UNIQUE! MANY USES! These approximately 50 year old tools called Tjaps, have been made and used on
the island of Java for over a century. They are handmade of copper strips,
carefully cut and shaped and soldered into fabulous shapes and patterns. They
are used by Batik artists in Java by dipping them into hot wax, shaking off
the excess, and then stamping the wax onto the cloth. Aligning the edges of
each consecutive stamp creates patterns which run the length and width of the
fabric. Scroll down for more info and ideas, and look for the link to order further down this page.
In addition to wax, we have also successfully used them with
Presist, and
dye painting or with fabric paint. Most recently, we were blown away when
using them with our new
Jones Tones
Foils and foil glue, or the
Jones Tones
Glitters and glitter glue, and they also work nicely with our new
Soy Wax.
(make sure you wash the glue, paint, or whatever, off immediately after use if
you want to keep these nice, and also try to dry them quickly.
Remember, these also make great gifts, both for the collector or the batik or
stamping artist in your family. They are also fantastic to collect, as they
are works of art in and of themselves. Check out some projects you can use
them for:
November 13, 2008 Update: Our new shipment of Indonesian handmade copper batik Tjaps has just also met with an overwhelming response - as of 7:00 a.m PST, we have completely sold out, sorry to say. We ordered 300, only got 269, and that is going to be it this year. We were told that Batik is enjoying a resurgence in popularity, so artists are now starting to hang on to their old collections and will no longer sell them, in case they need them. It is actually a relief to know they are not melting them down for the copper! We apologize to those of you who did not get their selections, and promise to scour Indonesia for more. In fact, we are going to ask our source to start looking now. We are also going to have a "clean out the attic" sale of some we have leftover from some old shipments, so watch for that!
Remember when you order: Because these are so popular, if several folks order the same one at the same time, it may go on your order, but the order that was finished first will get it as these are first come, first served. You can write us a note on your order with alternatives in case you don't get your first selection(s) or a note for us to call you if one is out of stock. Otherwise we will just ship the ones on your order that we do have. Please, no returns on these unique items.
