Monday, July 30, 2012

Osca Ironing Franchise Logo successfuly trade marked

About Osca - Osca logo.

While Osca will continue to trade with the Logo we have all come to know and love, it was suggested as a good idea to trademark a separate Osca Ironing logo for the Osca Ironing Franchises to make sure we had the right trade protection for our future franchisees.

The Osca logo artwork was originally designed by Marjory Gardner, a leading Australian children's book illustrator way back in the 1980's with a subsequent re-visit in 2009.

Current Osca logo
Osca logo evolution

New Osca Ironing Franchise logo

One more step closer to getting the Osca Ironing franchises off and running, we have successfuly applied to trade mark an Osca Ironing logo.

Friday, July 27, 2012

DIY Ironing Chair

From the archives of All things Ironing - Ironing chair.

Hard up for space and nowhere to do your ironing?


Here is a Do It Yourself solution - an inexpensive and practical high-back valet chair that unfolds to become a compact ironing board!


This humble pine ironing chair asks little in the way of space while providing two coat pegs, shoe storage and underside accommodations for cuff links and tie clips. And when the heat's on, the hinged bottom and back can be locked horizontally to take care of any "pressing engagements."

The denim upholstery fabric, backed with cotton underlay is tough enough to serve well in either capacity.

Iron Lady Ironing

From the archives of All things Ironing - Margaret Thatcher ironing.

Margaret Thatcher, the 'Iron Lady' offered to pay for an ironing board for No 10 after becoming PM, having insisted on using her own household items.


In documents from 1979, kept secret until 2009, the Iron Lady said she could provide her “own crockery” and “an excellent ironing board”.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Kate and Charles Ironing

From the archives of All things Ironing -  Kate and Charles ironing.


For Kate it was a day out with her father-in-law. For Charles, it was a chance to learn new skills.

"Do I keep ironing that? I am going to be here all afternoon!" Charles joked.

Tony Abbott Ironing

From the archives of All things Ironing - Tony Abbott ironing

While the political debate over this news story descended into a gender based row, we note the perfect single crease on Tony Abbotts shirt sleeve.

Source - ABC News February 09, 2010
Australian Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott taking a turn at ironing a shirt during a visit to a Queanbeyan Dry Cleaning business.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Care Labels explained

Osca Newsletter 23.7.2012 - Useful information.

Garment Care labels can sometimes be confusing.
Before you take that next perfect garment home, always check the care label. We all want our new addition to the wardrobe to continue looking as great as the day we bought it for as long as possible, but inevitably, there comes a day when it needs to be washed or dry cleaned and inevitably ironed.

At Osca, we always try to check the labels before we iron your garments so please don't remove the label even if it is a little scratchy on the skin. It is the best way to make sure your garments are ironed to perfection.

Advances in chemistry and nano-technology mean new fabrics are being manufactured all the time. Just because a fabric looks like cotton and feels like cotton to the touch, it may not be.  A wrong temperature washing machine setting or a wrong setting on the iron can ruin a garment in seconds so to ensure your garment is taken care of correctly, always follow the manufacturer's instructions.

Here is a list of the most common garment care labels to help you make the right choice, whether, buying, washing, dry-cleaning or ironing your garments.


Rid Jid Ironing board

From the archives of All things Ironing - Humor.

It is a better world we live in when this advertising for a Rid Jid Ironing table is so ridiculous that it is almost funny.

The text in the advertisement reads -

You are a Dear, Thoughtful Husband !

"You're always seeking some way to make work lighter and easier. And this Rid-Jid ironing table will help wonderfully. I've wonted one for months. It not only makes my Christmas happy but my ironing will never be a task anymore!"

"And it's so strong, and so convenient. It can't creep or crawl, and never has to be lifted to put on and take off circular garments."

See your dealer early and reserve one for wife, mother, daughter or sister.

Advice to men from Osca - Do Not Try This At Home !

What impact will the Carbon Tax have on our prices ?

Osca Newsletter 23.7.2012 - There will be no increase to our prices as a result of the Carbon Tax.
Carbon Tax Word Cloud

As an Osca customer, you will know that we have identified reducing our carbon footprint as a priority many years ago and have installed energy saving devices, introduced new procedures and even changed the equipment we use to iron your garments with. Instead focusing on achieving quality of ironing with additional training.

When the introduction of the carbon tax became inevitable, we were obviously concerned about the impact it would have on our prices. So we did the calculations.

Assuming that our electricity bill may rise by approximately 10%, we took the increase, divided it by the number of weeks, the number of working days per week and the number of customers per day. Even we were surprised at the result. The total impact of the carbon tax on our power bill would be about 13 cents per customer per booking.  The amount is quite small when we divide that figure by the number of items per customer.

Of course it will probably take a few months to really see, as our suppliers make their determinations, but at this stage we see no need to increase our prices as a result of the introduction of the Carbon Tax.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

... on the chemistry of Ironing

From the archives of All things Ironing - Ironing chemistry.

When a fabric is heated, the molecules of the cotton fibres are more easily reoriented. In the case of cotton fibres, which are derivatives of cellulose, the hydroxyl groups that crosslink the cellulose polymer chains are reformed at high temperatures, and become "locked in place" upon cooling of the fabric.
Cellulose is the major constituent of textiles made from cotton, linen, and other plant fibers.
Ironing works by loosening the bonds between the long-chain polymer molecules in the fibers of the material. While the molecules are hot and pliable, the fibers are straightened by the weight of the iron, and they hold their new shape as they cool. Some fabrics, such as cotton, require the addition of water to loosen the intermolecular bonds.

Many modern fabrics (developed in or after the mid-twentieth century) are advertised as needing little or no ironing because chemical agents such as dimethylol ethylene urea are added as crosslinking agents to keep textile fibres stable.

... on the history of Ironing.

From the archives of All things Ironing - History of ironing.

It isn't exactly clear when people started trying to press cloth, but it is said that the Chinese were using hot metal for ironing before anyone else.


Pans filled with hot coals were pressed over stretched cloth as illustrated in this image. Acording to some records, this method was already well-established in China well over a thousand years ago.