0444
Batik Making
BATIK DECORATION FOR CHAIR COVERING
had to be relinquished for
something more practical. I
then took a tin spoon and
shaped the point so as to
allow the hot wax to flow
and kept refilling it with hot
wax as it was needed. This
only partly answered, al-
though the wax flowed in a
thin, fine stream; when tilted
it was apt to run under the
spoon and drop on the mate-
rial in the wrong places. So
this also was given up. I
then had made the instru-
ment shown in our illustra-
tion, which consists of a
copper reservoir soldered
onto a band of copper which
was inserted into a wooden
tool-handle A long steel nail
was placed inside the reser-
voir so as to drop down and
fill the hole when moving the
reservoir over the work. By
a simple contrivance of
string wrapped around the
finger the nail can be raised
or dropped to control the flow of wax. This
seems to answer perfectly, but it would be best
in doing a good deal of the work to have a
BATIK SUGGESTIVE DESIGNS
number of these reservoirs made so that the flow of
wax can be large or small according to the dimen-
sions of the hole in the end of the reservoir. It
might be advisable to buy a painter’s nozzle outfit
and use all the appliances that go with the nozzle
and adjust them to the copper reservoir. As these
are made with elongated openings, rows of holes
and other apertures they would be convenient. As
the wax must be hot it is best to have a pan con-
taining the melted wax on a gas stove or spirit
lamp beside the worker.
A knowledge of drawing is a necessity in this
craft, as bold, free lines and curves are what the
work requires. The true batik maker does not
even resort to the pencil for making the design,
but draws directly onto the material with the
instrument containing wax. Of course, there is no
reason why the design should not be traced first,
if the batikster prefers to do it, but the bold
barbaric work loses if the primitive manner of
doing it is departed from. As children of seven
years of age can do the work in Java without
drawing it first, an American should be able, with
practice, to get good results without this aid.
Batiks can be made for many purposes. Cotton
table-covers, hangings, bags, pillows and chair-
xc
BATIK DECORATION FOR CHAIR COVERING
had to be relinquished for
something more practical. I
then took a tin spoon and
shaped the point so as to
allow the hot wax to flow
and kept refilling it with hot
wax as it was needed. This
only partly answered, al-
though the wax flowed in a
thin, fine stream; when tilted
it was apt to run under the
spoon and drop on the mate-
rial in the wrong places. So
this also was given up. I
then had made the instru-
ment shown in our illustra-
tion, which consists of a
copper reservoir soldered
onto a band of copper which
was inserted into a wooden
tool-handle A long steel nail
was placed inside the reser-
voir so as to drop down and
fill the hole when moving the
reservoir over the work. By
a simple contrivance of
string wrapped around the
finger the nail can be raised
or dropped to control the flow of wax. This
seems to answer perfectly, but it would be best
in doing a good deal of the work to have a
BATIK SUGGESTIVE DESIGNS
number of these reservoirs made so that the flow of
wax can be large or small according to the dimen-
sions of the hole in the end of the reservoir. It
might be advisable to buy a painter’s nozzle outfit
and use all the appliances that go with the nozzle
and adjust them to the copper reservoir. As these
are made with elongated openings, rows of holes
and other apertures they would be convenient. As
the wax must be hot it is best to have a pan con-
taining the melted wax on a gas stove or spirit
lamp beside the worker.
A knowledge of drawing is a necessity in this
craft, as bold, free lines and curves are what the
work requires. The true batik maker does not
even resort to the pencil for making the design,
but draws directly onto the material with the
instrument containing wax. Of course, there is no
reason why the design should not be traced first,
if the batikster prefers to do it, but the bold
barbaric work loses if the primitive manner of
doing it is departed from. As children of seven
years of age can do the work in Java without
drawing it first, an American should be able, with
practice, to get good results without this aid.
Batiks can be made for many purposes. Cotton
table-covers, hangings, bags, pillows and chair-
xc