David Louis Product Design

I am quite often asked about the technical side of maintaining and cleaning your hip flask and/or Tankard after purchase and to this end I have put together a care for and cleaning of your hip flask or tankard guide. Please do feel free to add to it or to send us any hints or tips you have come across or if you need clarification on any issues contact us through one of our websites, Flaskstore, Tankardstore, Gifts of Distinction or David-Louis Product Design.

The metal and hip flask exterior:

We supply hip flasks and tankards in both steel and pewter.

Pewter is a soft metal and normally its lustre mellows with age but should you wish to return it to its original high polish, use a reputable brand of liquid polish such as ‘Haggertys’, ‘town talk’ or ‘Johnsons’. Always clean with a soft cloth, rubbing gently in one direction to avoid leaving deep scratch marks.

Pewter hip flasks age and develop character over time.

Stainless steel is a very hard metal and essentially will retain its finish indefinitely.

Stainless steel hip flasks tend to be manufactured using machinery to press, blank and shape the item, and are normally made in high volume.

Pewter hip flasks are hand made to order by a pewter smith, each one is crafted by hand here in the UK.

To clean the inside of a hip flask or pewter tankard:

Hip flasks and tankards should all be washed before first use.

1) Thoroughly wash the inside using a solution of clean, warm water and several drops of washing up liquid, then rinse thoroughly with clean water before use.

2) With new hip flasks, before first use, fill the flask with plain water, screw the top down hard and shake vigorously to ensure the flask is watertight before filling with spirit.

3) Always keep your flask clean on the outside, and clean the inside of the flask in between uses for reasons of hygiene.

4) For pewter flasks, spirit can be retained in the flask for a week or so and no more.

5) Pewter flasks are not suitable for use with soda water or carbonated drinks.

6) They are not suitable for use in a dishwasher.

I hope the information I have provided is useful to you; if you need some specific information, please do get in touch.

Thanks to the BBC props department for getting in touch about a ladies hip flask for a scene in Eastenders which was filimed last week. This is the elegant ladies flask used but of course we cannot reveal the plot lines ….yet…I can reveal however it will be used to secretly fill another vessel….The first person to spot it and tell us the character using it and the date of transmission will win a free hip flask so watch this space…email via our Hip Flask web site or follow us on twitter @davidlouisdsign

Here is a little hand made gem of a Valentines gift, we have but a few available but the heart shaped hip flask is sweet, small and subtle. They are available through our Hip Flask business, Flaskstore – enjoy

Well, we couldn’t resist this one for our specialist Hip Flask business.

This Hip Flask is kitsch, cool, handy and sexy – well we think so.

We have also recieved a new batch of sexy pink hip flasks for the lady in your life, now that Valetines day is on its way.

Look if you dare.

David-Louis

Update – here is the image of the flask as take at the event.

I have completed a bespoke corporate hip flask commission for fashion designer Todd Lynn to produce his bespoke, limited edition hip flask on behalf of and to promote  Chivas Regal and the Chivas Studio, this fine whiskey has been relaunched world wide over the last few months and the three day event in London was what I consider to be totally fabulous, I will upload some images of the event and the hip flask itself over the next week or so. Alexander McQueen also designed an exclusive bottle top for the Chivas Regal bottle which were a limited edition and handmade. I was delighted to see the Hip Flask being exhibited along side the bottle in very contemporary style and being viewed as works of art as opposed to total consumer products. Of course I need to thank Todd and all his team for entertaining me at the do and hope we can do it again. I also would say the cocktails we had using the Chivas Regal were delicious.. more please

How can I start this post? I’m always saying there is loads going on but its true!!! But I will keep it simple if I can..

Well, the FROST project is now confirmed and the 18 Design Space creatives will be exhibiting in St Paul’s Gallery, St Paul’s Square from the 2nd to the 6th of December and moving to ‘The David-Louis project’ at Artfull Expression on Warstone Lane, from the 8th to the 14th of December.

So in this world of virtual information and communication this is an exhibition you actually have to visit by using you two feet in order to see the wares and designs of these new makers. To compliment this exhibition at the Warstone Lane venue there are already over 150 makers work on show, so you cannot but be bowled over by the choice and style of all the makers. Just to say as well, the David-Louis Project and Artfull Expression are open all year round so you can visit us any time of the year.

Also, I have completed a commission by fashion designer Todd Lynn to produce his bespoke, limited edition hip flask on behalf of Chivas Regal and the Chivas Studio, this fine whiskey has been relaunched world wide over the last few months and the three day event in London was what I consider to be totally fabulous, I will upload some images of the event and the hip flask itself over the next week or so. Alexander McQueen also designed an exclusive bottle top for the Chivas Regal bottle which were a limited edition and handmade. I was delighted to see the Hip Flask being exhibited along side the bottle in very contemporary style and being viewed as works of art as opposed to total consumer products. Of course I need to thank Todd and all his team for entertaining me at the do and hope we can do it again. I also would say the cocktails we had using the Chivas Regal were delicious.. more please

I had to run off at the end of the night, like Cinderella, to catch my train back to Birmingham as early the next morning I had a new product design meeting with our external support group the, JIIC, it looks like we will be working together on two new product concepts, one is the coolest tax disc holder in the land and t’other is Top Top secret until it launch in March ’09 I would say. All the new designs will contain what I consider to be my philosophy, function and beauty blended seamlessly together. So keep an eye, join my mailing list if you like and I will mail you the preview and launch details.

Byeee,

David-Louis