... New toy... (Ironrite Model 85)

[jkbff]

Lol I just keep thinking "Why do I do this to myself?"

I bought it for $25 on facebook market place... The Ironrite Model 85.

The seller helped me load it, I unloaded it by myself when I got home. I picked it up 95 miles away from home.

I am really surprised how good of condition this thing is in.

I was thinking it was bigger than it actually is. I need the big bertha version if I'm gonna cram my legs in there. Probably find a way to raise the height though.

 

[d-jones]

Very nice!

And a great  price too! I've wanted one of those for quite some time, but they're always too far away or way overpriced. Yours looks as though it spent most of its time in a dark closet somewhere.

 

[vacerator]

Cool, and

I neve Mountknew they were made in my own backyard. Mount Clemens has a history for being a main rail line hub as well as it's former mineral bath spa's.
Many well known Lacosa Nostra members made it, and the rest of Clinton twp. their home.
It is our county seat, has car shows, parades, etc.Gratiot avenue has the same type of loop around as Woodward in Pontiac does, but heading nort-east, then south again instead of north-west. Gratiot continues on though to Port Huron. Woodward eve. ends in Pontiac, and Dixie hwy M-24 picks up going north.

 

[jamiel]

Is there any appreciable amount of spring water still in Mt. Clemens, or has everything been capped off?

 

[vacerator]

Not to my knowledge Jamie

Grosse Ille had the Wonder Well mineral spring. It dried up right after the owner died.
Remember D's lounge? Aka, the Mount Clemens palace, with the lit up dance floor like in Staurday Night Fever. It was next door to the Jury Box bar. S. Gratiot near Walnut.

 

[launderess]

Welcome to my world!

Congrats on your new toy! You'll love it.

If you don't have copy of owners manual it is easily found online.

http://www.jitterbuzz.com/the_ironrite.html

https://www.automatice.org/cgi-bin/index.cgi?showdoc~1512~~

Also check eBay, etc.....

Height of unit is adjustable by moving it up or down on the casters. There are pins that match holes on top of casters. You pull out pin, raise or lower caster, reinsert pin.... Obviously this cannot be done with unit on side when it's filled with oil, but raising it up somehow ought to get you there.

Once you get the hang of things using Ironrite ironers is a snap.

 

[launderess]

Didn't look at all the pictures.

Sorry.

Since you have the owners manual inside you'll find directions for raising height of Ironrite.

Unless previous owner did it recently you want to change oil in gear box. Open it up and take a peek. [this post was last edited: 6/16/2021-06:28]

 

[tomturbomatic]

I hope that you enjoy your Ironrite.

My Ironrite is older with just a white plastic handle centered in the front of the hood. I am down to my last three clean dish towels so I am going to have to drag it out again when I do a 190F wash for full load of dish towels. Launderess confirmed my observations that the towels are more absorbent when ironed dry, plus they look better in the drawer. There are linen towels in the collection that my mother of scary memory bought in California during WWII to make curtains for their breakfast room in Riverside. I do not ever remember them being used as dish towels while I was at home, but I use them now.

 

[rinso]

This is nearly identical to my model 95 from 1960. I rebuilt it a few years ago, including replacing all of the asbestos and cotton-covered wiring. I also had to replace brittle thermostat wiring that broke and would short out. It is still working, and after a learning curve, I've been using it ever since.

 

[ozzie908]

Miele Roller iron

I saved it to my pictures if you want to see ?

 

[ozzie908]

It has 2 thermostats

each does half of the shoe so you can turn off one end while doing smaller items. I have nearly mastered the art of doing all clothing on it including a shirt but I struggle with getting them to look as good as when hand ironed. Now I realise I may seem like an oddball to most US citizens but I happen to enjoy ironing it gives great pleasure to see things clean and pressed and put away....

 

[michaelman2]

Residue build up or shoe becoming "sticky"

jkbff,

Keep the shoe (iron) from dragging or sticking by using a hot iron cleaner on an old terrycloth thickly folded towel. Raise the roll by using the red "PUSH" lever back. Heat the iron to cotton/linen setting. Squeeze the hot iron cleaner product along the folded towel and rub it on the hot shoe. Making sure you do not get the product on the fabric on the roll. Also make sure you have removed all of the product from the shoe. This will really make the shoe slick and your items will not stick or drag. Sometimes the older irons and ironers really get HOT and if you press over a tag or a mixed fiber, it will melt and begin to drag.

I do the above about every fifth or sixth use. Keeps the shoe in perfect condition. Faultless makes a product that I buy at the grocery.

You will find that the proper amount of moisture is needed with the ironer as there is of course no steam feature on these older ironers. I keep a spray bottle of distilled water handy to spray on an item if it becomes too dry to iron.

Mike

 

[jkbff]

I really appreciate the replies and apologize for not getting back sooner. I have parked the ironrite where I unloaded it and have been dealing with a few other things since.

I am hoping to play with him this holiday weekend and see what my new toy can do. I have 6 sets of sheets I need to run through the wash so this will be a good time to check everything out.

I really appreciate the tips and suggestions!!

 

[ozzie908]

Roller ironing sheets

I have stopped drying them in the dryer as they ball up and it is harder to get them to look decent ....... So out the washer after a 1600 spin fold up till ready to iron and they certainly do look better for it the steam polishes the linen to a smooth finish almost as good as starching.

Austin

 

[launderess]

Welcome to my world!

Some households and even laundries like to pre-condition bed or table linen by bunging it into dryer first, then sending things through mangle. One would rather prefer saving a bit of energy and let things line dry until ready for ironer.

Some things can go straight from spin drier or washer to ironer. But high spin speeds can crease certain things awful to point even ironing won't remove marks. Thus let those items line dry a bit first.