Gutta and Other Resist

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Comment by Sandy Hopper on November 27, 2009 at 7:36am

if you mix the soy wax with the traditional wax you most liklely would encounter removal issues. If the wax gets to hot it will spread more. I like to keep my wax just hot enough to penetrate the silk but not spread to much. soy wax melts around 110 -120...over 140 you lose control. I use sumi-e techniques and calligraphy bushes so I like control. I previously used an electric skillet..but it was large...so bought a melting pot from Dharma that they also use for melting chocolate... small enough fit on my table as I work good heat control. If your current pot has a control ...try it..I would remove all the old wax...you would just need to experiment with the turning off and on...to cold and you would not get the penitration you need...go play and see what works!!:) I have a friend who uses Dupont...I will give her a call and see if she has used the soy wax..I think she started using it just after I did...will let you know! Have a great day ..What Fun

Comment by Pauline Wherrell on November 27, 2009 at 12:09am

Thanks Sandy!
Your piece below looks absolutely gorgeous! It is dupont dyes that I work with so I hope it will work ok with them and steaming. You say that it is very low temperature melting.Does that mean that I would not use my traditional wax melting pot with it[ I am not totally convinced that the temperature control works on this] or could I use it but switch the heat off as soon as it has melted? Would it matter having any residual paraffin/beeswax mix in the pot?Thank you for the detailed washing instruction and the warning about keeping the work out of the heat! I definitely want to give it a go.
Pauline

Comment by Sandy Hopper on November 26, 2009 at 4:28pm

I love , love, love soy wax! I usually wash outside so I have no experience with clogged drains. It is so easy to wash out. Only challenge we have had is on chiffon. Sometimes..only sometimes... it leaves an oily halo...you must wash it in hotter water with synthropol to remove it. You can iron it out before hand or just steam it...leaves most of the wax on the paper...so extra paper between pieces helps.
I only experienced the halo for a short time..and actually thought it might have been a bad batch of soy wax..as I have not had the problem since...
Makes layering a breeze..you have to wait for the dye to dry but at least you are not waiting for resist to dry....if you want a batik effect..just put the piece in the freezer for a bit then pull it out scrunch and dye.
Keep your work out of the heat....as it will spread the wax...I took a piece to a demo...and on the way home stopped at the store...it was spring..so it car got a little hot but not bad...but my design lost the hard edges..took me some time before I could figure out it had melted "a little" in the hot car!! Remember..it is LOW TEMP... melting...very low...
The ease of washing it out makes it very user friendly.
I have also used it with jacquard green label dyes...and it works with the chemical dye set process. It does take a little extra washing to remove all.the wax when using this process.....Start with cold water and dye set..then move to cool water with synthropol and then on to hotter water to remove all the wax..wash/rinse/repeat as necessary...

Comment by Pauline Wherrell on November 26, 2009 at 9:07am

Sandy, I am interested that you are using soy wax. Because of the fumes and toxicity associated with parrafin wax and the 50/50 combination with beeswax I am interested in transfering to using soy wax. Could you tell me if there are any difficulties I might experience when starting to use it? I have been warned that it is terrible for drains and clogging them up but that could be overcome by washing in a bowl and pouring the water outside.I presume you can first iron most of it out as with the other waxes?
You posted your blog on another discussion and I loved your answer about inspiration and zen! I experience exactly as you describe!
Pauline

Comment by Barbara Arndt on November 26, 2009 at 7:37am

Well Joanna, I am based in the UK and don't order from Dharma trading. I have a locaal supplier for Dupont products and find them outstanding. The solvent based Gutta is OK. Does not give out too much odour. My students love it too and tell me that silk painting is so SEXY!!!
B

Comment by Sandy Hopper on November 26, 2009 at 6:27am

If you want a fine line do not dilute. I add water or dye if I want a more flowing line. It will spread so if you want a very difinite line some other product may work. My current work it very free flowing so I sometimes put down a base coat of dye and, just before it is dry, I will add pre-sist to areas that I feel I need a little more control. I also incorporate soy wax and thickend dye in the layers. Creates a very complex piece.

Comment by Joanna Read Cotter on November 26, 2009 at 5:30am

Hi Sandy, I'm curious about the Presist - just looked it up and it seems like a wonderful medium! Have you found in your experience that in order to create a thin, fine line, that the presist needs to be diluted with some water to achieve the proper consistency, resulting in translucent lines, or is it more controllable?

Comment by Barbara Arndt on November 26, 2009 at 4:05am

I ment TRIAL
B

Comment by Barbara Arndt on November 26, 2009 at 4:04am

Through lots of trail and error I try to get away from gutta alltogether. As I do paint mostly landscapes I love the free flowing of the dye. In order to define boarders, if needed, I use the wax technique which has endless possibilities. I think really what determines your your use of gutta is WHAT ou want to paint. If you are into flowers then gutta is the thing to use.
Happy painting
Barbara

Comment by Sandy Hopper on November 25, 2009 at 6:29pm

I like dharmas pre-sist. It is easy to work with non-toxic and washes out with ease. Plus you can work it when painting to disolve it to creating lost and found edges. Appling it to wet silk to give a really unique look. Seems the others have fumes and/or are hard to remove.

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