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SETTING UP BATIK FACTORY -4

4. Using of Block Printer For Batik

Now we come to the final part of creating batik. Unlike the previous production, the use of block printer need different apparatus.

the block printer of batik

You need a wooden table about 3'x4' wide and about 3' high. Cover the table with a thin layer of sponge and plastic paper on top of it both of the same size with table.

The block normally can be bought from the copper handcraft designer at my village or surrounding area. But you must have your own pattern or desired design to enable them to create a block printer for you. The cost is depending on how difficult is you sample design. Some block printer may cost RM2,000.00 and a month to be completed. Some producer will use at least 3 different blocks on each product such as bed sheets.

the block printing in process

The process is slightly different. You need much more bigger pot to melt down at least 10kg of wax and 2kg of soaking powder.

Place the white or blank cloth on the table and make sure it is plainly fixed and fit. Take the block printer for the basic design and start blocking for the whole cloth. Make sure that there is not so much wax stick to the cloth. Next, drop it into a container or a big basin containing the liquid of your basic color design. Ensure the color is well stick thoroughly to the cloth. Dry it under the heat of the sun.

Then send for color dying process, Sodium Silicate soaking process, rinsing and cleaning and boiling by following and repeating similar procedures in the manner I told you in previous posts. The product has to go back to the table for the second design block printing. Same procedures will follow and so on if you have more than 2 blocks design. Each finished blocking has to go for similar color dying, rinsing and cleaning, boiling and final rinsing processes.

For business purposes, normally one will block at least 24 pieces of clothes (or more depending on demand) for first basic block design. This is to cut down the similar process undergone for each cloth. You may have to provide bigger containers, wider space and more raw materials.

Advanced manufacturer uses modern machines and equipments to produce batik. But, the basic procedures  and chemicals used still the same and have to be adhered.

One thing for sure, if your batik is a handcrafted batik, which is drawn and colored by your hand on a piece of plain silk stretched on the wooden frame....then, in my opinion this is the one and only batik product ever created in this World. You or anybody else can't ever create a similar one...forever!

SETTING UP BATIK FACTORY - 3

3. Drawing/Designing

This post is a continuation of the previous post under the heading of Setting Up Batik Factory. And, we are talking about a hand drawing batik. After this program, we will talk about printing batik with blocks....

Now, take small towel before starting to draw. The towel will be used to support the drawing tool from dropping the wax anywhere before the drawing can be done.

Take the drawing tool, dip it into the pot containing the mixture of melted wax and soaking powder, stir for few seconds for the purpose of heating the tool. Next, take out the drawing tool (containing the hot mixture) with the towel covering the edge of the tool and proceed with the drawing of your design on the blank silk on the frame. Just go on drawing until the tool temperature is cooling down and the mixture flow is also slowing down. Remember, only hot mixture will stick to the cloth. So, you have to get the hot stuff again and again until you stop drawing.

Make sure you draw some things or objects which can attract your customers such as flowers, geometries or symbols which you can apply with colors later on.

Coloring also significant. Choose any color powder of your own to be the background color. Only a few drops of the color will be mixed with about 3 liter of plain water to create a light background color. This is to allow you to put different colors for the flowers and leaves or the symbols or objects. You may buy the powder colors from any supplier around the World...and from my experience, I propose that you get it from Germany.

After finishing the background using painting brush, you must allow it to be dried by itself. Make sure the background color is dried, before coloring the objects or whatever. Remember, the background color will affect the secondary color. For example, if the background color is light blue, the use of yellow as secondary color will end up with light green, and likewise if the background color is light yellow and the second one is blue because a mixture of yellow and blue colors will create green color.

I will not ask you to follow me in respect to the color you will choose. You may have a colorless background or whatever. Most important is the use of powder colors are vital as you can apply it with water. Less water is for ticker or darker color and more water for lighter color. The combination of colors are vital for a successful batik production.

After you are satisfied with the paintings, you must let it dried under the sun light. Keep it under the dry container and away from water. If you have several frames for drawing batik, then utilize it for some other design. Try to draw for few sets of blank caftan too. Repeat the process for drawing as I told earlier.

sodium silicate solution

Take the Sodium Silicate solution/liquid and pour it into a container or a basin. Add the quantity of this chemical if there are more colored clothes. Three liters of Silicate is enough for 1 cloth. The use of Silicate is to ensure the colors will stick to the clothes forever.

Repeat the processing procedures I have told you earlier ( whereby in the lower part of the last post I have explained in detail how to create a single batik, the procedures are similar for more productions ) for the use of Sodium Silicate, the rinsing and cleaning from the chemicals, the boiling to released wax on the clothes and so on until the products is ready for sale.

Bye for now.

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SET UP A FACTORY - 2

2. Tools, Equipments and Raw Materials

In the last posting I have stated the necessary requirements for you to establish a batik factory. You must have the land to build a factory.

Remember the Main Building? It must have a concrete wall and floor so that you can do the cleaning every weekend.

There are many tools and equipments for the purposes of creating a silk batik.

Photo 1 : the wooden frame or 'pemidang'

The first one is the "pemidang" a kind of rectangular wooden frame with a size of 5' x 16' fixed or screwed on 6 wooden poles sets upright from the floor to support the frame. The height of each frames are around 3' from the floor/ground. It looks like a long table frame without a board on it. This frame will be used to hang and hold the raw silk cloth in horizontal in accordance with the length of the frame. You may have to create at least 6 frames or more depending on the size of your Main Building.

pure raw silk from China

Now you have the frames for you to hold the cloth. It is the time to decide what is your first product. I suggest that you cut 4m length of raw silk cloth from its roll for preparation of a Malay's traditional ware called 'baju kurung'. Remember that a roll of pure raw silk is quite expensive. So, make sure your product is well created.

Use small hooks or pin to stretch the silk cloth to the frame (as in Photo 1 above). Pure raw silk cloth will not break even though under hard stretching. I will let you know later why one must stretch the cloth to the frame.

Let us see some other raw materials. For a start you must have 1kg of pure wax, 1kg of soaking powder, 5 liters of Sodium Silicate liquid and a bottle of vinegar.

Then you must have a small iron pot for heating and melting the wax...which means that you must have a small cooking apparatus powered by liquid gas.

canting, a  drawing pen

another look of canting

You must have a 'canting' or a drawing instrument specially handcrafted and made from iron  or copper which can keep the hot melted wax inside it and will produce the wax through small hole at the edge, just like a pen.

melted hot wag inside the boiling pot

This canting will be dipped into the pot containing hot melted wax. It will become a small container and at the same time will produce hot wax to stick on the stretched silk cloth in accordance with your design.

hot wax will flow from canting and stick to the cloth

The wax cannot stick and absorb to the cloth without the help of soaking powder. Just put 1/4kg of this powder into 1kg of melting wax. This hot mixture will stick and absorb well to the cloth.


Now, you may know why you need a stretched cloth on the frame. It is for the purpose of drawing with hot wax. If the cloth is set loose at the frame, you can't have a good drawing on it.

To be continued.

SET UP BATIK FACTORY

1. Site

You need the following assets:

a) a piece of land measuring approximately 1/2 acre or more;

b) a simple decorating building but enough to protect your products, tools and equipments from rain or any sort of water with a size of at least  40' x 40' (hereinafter called as the "Main Building");

c) a store house within the Main Building where you can keep all raw materials and chemicals;

d) a corner in the Main Building where you can do the soaking and evaporating process for you raw products;

e) an open roof site where you can do the rinsing and boiling process;

f) a Concrete Container or a pool to fill in the water waste or chemicals or toxic from the whole processing system;

g) an open roof site where you can dry up your products;

h) in house section for ironing and packaging;

i) a decorated showroom and guests corner for advertising and the sale of your products; and

j) an office for management, accounting, control and supervision of the factory.
 

Now I will let you know the most basic procedure for a simple batik product.

Firstly, get a plain white cloth with a size of about 2m x 3m. Get any color or a dyer you desire and mix it with about 2L of plain water in a bucket. Dip the cloth into the colored water for 5 minutes. Next, squeeze the cloth and dip it again for about 1/2 hour. Squeeze it again and you might have discovered its original design already created with cloth. Let the cloth dry under the sunlight.

Secondly, you must have about 3L of  Sodium Silicate Liquid. Pour it into a bucket and dip the colored cloth. Apply the chemical thoroughly to the cloth and let it be together for at least 6 hours. Make sure you use proper gloves and goggles because the chemical is dangerous to you skin and eyes. If get infected, wash the affected area immediately with plenty of fresh water until the sticky portion is dismissed.

Thirdly, after 6 hours, take out the cloth and hang it for evaporation at least for another 3 hours or more when the chemicals stop to drop. Make sure you have covered every single drop of the chemicals with the same bucket. This chemicals can be used again and again for next products subject to proper storage.

Fourthly, rinse the cloth with plenty of water until all those sticky chemicals are discharged from the cloth. You may see the color of the cloth is still there and remains intact. You may wash it as many times as you wish if you are not confident about the life span of the color.

Fifthly, dip the cloth into 5L boiled water for 5 minutes. Don't forget to add 5 big spoon of vinegar into the boiled water before dipping the cloth. This is to sparkle the color of the cloth. Then, take it out for rinsing again. The final rinsing may contain any sort or brand of perfume or odour as you wish.

Dry the cloth again and send for ironing.

Now you have the first product of simple batik without using wax or drawing!

I hope you are satisfied with my explanation and will consider my session above as being helpful to you!

In next and further postings, I will continue with the batik production systems with the use of wax, soaking chemicals, color powders, drawing tool called chanting, paintings and the boards for hanging plain clothes.

Till next posting, bye for now from me.

 

Batik Printing/Designing at Kg. Kolam, K. Ibai.

HOW TO PRODUCE A BATIK

We have been together for candat sotong and some other things around here..in Kuala Ibai.

This time, we go deeper to my village called Kampung Kolam, Kuala Ibai, Kuala Terengganu to seek further knowledge about how a batik is produced. And this time, I will teach you how to be a batik manufacturer, perhaps for a small scale. Then, may be you can go on as a medium scale batik manufacturer in your home town or province or country...doesn't matter where you are...Brazil, Canada, Chile, Egypt, South Africa and even USA. Get this free technical info and be an instant batik producer at your place.

First, you must have the proper and suitable place or location, the tools and instruments, the chemicals, the raw materials and slightly.... your talent and creativity in drawing. But then, the batik design can be anything of your own or a copy of an idea from someone else. You can draw anything and finish it in whatever colors of your own choices. It is totally within your own discretion. Unless, you draw for someone who pays you for his/her own design and colors.

This is an intro to my articles about the making of batik. Hence, all necessary needs to create a batik must be complied with by you, because if you miss 1 material or 1 procedure then you will not have a good batik ware. Your batik product might be faded just after one wash or not strong enough for rough activities, even though the plain/raw clothes you have chosen earlier was a strong one. You will not be a successful batik manufacturer then.

Please adhere to the following conditions precedents and/or requirements if you want to be a successful batik manufacturer:

a) You need a license or permit or approval from your local custom's authority to import raw materials from China, South Korea or Japan who can supply to you the required raw materials of silk clothes and caftans;

b) You have your own intended marketing systems locally or globally;

c) You must have ideas and creativity to produce a good and flawless design where you can strike the market with just one occasion and the world knows the design is yours;

d) Cash or capital; and

e) The place where you want to start it.

Having understood the requirements above mentioned, now we go for details of the same. We will have the requirements and the procedures one by one in details in the following articles.