The Factory Method

Indonesian Batik is made on cotton, rayon and silk fabrics. The first step is to apply the hot wax. This is done using a stamping tool; a metal stamp which is heated, dipped in hot wax to cover its surface and then pressed onto the cloth. If you look carefully at a piece of batik material, you will notice small dots in square placements in the pattern. These are the guide points from the stamp, used to insure the pattern always lines up evenly. Wax is applied to both the front and the back of the material. The guide points insure the wax on both sides matches. The stamping step is usually performed by men. The second step is the painting. Meters of waxed cloth are laid out on tables while men and women bend over them brushing colors between the wax lines. We were amazed at the speed and accuracy with which this was performed. The next step is the re-waxing. Black wax is applied by hand, using a waxing tool, over all the colored areas. This insures that during the background dying process no dye penetrates into the colors already applied.

Next the cloth is dyed. It is first pulled through a chemical agent that helps the dye bond to the cloth. It is left to drip and then it is pulled through the dye. The dye reacts with the chemical agent to produce the final color.

Finally the cloth is boiled. Men stir huge boiling vats, scooping the hot wax from the surface with large perforated ladles. The finished products are brilliant in both design and color.