Neat idea, Dr. Bill, but not how it's done. The tool used is something like a fountain pen but with wax instead of ink, and the batik-er writes the pattern on the cloth, dyes it, scrapes the old wax off, and then starts again with the next colour.

There is also an instrument called a cap (pronounced chap), which looks like an old fashioned iron, and is used to print ready-made patterns on the cloth.

For a quick and easy explanation of it all, see http://www.indonesianmusic.com/batik.htm

Bingley

Bingley