Batik is a
resist dyeing process in which patterns are drawn or stamped
on a piece of cloth with melted wax. When the wax sets it acts
as a dye-resist, so that the waxed parts of the cloth remain
unaffected by the dyes. The wax is then removed, usually by
boiling the cloth, and the process is repeated over and over
again until the desired pattern is achieved. There are two
main methods to apply the wax: by hand, using a special tool
for drawing with melted wax called a canting (pronounced
"chanting") and with a copper stamp, called a cap (pronounced
"chop"). In some cases both techniques are used on the same
cloth to obtain the desired pattern. Traditionally the canting
is used by women and men use the cap
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