Ironrite from Kansas City

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beekeyknee

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 5, 2010
Messages
1,792
Location
Columbia, MO
Summer of 2014 I expressed an interest in acquiring a mangle ironer (see link). That was on 6/18/14. To my surprise on 6/20 I got a personal message through AW message center. The little grey message box had turned to pink and there was "1 msg"

It was John (oldskool) McWhorter from Kansas City. He said he had an Ironrite in storage and if would take care of it I could have it. I told him that I would certainly take care of it. I wasn't going to post anything about it until I had a room to put it for use. Well, it's taking longer to get that darn room cleaned out than I expected, but I'm working on it.

I decided to go ahead and start a thread on the story as it's taking too long to get everything done and I didn't want to forget the story. I can add to it as it goes. I remember it was mid September, shortly after Labor Day, because I was at my Mom's house fixing the dryer that matched her washer that I had restored two or three years before that. The dryer wouldn't heat. Drew and Mark chimed in and said it needed a new cycling thermostat. That's why the timer wouldn't advance in the Auto Dry mode. The thread # is 56059.


So I called John and told him what was going on. We had discussed meeting since I was going to be at my Mom's house. That would put me much closer to KC. He told me I could get the parts for my Mom's dryer at Marcone, so we arranged a day, time and place to meet. We met south of the Sports Complex in Raytown (a KC neighborhood) and he led me to his storage facility where he has a stash of goodies. Among them was a nice little Ironrite 95 in need of a little TLC. We loaded it up and started to leave. On the way out John stopped and asked if I wanted to go get something to eat. I said sure and we went across the road at Denny's.

We started talking and had a big old time. Being both Missourians we had quite a bit to talk about. John ordered a milkshake and the waitress brought the can off the mixer and set it on the table. We both looked at it then looked at each other kind of puzzled. He said he didn't think he'd seen that before. I said I didn't think I had either. We both laughed and I said she probably had extra and didn't want it to go to waste.

 

Here's some pictures of the restoration. I should have taken more while fashioning the new drum cover. That was quite and experience. Me and the Singer and some aggravation. I used a light weight canvas instead of muslin. It holds up better and won't scorch, or not as easily.

 

1:   Getting ready for kerosene wash (yes, this got kerosene too).

2:   Some pieces. The gear box cover lid is setting in the black plastic tray. In that is a heavy cardboard type material that's kind of

      waxy. It covers the gears and keeps them from slinging the oil.

3:   Gear box.

4:   I hope nothing ever goes wrong with this.

5:   The bottom of the gear box appears to be covered with a red rubberized or oil proof paint.

6:   Closer pics of gears for gear heads.

7:   Metal shavings from the kerosene wash. There wasn't much oil left in the bottom of that box and it was very dirty.

8:   Chopped away a milk carton to catch the kerosene.

9:   Drain hole for gear box.

10: Factory Label.

11: Rods that operate drum. Lower and turn and pause drum on shoe.

12: Electric connections on switch.

13: Drum with a name, maybe, and #96?

14: Controls with shoe covers off.

15: Gear box still draining.

16: Chain for driving drum.

17: Various states of repair.

18: Forgot the name of this piece. The part you lay the fabric on before it goes in the machine.

19: Shoe covers.

20: Yuck in shoe cover.

21: Gratuitous pic.

22: Ditto

23: Finished cabinet.

24: Back

25: Front angled view.

26: Open

27: Ditto

28: Close up of finished drum cover.

30: Underneath

 

[this post was last edited: 11/18/2015-06:53]


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Very nice job there!

You'll love using that Ironrite when you've got things sorted good and proper.

Have a some NOS covers in my stash for Ironrite ironers. Got them in hopes they will fit my Pfaff 658 which borrows heavily from Ironrite. Am waiting to hear from Germany if this will work or will have to order Pfaff specific roller covers.

I'd ask the Ironrite Guy or someone else with knowledge but *believe* for the 95 and all other last versions of Irornite ironers you use "Lubriplate" (aka white lithium grease) instead of gear oil My portable Ironrite (model 890) uses such "grease". This makes sense because the thing tilts down for storage. If oil were used it would leak...

As with the famous Ironrite gear case oil that company just packaged grease from "off the shelf" as it were in special nice looking cans with their logo and charged more. Ironrite ironers used SAE50 gear oil in a fancy can. No telling how many housewives could have saved some pennies had they (or their husbands) knew.

http://www.jitterbuzz.com/the_ironrite.html
 
For replacement oil I used Valvoline Premium conventional SAE 30 Motor Oil. No detergents. Just a little bit lighter than what came in the Ironrite can. The Ironrite can on the web site had 4 oz. printed on it. I put in between 6 and 8. No problem at all. No leaking. No running out. The Ironrite web site said there was nothing special about that oil anyway. They had some kind of a deal with Shell or somebody to put plain 20 weight oil in a can with the Ironrite name on it.

 

Thank you,  John. I'll call around the holidays sometime.

 

Picture number 4 in the second set. Makes me climb the walls. An Ironrite, a Kirby, a Rainbow and a KitchenAid Dishwasher. What kind of a living room is this?! Get this stuff out of here.

 

 

[this post was last edited: 11/18/2015-07:00]
 
Thanks Launderess,

 

No, this one doesn't tilt down. The lid tilts back and the "wings" all flip out but the machine itself stays level.

 

B.
 
Yes, knew your 95 didn't tilt

Ironrite came out with the smaller 890 in both tilting and upright models as a last gasp effort to cut falling ironer sales. These units having smaller rollers were designed to fit smaller living spaces and or at least not take up as much room like their larger cousins. It was Ironrite's way of addressing getting the laundry out of the laundry-room/basement. These smaller/portable ironers could go anywhere and when finished rolled away into a closet.

Here is an older thread from a member: http://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?38679
 
Great work on this nice machine. I have the same model bought at a sale a few blocks from home. Mine was hardly used, a quick check and cleaning brought it back to it's original glories. Have fun with your new ironer, you'll be spoiled with pressed pillowcases really quick.
 
Always....

....impressed with the level of skill, detail, and precision that you approach each project taken on! You certainly have taken care of it.

Excellent outcome!

Thanks
John
 

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