Materials for using wax

On the right is a selection of materials I use for wax resist work. At the top is a thermostatically controlled wax pot. Note that in use the pot is actually kept very full of wax, and not nearly empty, as shown here.

Below the pot is a variety of brushes reserved solely for applying wax. Many of them are cheap household paint brushes. I sometimes cut chunks out of them so I can apply wax in an interesting line shape.

In the centre (two circular and one square) are three stamps I have improvised from wood offcuts. There is a metal ring-shaped one too, mounted onto a wood square. The wax applies differently from each surface.

Bottom right of the image are two reels of masking tape. I buy this at builders' merchants as it's cheaper than from stationery stores. If it gets too old, however, it turns brittle and powdery and has to be thrown out.

I use masking tape for many jobs in the studio. For instance, I tape the wax pot lead to the table in two places so if I accidentally trip on the cable I don't risk a burn.

Below are two sets of Japanese ro-fude brushes constructed in sheep / goat hair. The large brush is a medium shikibiki.These are all made solely for use with wax. They are recent purchases and I bought them from Betsy Sterling Benjamin's Up Country Studios in New Hampshire. As I use wax almost exclusively these days, I thought it was high time I had some proper brushes.

I am not particularly into cars, but I imagine getting into a top range car with a superbly engineered engine feels much the same as using these brushes after my improvised old faithfuls.

Design made using masking tape and wax

Background has been painted in a pale colour. Masking tape defines the areas where the wax has been painted on	Tape has been removed and a second layer of colour will be added before masking tape is replaced	About four stages of taping and painting are completed before the design is finished

Scarves using stamps and simple brush strokes

Scarf using layers of wax and dye

Third layer wax

Some Health and Safety information concerning wax

The following is an edited extract from a post to the Dyers List which was made after a problem had arisen with some of my waxed work during steaming. It led me to investigate some of the health issues involved in using wax, and also ironing out the wax before steaming. Ironing out the wax had been the suggestion made by members on the Dyers List and the yahoo waxeloquent group which eventually cured the problem

...Thanks to all those who have responded about techniques to stop acid dyes dyes migrating under multiple layers of wax during steaming, and about the fumes and respirator question.
I had drawn a blank with wax suppliers regarding the use of a respirator, who said their Safety Sheets gave no information on fumes and that under normal use, paraffin wax was not a hazard. However, I had felt recently that I was experiencing some irritation from my wax and as I am using it more and more, I needed to do some checking and maybe purchase a respirator. Pursuing this, I found that without supporting H&S data, suppliers of such respirator masks - will not supply. They clearly fear legal problems if they supply the wrong respirator for a particular substance without the correct technical data.

Today I managed to phone the Lab of a company that manufactures waxes, including the paraffin / beeswax mixture I use. I had a long discussion and the information that follows is, to keep myself legal, my own interpretation of my conversation with the Lab and not necessarily totally accurate, or even appropriate for all blended wax, and so it's imperative to check with your own supplier and decide what applies to you and your materials. But I think it was very helpful to be able to talk to the actual manufacturer, not just the supplier.

1. If my molten wax is kept at around 100 degrees, it should not be overheating and should not be producing unhealthy fumes (note this info only works for silk: cotton requires a higher temperature)
2. I have a wok-shaped wax bowl, which is shown at the top of this page, and through advice received I realise I should not speed up the melting process by setting to High. Rather I should be patient and allow it to melt at my centre thermo position, which is in any case the one at which I work. I should also keep the bowl full so that there is not a thin coating or run-off down the insides which will obviously be hotter, and is the part that can give off unhealthy fumes.