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Batik Prints

Vinny

pfm Member
One very seriously long shot.........

I bought some 40-50 year-old African batik prints and when they arrived I was amazed that they have never been "de-waxed".
With them being so old I did wonder if the wax might have oxidised so that it might not come out of the fabric, but using a warm iron and some craft paper along one edge, plenty does.

The problem? I will need a few acres of craft paper based on what little I have done so far, which would also take ages.

The other method that can be used is to wash the wax out in warm soapy water, which I am loathe to try for a variety of reasons, the most important being the unknown dyes, and any shrinkage/distortion of the fabric (they look to be on a very thin cotton canvas - like very heavy shirting, although there is so much wax in it that it could be lighter than I imagine).

Anyone tried either, especially the washing method? If you have successfully tried a wash, what detergent/soap did you use?
 
nooooo....warm iron, a LOT of newsprint paper and time :)
Did a fair amount of batik in my day and I never yet met a detergent strong enough to melt wax that wouldn't damage the fabric.
£4 for 100 A4 sheets or recycled newsprint paper on amazon. make a sandwich with ordinary newspaper (about 3/4 layers) and this clean newsprint on the inside. Work over it 3/4 times, changing the paper each time.
The used paper is great for starting fires :)
 
Thanks both. Not what I wanted to learn, but what I expected.

Searching some more, it would need boiling water, which would obviously melt the wax, which would float free, but not something that I'd want to try not knowing anything about the fabric or the dyes.

The wax doesn't want to soak through more than one thickness of kraft paper and 4 changes of paper in the trial area so far have left the fabric maybe slightly thinner but about as stiff when cold, so still plenty of wax left.

Hotter iron get more wax soaking through more layers, making things quicker? I am using wool temperature at the moment.

What's newsprint?
 
newsprint is the massive rolls of newspaper before printing. You can buy roll ends (or could) from your local newspaper printer for nothing. Very absorbent and clean.The laters are just to protect the fabric from the iron and I'd go hotter than wool. The bugger is getting the wax off the iron at the end.
 
newsprint is the massive rolls of newspaper before printing.

I was being sarchastic :)

There may well be a printer within 20-30 miles of here, but I have never heard mention of one having lived here over 20 years. Every large town used to have at least one printing newspapers, freebie papers and local magazines, but that is a thing of the very distant past.
I doubt that I have had one of the freebie papers - like Advertiser - in the past 10 years or so.
 


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