Teyeng Batik: A New Innovation for Making Motifs on Batik Using Iron Rust Stains

Items made of iron that have been left unattended or neglected for years will usually have a reddish-brown surface. This is a sign that the iron has rusted. Rust on iron is formed due to a reaction between iron and oxygen in the presence of water or moisture in the air. The reddish-brown color is the result of an oxidation process with the scientific name of iron oxide (Fe2O3). Batik is a pictorial fabric, and the process of making it is specifically done by drawing or applying motifs to a plain or blank cloth, then carrying out a special process so that the cloth has special characteristics. Teyeng batik is a new innovation in making motifs on batik using iron rust stains. The rusting process is intended to give a rust pattern to the plain cloth to be used as batik. This process forms the basic motifs of batik cloth. To create rust stains on batik cloth, iron and wire are used, such as scrap iron trellis, ram wire, gabion wire, or other similar materials. The shape of the wire used and the way it is arranged on the cloth will make the rust motifs different from one another. Rust stains resulting from the trellis will form straight lines, like connecting lines. Rust stains from granulated iron and ram wire will give fabrics a dirty or old appearance and leave small squares of stains. Stains from the gabion wire will produce an irregular diamond-shaped pattern like snake scales.