21 March 2010

Batik experiment, any idea to find solution?


Do you have any experience with Sodium-Silicate?
May be you have.
I don't.
Imagine that I painted a new batik piece. I tried new dyes, special pigments from Thailand in powder form. I melted wax, coloring
lines then I painted what I wanted. Well... Almost... As this paint was new to me sometimes it did what it wanted... "Who is the boss" you can ask. And even if I know the answer well the thing is still the same: there are
unpredictable dye-movements. OK. I will survive. The piece as an experiment was better than I expected BUT... But fixation goes with sodium silicate.
Normally it takes a nice coat over the finished painting, 8 hours and fixation is ready. This is an ugly looking liquid that is hard to cover evenly. (see picture)
If you see my picture you probably find these small uncovered fields.
I painted new coat. More coat. Those uncovered areas are still there. You see, besides wax-lines. That means fixation is not going to happen there.
In my minds eye I can easily imagine how I have to throw to the bin all my effort. No, no, I don't want to follow this thought!
OK then. Back to basics. What is the manual's suggestion. Nothing. No-thing.
Any idea?

Stay tuned, I come back in a few hours to show what's happened.
So here it is. Better than expected.
The colors are a bit faded says the Censor in me...
but it is OK. Even if it is not perfect.
Learning by experiment. Sometimes it is like that.

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