A History of Irons and a famous brand name

easyspindry · Dec 12, 2019

Monday We Wash, Tuesday We Iron

4th Century BC - Ancient Greeks began to use rods heated over fire to create ornamental creases in fabric.

1st Century BC - People in ancient China starting to use heater pans to remove wrinkles from their clothing.

10th Century AD - Scandinavians have begun to use a glass iron to press out and ornament their clothes 

14th Century AD - Medieval Europeans began using triangular metal plates called flatirons. Effort to kill germs, lice, mildew, improve hygienic conditions.

15th Century AD - Improvements are made to the popular flatiron resulting in the similar but cleaner hot box iron or coal iron.

16th Century AD - Goffering irons used in England and other European countries to make ruffs.

17th Century AD - Mangle Boards were being used along with a mangle (roller) in Northern European and Scandinavian countries.

1700’s -1800’s Slug irons became an improvement over the coal box iron. An iron slug was heated and placed inside the iron’s box eliminating the ash and smoke issues.

Early 1800’s - Cast Iron irons called sadirons are developed in Europe along with simpler cleaner heating methods. With the development of the metallurgy industry and CAST IRON stoves, the use of sadirons became popular spreading to America.

1821 - William Hart dug natural gas well - Fredonia, NY

1832 - Sarah Boone - born in Craven County, NC, formally enslaved, was granted a patent for her improved ironing board design improving the quality of ironing sleeves and women’s garments.

1836 - Philadelphia - first municipally owned gas company.

1870 - Mary Potts - sadiron with changeable wooden handle.

1874 - Fuel irons that ran off gasoline, oil, alcohol, natural gas, carbide gas were being manufactured.

1879 - Thomas Edison invented long lasting electric light bulb.

1882 - Henry W. Seeley - first electric iron - did not grow commercially.

1885 - Robert Bunson invented Bunson burner

Mid to late 1800s - Fashion trends for ruffles, pleats, crimping came in style Fluter irons were the answer for this Victorian craze.

Late 1880’s - small electric stations based on T. Edison’s design were becoming available in a number of cities.

1890’s - Gas pipelines from Texas and Oklahoma.

1898 - April 20, Idols Hydroelectric Station became the first commercial hydroelectric generating station in NC using long distance equipment. Electricity traveled 13.4 miles from Idols Dam to Salem and surrounding villages - Clemmons, NC.

1900 - Asbestos sadirons - Dover Manufacturing. Canal Dover, OH

1905 - The electric iron, introduced to the market in 1905 by Earl H. Richardson, arranged the heating elements in a way which concentrated the heat at the forward point of the sole plate to better iron buttonholes and pleated materials. Customers loved the “hot point” on the iron. Production began in Richardson’s newly formed Pacific Electric Heating Company in Ontario, California in 1906. Richardson, as a meter reader at the Ontario (California) Power Company in 1903, had developed an electric iron and distributed a number of free samples to customers. But ironing was always done on Tuesdays (Monday was wash day), and at that time, power was only provided at night, for lighting. Richardson reasoned that sales of electric appliances could only succeed with the cooperation of power companies, so he convinced his employer to generate electricity all day on Tuesdays, so his irons could be used. The 1905 iron with the “hot point” became the first commercially successful electric laundry iron, and was formally named the Hotpoint Iron in 1907. Soon, homes were being powered day and night allowing electric appliances like irons to be speedily popularized.

1920’s - Joseph Myers developed thermostats and temperature controllers for irons.

1926 - 1st steam iron was invented by Thomas Sears ELDEC Company Inc., Long Island City, NY.

1930 - Only 10% of rural areas and farms had electricity.

1935 - Franklin D. Roosevelt - Rural Electric Administration was created. N. C. Rural Electrification Authority was created.

1938 - Improvements are made to electric steam iron base to prevent rust. Aluminum alloy base was substituted for steel iron base.

1939 - Steam-O-Matic — first steam iron listed by Underwriters Laboratories.

1940’s - Steam irons became widely commercialized and accepted into the iron market.

1950’s - Multiple fabric settings introduced meeting the needs of fashion trends and newly developed fabrics.

1984 - Auto shutoff feature is developed.

1990’s - Non-stick coatings began to be applied to the bottom of irons.

THE REST IS IRONING HISTORY.

rp2813 · Dec 12, 2019

My '50s Sunbeam, which was a thrift store find over a year ago and appeared to be low mileage, wasn't reliable, particularly on the steam setting. Trying to iron a shirt for Thanksgiving was the last staw.

Last week at one of my favorite shops for good deals, I came across a Rowenta "P2 Professional Anti-Drip" that appears to be from +/- 1990 based on graphics and certain buttons that have yellowed. It's in like-new shape and only cost $10.

I don't iron often, but this thing kicks ass! I loved the look of the Sunbeam, but couldn't find any way to take the thing apart to try and fix it. And since I'm not an ironing enthusiast (is anybody?), I just want something that will get the job done as effortlessly as possible. Yet another German appliance that has me sold!

twintubdexter · Dec 12, 2019

Unlike Martha Stewart, I hate ironing...

When I was a teenager my parents had a friend who collected unusual antiques. I remember this sort of large potbelly stove that had about ten heavy irons that fit around the diameter with the sole plates resting on the outside. He said it was originally from a Chinese laundry of course it could have been from any nationality. It was such and interesting conversation piece. Those workers must have developed big biceps, at least on one arm anyway.

sort of like this only with more irons...

ea56 · Dec 12, 2019

When I was a teenager my job was to do ALL the families ironing, because I had severe hay fever and couldn’t work in the yard weeding, this was my default chore, and I was good at it. Back then my Mom insisted that all the sheets and pillowcases, napkins and table clothes were to be ironed. And as those of us old enough to remember, most shirts were cotton then too.

We always had a steam iron, first a Sunbeam, then a GE. But I found that the ironing went much quicker if I sprinkled everything first, rolled it up and let everything get uniformly damp, then ironed on the dry setting on the highest heat possible, unless of course it was a synthetic fabric. I used a pop bottle with an aluminum sprinkler cap to sprinkle the laundry to be ironed. I would most weeks iron three laundry baskets full of laundry and it would take me 2-3 hours. I can still iron a shirt in about 5 mins flat.

These days I iron maybe twice a year. We have a 1970 Proctor Silex steam iron that we bought about 15 years ago at the Salvation Army Thrift Store for $3.99, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. That bad boy gets Africa hot and makes quick work of ironing and gets the wrinkles out on the first pass. We have a Rowneta and I was never impressed by this iron.

When I was still working I used to not only iron all my shirts, but I starched then too, with a 50/50mix of Vano and water in a spray bottle. Everyone at work used to comment on the sharp creases in my shirts. Now I wear colored teeshirts and crewneck sweat shirts and jeans as my normal wardrobe. My regular ironing days are over.

Eddie

ozzie908 · Dec 12, 2019

I like ironing ....

I have an ironing room upstairs and I have a Tefal steam generator iron and that really is a great piece of kit ironing is done once or twice a week when all the laundry is done including the bedding, I go upstairs and listen to a podcast of The Archers its a very old radio soap opera that has an omnibus version on Sundays so I have solitude and sanctuary for a couple of hours and when its all done I can put it away and that is it for a week. I dare say if I had kept my whirlpool dryer I could have had it vented out the roof but I don't have room for it so a smaller one has to do and they tend to crease more but its not a problem as what else would I do with my time?

rp2813 · Dec 12, 2019

Eddie, my mom used a soda bottle with one of those sprinklers on it. I don't know what happened to it.

launderess · Dec 12, 2019

@twintubdexter

Those stoves were once common in homes,laundries, etc...

Side was used to heat irons, and you set wash "boilers" on top of range to heat water or boil laundry. One could also route exhaust through flues that went through those built in drying cabinets with roll out or stationary racks. Latent heat from exhaust gases warmed things so laundry dried. But because system was sealed (hopefully) one's wash didn't smell of coal, coke, wood, or whatever else was burned as fuel source.

tomturbomatic · Dec 12, 2019

Just to show I'm reading

Non-stick coatings began to be applied to the sole plates of irons in the late 60s.

fan-of-fans · Dec 12, 2019

"Non-stick coatings began to be applied to the sole plates of irons in the late 60s."

I thought that sounded quite late, and I'm not iron expert by any means. LOL

When I was a kid I used to enjoy watching my mom iron clothes. Something about the sound of the iron moving back and forth was relaxing, rather like hearing somebody swish a mop across the floor.

I don't enjoy ironing myself at all. If I need something de-wrinkled I have to admit I usually just put it in the dryer for a few moments.

I do own a Black and Decker Classic iron, the modern Chinese version of the GE Steam and Dry. But unfortunately I am told it is no good and will only last a short time, which shouldn't surprise me from China. I bought it for its looks but I've never actually tried it out.

Sometimes I see vintage GE and other irons at the thrift stores, I find the older irons very interesting.

askolover · Dec 13, 2019

I don't use the steam on my current iron, a newer GE with teflon and auto shut off (the reason I bought it) so I didn't have to worry if I left the iron plugged in. It has blown rust stains out the steam vents a couple of times so I just emptied it and use a spray bottle if I'm ironing something. Back when we used to wear white nursing uniforms I ironed and starched them but now with colors I just take them out of the dryer as soon as it stops and hang them up. I'd like to have one of those steam station irons but I can't justify the cost.

A History of Irons and a famous brand name

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