Tools, Materials, and Process of Written Batik for Those of You Who are Interested in Written Batik

As one of the most popular and popular Indonesian cultures, batik, especially handmade or written batik, is known for its cultural products at high prices. This is caused by the way of making it tends to be complicated and take a long time, and the final product that seems luxurious and exclusive. If you see and follow batik class or see people making batik with techniques such as painting on fabric, then that is what is called written  batik.

Batik tools and materials

For those of you who want to join batik class, it helps you to understand in advance the tools and materials that are usually used in making batik. Although tools and materials will be provided later, basic knowledge will be useful to give you an initial picture. Or for those of you who want to buy and make your batik at home, you also need to know the ingredients and tools. Mori cloths, canting, gawangan, wax, pots/pans with small stoves, batik dye solutions, and gloves are the main tools and materials for making written batik.

Mori cloth is a plain white cloth used for batik. This type of fabric was chosen because of its good quality and smooth texture. Next, you need a canting. Canting is a tool used to take wax in a small container to make a motif on a cloth. Traditional canting is usually made of copper and the handle is made of bamboo. Then there is the gawangan, which is a tool used to attach or spread a cloth when making batik.

Furthermore, you need wax. This wax is used to make motifs on the fabric. In its application, the wax is first melted on a pan and a small stove, then painted on fabric using a canting. There is also a dye solution to give color to the fabric after batik is finished. Gloves are needed to protect you from melting wax, especially for those of you who are beginners.

The process of making batik

Making written batik will usually start with making your batik motif designs on fabric. You can make motifs according to your wishes, such as  batik Bali motifs (batik Denpasar). Or for some batik classes, you don’t need to think about motifs because there are already examples of motifs or even motifs already drawn on the fabric.

The next step is to paint on fabric using a canting. This part is the highlight in batik class. Canting that has been filled with melted batik wax is then written or painted on a motif that has been made. The use of gloves is important for those of you who are beginners to avoid the burning sensation of wax if dripping. Furthermore, the part of the fabric that has no motif is covered with wax too. However, not all parts of the blank cloth are given wax, because later it will be given a fabric dye; adjust to the image and motif.

Usually, if you follow the batik class, the stages just stop there. That is because the next stage takes a long time. The next stage is to dip the fabric into the dye solution, according to the desired color. After the dyeing and soaking process, the cloth is then dried in the sun. After the cloth is dry, the fabric is repainted with a canting so that the color of the wax on the motif stays on. Continue to do this step if coloring more than once.

Next, you have to remove the wax from the fabric by dipping it in hot water. After that, do the nglorod process. Nglorod is a process that aims to remove the waxy layer, so the motifs that have been made on the fabric will be seen clearly. If it is completely gone, you must wash the batik cloth and then dry it.

The process of making written batik seems long. However, all processes that produce batik cloth with the best quality and high value. You can join the batik class in the Bali area to learn and produce high-quality batik Bali.