Question For Those Who Still Iron.

[austinado16]

I'm sad to say that I don't have a vintage iron. I do have a 50's era (I think) "Rid-Jid" ironing board with it's original aqua colored cover, and maroon bakelite ironing cord ring.

Guess I'll have to hunt for a cool period iron to go with the board.

Currently using a Norelco E-Z Steam 735s that I bought new from Costco back in about '89.

 

[supersuds]

Thanks for the explanation of the Proctor Never-Lift, Laundress.

 

[ptcruiser51]

Only one vintage iron here

It's a postwar General Mills Tru-Heat dry iron. The soleplate's kind of an oval shape, though it does have a point on the front. On either side is a little flat piece so you rest it on its side rather than on the end. I take it out now and then to iron some "sprinkled" clothes, just to make sure it still works. It "clicks" rapidly when it's on, my OL says it's always done that. Yes, General Mills, the cereal people I'm sure. My OM bought it for my OL as a gift when they were going together. I'm sure she must have at first thought to brain him with it (LOL) but then it was around 1947 when things were still scarce after WW2. My daily driver is a $10 Everstar (Home Depot store brand), still working great after 3 years. Lots o'steam, too.

 

[danemodsandy]

Part of It...

...Seems to be individual preference. I have a vintage GE Shot of Steam iron from around 1970 which is a heavy one, at least four pounds. I prefer it to my modern iron, a Sunbeam. The Sunbeam is very okay, with lots of steam and good heat, but there's just something very satisfying about the weight of the GE, and I fancy it does a better job on toile de Nîmes.

 

[aeoliandave]

One can never have too many irons/toasters/vacuums/mixers/pe

I have a few ready to press into service at any time and do use them in rotation but the Tfal Ultraglide Diffusion upper right is the daily driver mostly. My (some would say) quirky habit is to wear two double pocket cotten shirts layered every single day (as I don't like undershirts or Ts) and they are crisply ironed every morning every day after the shower. It just feels right and puts me in a great mood to start the day - I travel with a vintage folding steam iron on road trips.

Dave

 

[mixfinder]

Ironing Isometrics

Ironing makes my butt suck lemons! Not really, I just needed to find a way to tie in isometrics, yoga of the 60's. Every natural fiber gets ironed at my house. I want an iron as big as a tank with as much steam as Old Faithful. For years I enjoyed the Sunbeam Shot of Steam but when they went the way of Chainsaw Al, I switched to Rowenta. Just a few months ago Consumer Reports rated this Rowenta model as one of the best. I run it on a vintage Mary Proctor ironing table with a folded linen table cloth as the pad. I enjoy every part of home making, especially the tasks that let you use an appliance

 

[mixfinder]

St. Mary Proctor

I search thrift stores and estate sales and snatch everyone I can find for regifting.

 

[mixfinder]

Forget Breakfast in Bed

As I showed earlier, its so much easier to iron the sheets on the bed and not drag them over the ironing table one half at a time. Pictured with a previous iron now residing at my son's house.

 

[danemodsandy]

Kelly:

Just FYI, Sunbeam seems to be back with a more reliable - albeit Chinese-made - product. I have one of their current irons, bought strictly for price when I needed an iron in a hurry, and it has worked out surprisingly well.

I too had a Sunbeam iron or two in the "Chainsaw Al" days, and they were very prone to blowing their Yugo-quality electronics within nanoseconds of the warranty's expiry. And these were sixty-dollar irons.

 

[austinado16]

Ironing sheets...

If you're ironing bedding, you get to have a new appliance! You need to bag yourself an Iron Rite "Mangle" iron. Be sure to get the matching chair!

 

[mixfinder]

Mangled Kenmore

When the kids were in High School and wouldn't be caught dead in jeans that weren't starched and ironed I had a Kenmore Mangle, Lady Kenmore wringer washer and two TOL sets of Maytag one with the blue backsplash and one with tan. The basement looked like a maze as I made lines for indoor hanging as well. If only I knew AWorg then I could have hosted a wash in.

 

[xraytech]

Nice ironing board Kelly, I have the same Mary Proctor board and I love its size and sturdiness

 

[mielabor]

OK, I use a vintage iron...

And I love it! It's the best I ever had. My first iron with a cast iron soleplate and it floats over the sheets without effort.

 

[mielabor]

I also have a newer iron...

A little less vintage. Still NIB. The arrangement of the cord makes it a bit awkward to use for a left handed person like me.

 

[ptcruiser51]

Dave you have my iron!

It's the one in the center of the photo with the red knob! And the box too! My OL had it in the box for years but I don't know whatever happened to it.

Does yours "click", too?

 

[austinado16]

Lovin' those Rowentas!

Mixfinder: I've got a Whirlpool "mangle" from the 50's. It's currently an aquarium stand though. But it does work. Wish I had the chair for it.

 

[norgeway]

P R E S T O !!!

Its heavy, it has pushbuttons,and it puts out more steam than ANYTHING new!!!

 

[magic clean]

Our

Panasonic cordreel iron went out in a flash the other day after 5 years. After hunting for a decent vintage iron with no luck I decided on this Kenmore for $29. It steams like crazy, holds 10 ounces of water, the stainless soleplate glides super easily, 2 year store exchange warranty & has a decent heft of about 3.5 lbs. Very pleased so far.

 

[aeoliandave]

Yup Charlie, the General Mills Tru-Heat - sponsored by Betty Crocker her own self - clicks frequently, with a clink, as the thermostat steadies the temperature. I've found the double pointed oval sole plate to be more useful than one might think. But I think the side prop fins that keep it above the board when laid on it's side aren't all that convenient as it's a pain to get your hand back into the handle. I use it with an iron stand.

I have always used a wood ironing board padded with a layer of cotton felt under a silverized anti-stick slipcover. When they get warped and cupped (rarely) I swap in a new one. I have 3 more stored in the basement from yard sales. I keep meaning to hinge it to the pantry wall inside an ironing cupboard like we had in our first house in the 60s...even tho it would always be down for the daily morning shirt crisping.

Dave

 

[aeoliandave]

One of my favorite finds is the 1954 red Casco steam iron. I'd never seen one and love the engineering of the entire handle flipping up to fill the iron. You really have to let it cool down, though, to refill it. But as the advertisement claims it really does steam for 50 minutes and more.