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Pat Klein Faux Paw Bears
Tallahassee, Florida
Posts: 167

I just purchased for the first time some yardage of Tissavel from Prefurs.   It is lovely fur, better than I had hoped.  So excited!  I unwrapped and hung it out overnight in my dinning room for inspection in the morning light...I had noticed an unfamiliar chemical smell when I unwrapped it and expected it to disappate overnight as it does with my other synthetics.

  This morning when I walked into my dinning room, the off gassing from the fabric was overwhelming.  Instant migraine!  I gathered up the fabric and it is now in the garage!  I am currently running the whole house fan to get rid of the fumes.   :twisted:

I've been working with synthetics for over a year now and this is not normal chemical off-gassing.  I have a whole closet full and no problems!  What goes with Tissavel?  How long does it take for this process to end?  And is there anything I can do to hasten it along.  Obviously I cannot work with the fabric under these circumstances and it will not do to have a bear that is 'chemically' offensive.   


Pat

Fallenrose near Cologne
Posts: 478

Prefurs has had a problem with Fur getting wet. Customers with the problem of smelling fur should phone/mail them and will get a refund
You can read more about it here:
http://www.teddy-talk.com/viewtopic.php?id=35930

Hugs, Ariane

EvaJ EJ's Crafts
Fort Mohave, Arizona
Posts: 829

I don't order from this company but do from 2 other companies and I have found over the last year or two the chemical smells have really got bad.  I have worked with faux furs for 30 years and it never seem to be a problem until the last couple of years.  I have to air all the fur outside before I can use it.  I also find that my face now breaks out when I am working on a bear.   Manufacturers of these furs must have changed how they are making them.  That is the only thing I can figure out.

Off The Paw Artist Bears by Lesley
East Neuk
Posts: 1,101

Oh dear, thats not good at all  bear_sad  I've ordered Tissavel faux fur a few times, (not from said company) and it has never had any kind of chemical smell, just really that 'new' smell that most faux fur has.....

dangerbears Dangerbears
Wisconsin
Posts: 6,021
Website
Ursidae wrote:

you can't wash the smell out

For the mildew (mold), you're very right. I did a lot of reading this morning to find out whether anything would definitively kill the mold, and the best possibilities I saw were washing in borax or dry cleaning. I'm not positive that there wouldn't be re-growth with these methods, but somebody might want to try. (Heat, by the way, is considered the best mold killer. Not an option with faux fur, I'm guessing.)

Becky

KJ Lyons KJ Lyons Design
Seattle, WA
Posts: 1,413
Website

I use only Tyber fur (Very hard to find). But I do know that some synthetic fur comes with a spray on backing that is supposed to stabilize the backing.  I wonder if that could be giving off a smell?
Karen

kellydean k e l l y d e a n & c o m p a n y
Narrowsburg, New York
Posts: 718
Website
ursidae wrote:

.  Apparently, for some reason the thread where we were sharing our negative Tissavel experiences has now been deleted.

gina

curiouser & curiouser, eh?  sometimes you just gotta wonder. . .

Karen, did you know that Tyber has bought Tissavel?  I wonder what that changes?

KJ Lyons KJ Lyons Design
Seattle, WA
Posts: 1,413
Website
kellydean wrote:
ursidae wrote:

.  Apparently, for some reason the thread where we were sharing our negative Tissavel experiences has now been deleted.

gina

curiouser & curiouser, eh?  sometimes you just gotta wonder. . .

Karen, did you know that Tyber has bought Tissavel?  I wonder what that changes?

Mystery deepens? All I know is the shipment of Tyber fur I got about 3 months ago is fine. It's getting harder and harder to find top quality mohair or synthetics lately. bear_ermm I wonder if Tissavel was clearing out it's storage after the sale of the company and wasn't too careful about inspections? Oh, I know this post will disappear SOON!
Karen

karas bears Kara's Bears
Indiana
Posts: 290

Hi, I know Kelly dean had a method of getting rid of bad smells and mildew with coffee I was going to go back and try it when I had time. but it has disappeared?? I wonder if you will share that method with us again I will copy it as soon as I see it this time!

Daphne Back Road Bears
Laconia, NH USA
Posts: 6,568

Sorry guys, no mystery, no drama. I deleted the thread. I started it so I had to the choice to delete it. I'd simply wanted to share news I received about a big sale on Tissavel as I know many people on TT use synthetic fur. I'm very sorry that it turned into the mess it did!

The thread became a run away train serving no purpose, offering nothing productive and potentially harming an otherwise highly reputable business over one mistake. I agree those who received fur from a recent shipment affected by moisture were rightfully disappointed and inconvenienced. Seeking a resolution with Prefurs was the right thing to do as a consumer. And as a customer service oriented business they publicly announced the cause of the problem, taking ownership, and provided those with affected fur the option to contact them to receive a refund including shipping. Some who were shipped the offending fur were credited without even contacting the company. In most cases the fur didn't even have to be returned! Prefurs tried to do all they could to make their customers happy. There really is nothing left to discuss.

Unfortunately the negativity towards Prefurs didn't stop even after one of their representatives joined TT to address everyone numerous times in effort to resolve the issue with members here. Because of the conversation, some may even mistake the smell of chemicals/dyes/etc. used during the processing for the mildew odor, causing unnecessary concern. Prefurs reputation doesn't need to be destroyed over this. Rodney (from Prefus) even expressed his concern about the thread haunting them in one of his posts. They are resolving the problem the best they possibly can given the circumstances. If you have a problem with an order you've received take it up with someone who can do something about it. Contact Prefurs. Their website is: www.Prefurs.com Their email is: info@prefurs.com and their phone number is: 800-962-0320

I don't think any of us would want a unintentional mistake of ours to be posted publicly on a forum and beaten to a pulp, threatening our reputation and business. Especially not if we'd already acknowledged the error and done everything in our power to resolve it.

Daphne Back Road Bears
Laconia, NH USA
Posts: 6,568

Cleaning instructions for Prefurs synthetic fur is on their website:
http://www.prefurs.com/articles/how-to- … ux-fur.htm
.

dangerbears Dangerbears
Wisconsin
Posts: 6,021
Website

Daphne, I really don't think anyone was nasty or negative toward Prefurs.

I could understand Rodney's concern about the thread, and I appreciated his commenting here.

There's beating something to death, and there's sharing useful information. I think we've been doing the latter.

My two cents,
Becky

BearBottoms 'Bear' Bottoms Originals
Ft. Bragg, NC
Posts: 2,465

bear_sad Gosh, that makes me sad that this has happened. Prefurs is the only company I order my synthetic fur from and I have never had a problem with them, even in my last two most recent big orders. I've had a very faint chemical smell recently, but it has always dissipated pretty quickly. I do also know that Rodney is super helpful and so nice. I really hope this problem is resolved and there are no hard feelings. Thank you, Daphne, for providing the information for people to quickly receive a refund if necessary, and also for posting the thread originally about the sale. I wouldn't have even known about it if it wasn't for you! I hope this doesn't affect the relationship between bear makers and Prefurs; I have always been so satisfied with their business.

karas bears Kara's Bears
Indiana
Posts: 290

I don't think anyone who had a problem, such as me will hold it against the company. I have ordered from them before with great service. and the most beautiful fur. And I am deciding what I should order next, I hope they have alot of variety left on their sale fur!

BearBottoms 'Bear' Bottoms Originals
Ft. Bragg, NC
Posts: 2,465

Me too!! I haven't gotten to really take advantage of this sale yet! lol keeping my fingers double crossed! bear_original

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