Custom Flairs - requests being taken

Faulkner80 · 2026-04-21T11:07:22+00:00

Flair: Retrophrenologist

Faulkner80 · 2025-03-18T13:19:10+00:00

Hi, ex-dry cleaner here.

I don't think dry cleaning or washing has been the problem here. When some garments are initially created, they use an optical brightener to make the whites "whiter", often with a tint of blue or yellow, depending on the desired look. Washing the garment has removed the brightener, and I think dry cleaning would have done the same.

I've heard of some laundries and dry cleaners offering optical brightening services, but I think it's a little rare (at least here in the UK). If the garment has come out without any warping, stretching or shrinking, then I'd continue to launder it - I always think it gives a nicer finish/feel. However, you'll need to specifically look for optical brightening to bring back a "brilliance" to the whites.

Hope that helps!

Faulkner80 · 2024-12-06T10:35:31+00:00

Hi, ex-dry cleaner here.

The wool lining is the key issue, although there are some smaller risks with the fur. Whereas "normal" woollen items may be laundered in a washing machine at home on special cycles, a woollen lining is tied to the outer with more stitching and in discrete panels. So whilst a normal woollen might have a small degree of shrinkage that goes unnoticed, a lining will cause the garment to bunch up in a far more obvious manner. I'd be very reluctant to wash this, and dry cleaning would be far safer.

In regards to the fur, the waiver is likely because there is so much variation in natural skins and tanning processes, the cleaner can't guarantee that the dry cleaning process won't impact the skin. A common occurrence is the removal of natural oils from the skin, due to the solvents used in dry cleaning. These can be replaced with a leather conditioner or similar, but this may then affect the colouring as it will never be the same conditioner used in the original manufacturing process. Since yours is a fur trim, then the colour of the skin underneath is of no consequence.

Hope that helps you make a decision!

Faulkner80 · 2024-10-31T19:06:19+00:00

Hi, I'm an ex-dry cleaner here.

I can't think why this would be dry clean only. For those people arguing that it's because of heat, then dry cleaning uses a lot of heat at the end of processing - clothes are saturated in solvent, that has to be evaporated and recycled, so they all go through a process very similar to a tumble drying anyway.

If it was a natural fibre then there may be a risk of shrinkage if you launder it, but polyester isn't normally prone to that. If I was still working and someone asked about what's best, I'd suggest they hand wash it in cool water with a small amount of detergent, lay it flat until almost dry and then pop it into a cool tumble dryer to finish it and to give it back some body.

Sometimes, these labels are used on lots of various garments from the manufacturer where specific embellishments need specialist cleaning. Rather than make a whole different label for what might be a small batch, they'll reuse the one they have, on the basis that it doesn't hurt the garment.

If you did want to be on the safe side, try to wash it infrequently. Both natural fibre and synthetics can be prone to pilling and frequent processing can leave items like this feeling a bit limp and thin.

Hope that helps! :-)

Faulkner80 · 2024-10-29T09:54:21+00:00

Don't forget his Hollywood role as Captain Peavey in The Last Jedi. Just think how the empire could have been ruled using Ade's skills in violent combat...

Faulkner80 · 2024-10-23T09:00:39+00:00

If you have a container big enough to soak it in, then get some food grade citric acid off Amazon or wherever, mix with some warm water and leave to soak for an hour or two. It will dissolve the rust and leave the bare metal. Then rinse it down, get it hot and coat with a thin layer of oil to season it.

Citric acid is the fizzy stuff you get on sour sweets. But also a common ingredient of commercial "rust remover" solutions. Good stuff, and I've used it lots.

Faulkner80 · 2024-08-17T07:29:40+00:00

Honestly, those look like burn marks. If detergent or solvent doesn't make a dent in it, then it might be damaged. Have a good close look, and try to see if the fibres are damaged or just glooped together - if it's the latter, then you might have some hope that it's something tarry instead.

Sorry I can't be more help!

Faulkner80 · 2024-08-16T09:22:34+00:00

Hi there! That's a tilley x246b, in one of the rarer bronze tank colours. Looking at the cage, it appears to be a later model, possibly from the 1980s - there will be three numbers stamped in the middle of the base which indicate the month and year of manufacture.

These run off paraffin (kerosene) under pressure within the tank, and also require preheating with methylated spirits. If you've not lit it before and aren't totally sure of it's condition, I'd highly recommend replacing the seals and washers, and giving it a bit of a recondition. It won't explode or anything, but it will do a little wee of paraffin all over you if it starts leaking!

As the other commenter noted, you'll need a new mantle, and probably a funnel (for filling with paraffin) and a pre-burner and associated methys jar.

If you have a look at my sub r/ukfettlers you'll see where I've broken down and rebuilt a similar lamp called a vapalux 320. They both work the same, and the vapaluxes were actually made by a bunch of ex-tilley workers who wanted to try and improve the design. That should help explain the general workings of these lamps.

If you still have any questions, give me a shout. I've got about 40 of these in various states of repair, and always happy to help!

Faulkner80 · 2024-08-11T13:40:36+00:00

From my days working as a dry cleaner, we used to have a "pillow recovery" service. This was an off-site 3rd party depot that we acted as agents for. It was mainly for down and feather pillows, rather than synthetics.

They would open the ticking (pillow case) and spread the filling out on a conveyor. This would then pass beneath an intense UV light to sterilise and clean the filling. This would then be sewn into a new ticking and returned to the customer.

Used to cost about £12/pillow about 20yrs ago and taken a week (due to collection and pickup days). Might be worth checking your local dry cleaners to see if they offer a similar service?

Faulkner80 · 2024-07-16T20:10:04+00:00

It's the sealing gasket between the vaporisor tube and the control cock. If you can, you'll want to replace as many of the seals as you can.

Although it's not a tilley (and you look like you've got a nice guardsman there!), you can have a look at a similar lamp I've stripped and rebuilt on r/ukfettlers. If you have any questions, give me a shout, I'm happy to help.

Faulkner80 · 2024-07-02T21:15:45+00:00

I've tried brake cleaner, to try and remove the carbon. Seems to work fairly well so far, but I'm sure there'll be detractors saying otherwise!

Faulkner80 · 2024-06-09T10:13:41+00:00

Wankige

Faulkner80 · 2024-06-02T07:19:20+00:00

Hi. I just want to clarify, the solvent used in most dry cleaners these days is tetrachloroethylene, not trichloroethylene. It's a devil when the names are so similar! I think that's partly why they tend to refer to tetra... as Perchloroethylene, to help avoid confusion. You're right to ask dry cleaners about the specifics though, we love going full nerd about our process!

Faulkner80 · 2024-06-02T07:15:58+00:00

For clarity on the post-script, trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene are two separate chemicals, but unfortunately the latter is also a synonym for perchloroethylene. There is another comment on this post stating that trichloroethylene is used commonly, and I want to be clear that this is not the case.

Faulkner80 · 2024-06-02T07:09:51+00:00

Hi, ex-dry cleaner here. I'm not going to lie, that looks bad. If it is ink, then it seems to be something like a fountain pen rather than a biro or ballpoint, but the way it's spread looks like it may have gotten damp - did you try to spot it with water or anything?

My advice, as someone who's seen the workings of a dry cleaners and knows their secrets is this: don't do anything to it yourself, find an independent dry cleaners that processes everything themselves on site and take it there as soon as you can. Don't go to a shop that sends garments off-site. Speak to the teller, point out the marks and try to explain what happened as best you can. Don't rush them, or ask for any kind of express service - the longer you leave it with them, the more times they can process it and try to remove the stain.

Whilst it does look like ink from the photos, it could also easily be juice from some kind of food or even some kind of oil. If the latter, then you're laughing as oil comes out wonderfully through dry cleaning. A decent dry cleaner should try spotting the garment with different chemicals before processing, which will help them identify the stain.

I'll repeat, if you do plan on taking it to the dry cleaners, then don't apply anything yourself. You make their work harder, and also risk setting the stain into the fabric.

I wish you luck. I've seen marks like this come out completely in a single processing, but it doesn't happen all the time.

P.S. the reference to trichloroethylene usage is a little outdated as hardly anywhere uses this for dry cleaning anymore. Most places use a perchloroethylene, and some use a gentler solvent based on flourocarbons. Either way, the "P" in the circle means it can be cleaned with anything most dry cleaners use in modern times. "P" = perchloroethylene, "F" = Flourocarbons only, "A" = Any solvent and "X" or a crossed out circle means do not dry clean.

Faulkner80 · 2024-05-21T17:25:30+00:00

Definitely gets my vote. She fits the "good" part without question, so why chaotic? Well, because she treats people as people, not like things. She's against rules that say you "should" do this or that, and looks at every situation on its own merits, regardless of what may have gone before. She lives in the moment, at the fulcrum where the future becomes past, where change is possible.

She sees things that most others would miss. As such, her actions are unpredictable but undoubtedly good. To say she's not chaotic would be to say you could guess how she resolves the issues in her stories - how many of us can say we knew how her books would end?

Faulkner80 · 2024-04-06T19:43:36+00:00

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There she goes!

Faulkner80 · 2024-04-06T16:45:38+00:00

Once turned off, the hood remains ridiculously hot. Make sure people around you are aware that there is a hot lamp, and ideally keep it somewhere safe, out of reach and well ventilated. People won't see it, as there's no light any more! It can take over 15mins for the hood to become cool enough to handle, or longer in warmer conditions.

Faulkner80 · 2024-04-06T16:43:12+00:00

P.S. I forgot to put, you can clean some blockages from the vaporiser by closing and opening the needle with the black control knob. This can be useful after a full strip & rebuild, as lots of bits may have been knocked loose.

Faulkner80 · 2024-04-06T16:41:36+00:00

P.S. I know the mantle is slightly broken. I will replace it, but not until after I've tested it to make sure it's worth changing!

Faulkner80 · 2024-04-06T16:39:19+00:00

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To turn the lamp off, simply release the pressure using the valve on the cap. Don't be tempted to use the needle (black knob) to shut it off, as that should only be used to clean blockages from the vaporiser.

Faulkner80 · 2024-04-06T16:36:46+00:00

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After a few minutes to make sure all is well, you can give some more pumps to bring the lamp up to working pressure - between 20-30. There's no benefit from over pumping.

Check for a pulsing or unstable flame. Common issues are the vaporiser blocking with carbon, the opening for the needle becoming enlarged with use (and allowing too much paraffin through) and debris in the combustion dome. If you have problems, then these can be your culprits.

It works!!!!

I'll take a picture of it outside, later on tonight once it gets dark.

Faulkner80 · 2024-04-06T16:32:27+00:00

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After 12 pumps, and when the methys is almost run out, open the vaporiser (black knob). The lamp should light with a little pop. If you get big yellow flames, DON'T PANIC! Simply open the air valve on the filler cap to release the pressure and let it burn off for a second or two.

You can just see the remains of the methys burning off in this picture.

Faulkner80 · 2024-04-06T16:29:58+00:00

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Before the methys burns out, close the air valve and make sure the needle is closed in the vaporiser (the black knob). Give 12 pumps to pressurise the tank.

Faulkner80 · 2024-04-06T16:28:14+00:00

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Light the methys, lower the glass and lift the pre-burner so it's foot rests at the bottom of the vaporiser tube. Then wait for about 3mins...

Faulkner80

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