My Mother used an iron like this one.
I was a keen participant to iron handkerchiefs as these items were in constant demand in wintertime. When I advanced to tea towels the first excitement was gone, When I advanced to shirts and such I fled the scene.
We children had also a very small Iron to iron dolls dresses. It was small, shaped like a mouse and inside it had an iron mouse to heat up on the stove.. I should have kept it. It was well made with a small, polished wooden handle.
An 18th century coal iron
In China, people were ironing using hot metal before anywhere else. They filled pans with hot coals. A hot pan was pressed over stretched cloth . This method was already used some thousand years ago.
While people in Northern Europe used stones, glass and wood for smoothing. In the west blacksmiths forged smoothing irons in the late Middle Ages.
While people in Northern Europe used stones, glass and wood for smoothing. In the west blacksmiths forged smoothing irons in the late Middle Ages.
Cast iron sadiron;The sad in sad iron or sadiron is an old word for solid.
Gas Iron
Flat stones were used to rub over woven cloth to smooth it, or to press folds. Linen smoothers made of dark glass were found in Viking women's graves. Many of those were in use across medieval Europe. The linen might have been dampened befor using the glass smoother. It is not sure if the glass was made hot before its use.
Glass linen smoother with handle.
Smoothers were also called slickers, slickstones, sleekstones, or slickenstones. Some were also made of hard wood or marble.
Iron with exchangeable handle
Metal irons were heated by a fire or on a stove. Irons were made of stone, like soapstone irons from Italy. Earthenware was also used.
Metal irons were heated by a fire or on a stove. Irons were made of stone, like soapstone irons from Italy. Earthenware was also used.
Flat Irons, Flea market Paris
Ironing without the benefit of electricity was a hot, arduous job. Irons had to be kept clean, sand-papered and polished. They had to be lightly greased to avoid rusting. Beeswax prevented irons sticking to starched cloth. Constant care was needed over temperature, decide when the iron was hot enough, but not so hot to scorch the cloth.
Late 19th century iron designs experimented with heat-retaining fillings. Designs of this period became more and more ingenious and complicated, with reversible bases, gas jets and other innovations. . By 1900 there were electric irons in use on both sides of the Atlantic.
Ironing without the benefit of electricity was a hot, arduous job. Irons had to be kept clean, sand-papered and polished. They had to be lightly greased to avoid rusting. Beeswax prevented irons sticking to starched cloth. Constant care was needed over temperature, decide when the iron was hot enough, but not so hot to scorch the cloth.
Late 19th century iron designs experimented with heat-retaining fillings. Designs of this period became more and more ingenious and complicated, with reversible bases, gas jets and other innovations. . By 1900 there were electric irons in use on both sides of the Atlantic.
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