Soy Wax Flakes - 1 lb. bag.

Sold in 1 lb. bags

Soy Wax Flakes - 1 lb. bag.
4.50 star rating 4.50 ( 60 review )
Product Details 1-4 5-9 10+
Soy Wax Flakes - 1 lb. bag. $6.95 6.49 6.10
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We are happy to bring in Soy Wax as an all natural alternative to petroleum based Paraffin and Microcrystaline waxes for batik, and some other techniques as well. It has some major advantages and a few disadvantages that we shall try to describe below in the Uses section.

Advantages:
  • It has a total lack of obnoxious fumes! Other waxes absolutely have to be used in well ventilated areas.
  • It can be removed from fabric by washing in hot soapy water (over 140 degrees) and won't mess up your plumbing! No boiling, cooling and skimming. No dry cleaning with toxic Perchloroethylene, which fewer and fewer dry cleaners are using anyway.
  • Unlike other water soluble resists (Inko), it CAN be submersed if you are careful, using our tips below, so can be used for some more traditional Batik methods with cooler water dyes like our Fiber Reactive.
  • It does not crackle the same as regular waxes, but (unlike other water soluble resists) it will crack, especially if you stick the waxed item in the freezer.
  • It comes in flake form, not a solid block like our other waxes, so is easier to measure out and melt just what you need.
  • The melting temperature range is 110 to 140 F, lower than other waxes, so a double boiler is adequate, no fancy electric pans needed!
  • Clean up of tools is way easy with hot water and any liquid detergent, and you don't have to set them aside just for using with the wax anymore!
  • Since it is made from Soy Beans, it is a renewable resource and supports our farmers! It is made with 100% natural soybeans that are domestically grown. This product is manufactured meeting FDA and Kosher standards. 

Uses:

Soy wax is a great resist for Low Immersion techniques like Crystal Wash and to resist a design before Tie Dyeing or Dye Painting using the Cold Batch Method. Your piece can be dried and layered with more wax and dye many times. It is the only water soluble resist that will crackle some to simulate Batik with those techniques.

Using it in the traditional method of submersion or Tub Dyeing Batik is trickier, but doable if you are careful. The samples shown above were done in a Fiber Reactive dye bath or succession of baths. Fiber Reactive dyebaths should be above 70 degrees to be effective, but never more than 90 degrees or so with the soy, as the wax does break down easily, especially in the presence of Soda Ash, which breaks down all wax eventually. It can also just flake off, so careful handling in the dyebath helps to keep the wax on the fabric. Extra wax may need to be applied between dyebaths because of the erosion. Since you want to limit the exposure to the Soda Ash, we recommend you cut the time of the dye bath after the Soda Ash is added. With that and the lower temperature, really dark dye results are probably not possible, but that is more than made up for by the benefits of using Soy. If you want to do very traditional Batik with lots of distinct crackling, many "layers" and dark dye colors, there is no substitute for traditional mixes of "real" waxes.

The only weird things we noticed when we tested it is that it is more viscous than melted petrowaxes and it takes much longer to solidify on the fabric than a normal hot wax,. This may mean you can get more use out of a tjanting tool or brush before you have to re-heat and re-fill, which could be nice. The main thing is to have it hot enough to soak into the fabric rather than just sitting on top. If it doesn't penetrate a thicker fabric enough because of the low temperature and it's viscosity, the fabric can be flipped over and waxed on the back to get better coverage.

If you have ended up using a lot of wax, especially with layering techniques, ironing between layers of paper to remove most of it really does help, especially because you don't want to be putting a lot of wax down your pipes no matter how "washable" it is. The remaining wax will melt easily in HOT water and Synthrapol wash (to remove excess dye) and come out completely.

Made in: UNITED STATES (USA)



      
          
PRODUCT REVIEWS
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MOST HELPFUL REVIEWS

5 star rating
4/3/2008
5
Just an aside actually. I am a candlemaker using primarily soy. If you rinse your fabric in hot tap water with Dawn dish liquid the soy comes right out of the thick cotton terry toweling I use to clean up spills while pouring. I'd imagine it would work even on heavily woven silks or cotton.Also when I pour I wait for the glass to adjust then place the moulds on a marble slab to wick away heat so they set up faster. I'm thinking that it you applied the wax to fabric that was laid on a cold surface you'ld have quicker set-up times and a better crackle. :-)
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44 of 46 users found this review helpful.

4 star rating
6/10/2009
4
EASY CLEAN UP! Not stinky low temp melt a bit thin but crackles well for batik.
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8 of 9 users found this review helpful.

5 star rating
7/31/2009
5
Used a plastic measuring cup with a handle hooked the handle over the edge of small crock pot and filled the pot with hot water. Kept my wax just perfect for the whole project. No smell no burn no continual fussing over (too hot not hot enough) great product.
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21 of 25 users found this review helpful.

5 star rating
1/27/2009
5
I love this stuff. It allows me to batik small areas without having to do the ironing or dry cleaning to get it out. It does take a lot of hot water - even boiling water - to get it out. I think it takes several washings to totally get any wax out - unless you are lucky enough to find a dry cleaner who is willing to do it for you with the special chemicals.
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15 of 18 users found this review helpful.

4 star rating
1/7/2015
4
This is my go-to wax. I use it on silk and rice paper. Love that I can iron then wash it out of silk and the fumes are safer in an area with less ventilation. The only thing about soy flakes is that I don't get a good crackle. If I want to get a crackle I mix it with paraffin wax for paper and put the silk in the refrigerator to get cold for silk
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10 of 12 users found this review helpful.


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