tjanting

I have recently acquired a tjanting, the Indonesian wax applicator for batik, and I have used that for my last wax application.

Yummy Chocolate Easter Eggs! a stitch in time 2009

It is a bit tricky to get the temperature just right especially when the candle flame used to heat the tjanting is not too cooperative, but it was a lot more convenient than the copper-plate version.

Yummy Chocolate Easter Eggs! a stitch in time 2009

And how did they apply the wax back in the middle ages - is there a medieval European equivalent to the tjanting that was not yet identified, because nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition a wax application tool in a tailoring/silkworking context?

Archive 2009-04-01 a stitch in time 2009

And how did they apply the wax back in the middle ages - is there a medieval European equivalent to the tjanting that was not yet identified, because nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition a wax application tool in a tailoring/silkworking context?

Yummy Chocolate Easter Eggs! a stitch in time 2009

With these low temperatures, flow in the tjanting might become obstructed by cooling wax, so there is also a rather big variation in how much wax comes out, and how quickly.

Dag it, baby, one more time... a stitch in time 2009

I have recently acquired a tjanting, the Indonesian wax applicator for batik, and I have used that for my last wax application.

Archive 2009-04-01 a stitch in time 2009

It is a bit tricky to get the temperature just right especially when the candle flame used to heat the tjanting is not too cooperative, but it was a lot more convenient than the copper-plate version.

Archive 2009-04-01 a stitch in time 2009

With these low temperatures, flow in the tjanting might become obstructed by cooling wax, so there is also a rather big variation in how much wax comes out, and how quickly.

Archive 2009-04-01 a stitch in time 2009

As you can probably imagine, the margin between "too cold" and "too hot" is very slim - so slim that it makes a huge difference whether the tjanting is full or half-empty, even if it is a very small one.

Archive 2009-04-01 a stitch in time 2009

As you can probably imagine, the margin between "too cold" and "too hot" is very slim - so slim that it makes a huge difference whether the tjanting is full or half-empty, even if it is a very small one.

Dag it, baby, one more time... a stitch in time 2009