RESISTS  

          A substance which is applied to the material in order to preserve the underlying colour and prevent further take up of dye or bleach
          in those areas

• Paraffin Wax - A brittle, clear, odourless wax which if used on its own, tends to crack or break down, allowing dye penetration. Better used as a bulking agent in combination with other waxes. Purchased in pelleted or block form. Melts at 122ºF / 50ºC
  
  
• Beeswax - A fragrant, natural wax secreted by the honey bee. Pliable but not resistant to alkali. Natural beeswax is honey coloured. White beeswax is bleach-refined. Purchased in pellet or block form. Melts at 136ºF / 58ºC
  
  
• Microcrystalline Wax - An odourless synthetic wax with similar properties to beeswax but more resilient to alkali, more suitable therefore for Indigo vat dyeing. Purchased in pelleted and block form. Melts at 167ºF / 75ºC
  
  
• Rosin (Pine Resin) - A fragrant, amber coloured natural resin. Excellent in combination with waxes for a hard, tactile quality and/or for controlled cracking. Resins are hard and sticky and can congeal. They are more suitable for brush work. Purchased in crystal type lumps. Melts at 176ºF / 80ºC
  
  
  
• General Purpose Wax Combination: 3 x parts paraffin to 1 x part beeswax or microcrystalline
  
  
• Cracking Wax: 2 x parts paraffin to 1 x part rosin
  
  
  
  Experimentation is advised in order achieve specific objectives:
  
  

• Composition and amount of different waxes/resins.

• Temperature - Different levels of wax penetration.

• Method of application - brush, tjanting, kistka, block...

Andrew Wynne, November 1999