In which I make myself a Batik Tjanting.

I love batik and have always found the process fascinating. The abstract designs, the wax resist process, the spider-weby cracks, the imperfections in the patterns everything about it calls out to me.

Last year, I took a class with Kanal shah on batiks. Oh the joy of it, the cracks in the wax that you cannot predict, the uncertainty of what the final pattern will look like- it certainly is my kind of craft. Though Kanal prefers to use brushes to apply the wax resist to the fabrics, she did bring a couple of Tjantings with her. We got to try them at the class. The tjantings produce more well defined lines than the brushes and can be used to draw detailed patterns. I had decided then that I would definitely try to get one once I start batik-ing. While trying to procure one I realized that is not easily available in India and it is really expensive to get one from abroad.

The Batik I made in class.

While searching for tjantings online, I realised that these were very simple tools and something I could make myself quite easily. Hey, I am a metal smith after all. The tjanting is a really simple tool, a cup to hold the wax, a tube to direct the wax and something to hold it with. So I decided to make a diy batik tjanting.
True to form of course, I bought all the supplies, ordered the dyes and then forgot about it for a year. Recently, I dug up supplies and decide to give batik-ing a go. I also made the tjanting. I am so happy with how it turned out. It was so so easy to make, also I made it with stuff I had lying around the house. Scraps of brass sheet, an old paintbrush, a soldering blowpipe ( I never really got the hang of using one) and some scrap brass wire.

Some process pictures,

Cutting out the discs using my Jumbo disc cutter

Tools and materials used

Soldering the pipe to the bowl.

I later realised the above step was not necessary at all. As long as the pipe fit into the hole snugly, once dipped into the wax, the wax itself held them together well.

Here it is

The Tjanting

The handle is different from the one in the first pictures, I decided this one had a better grip.

Diy Tjanting in use.

Feel free to write to me in comments below if you have any queries regarding making a diy tjanting.