Such a design removed the need for a protective layer of clothing between the garment and iron because the iron retained a clean surface. The box iron remained the standard for several hundred years. Metal technology began developing in the s, hastening the evolution of the smoothing iron.
Flatirons could be heated atop cast iron stoves, making the job much easier and cleaner than fire. By , wooden handles were used, preventing users from receiving burns, as wood does not retain heat in the manner of iron. Gas irons were patented in the s, making the devices even easier to use.
A gas line would carry fuel to the appliance, which contained a burner to provide the heat. These irons were much lighter than their predecessors, which often weighed up to 15 pounds. The invention of the electric iron coincided with the widespread electrification of American homes in the s. In , Henry W. Prior to the invention of the Iron in , the history of ironing went back over one thousand years when the Chinese used metal pans filled with hot coals that were pressed over stretched cloth.
Fact 3: Who invented the Iron? Wealthy Ancient Romans used a screw press in the first century BC for keeping linen smooth and neatly folded. Fact 4: Who invented the Iron? People used stones, wood and glass for smoothing material on smoothing boards. The slickstone, a handsized, smoothed and rounded flat stone was commonly used in the Middle Ages to rub the wrinkles out of clothes and fabrics. Linen presses were used to flatten cloth from the Medieval period right up until the 19th century.
Fact 5: Who invented the Iron? Blacksmiths then created D-shaped flat irons with a handle, made from cast iron, heated on a stove or fire that were used for pressing clothes. Charcoal irons followed that had a hollow inside that was filled with smouldering charcoal. Fact 6: Who invented the Iron? Any method of ironing, without the benefit of electricity, was a hot, time consuming and arduous job that required constant attention to the temperature of the device.
Irons had to be kept meticulously clean, polished and lightly greased to avoid rusting. Fact 7: Who invented the Iron? In David Lithgow, an American inventor from Philadelphia, was one of the first inventors to patent a gas iron.
Gas irons were categorized as liquid fuel irons, as were other newly invented irons that were heated, using kerosene, gasoline and methylated spirits. In the Eldec Company introduced the first steam iron. Today, dry irons are still available but they do not compete with the wrinkle removing force of a steam iron or its big brother, the steam generator iron.
Flat irons, later known as sad irons were forged by blacksmiths in the Middle Ages. Some were even carved out of stone.
These metal irons were heated on a stove or fire. Their shape resembles that of the steam irons we use for clothes today. A cloth or wooden handle was used to hold the handle and protect the user from burns. It was larger and heavier than the first flat irons.
Traditionally, two flat irons needed to be used at the same time. One was in use while the other heated on the fire. Larger, more affluent households with servants often had ironing-stoves which could hold several irons at once.
Instead of solid metal or stone chunk, the box iron was a metal container that held hot coals inside it and this helped it remain hotter for longer. Box irons are still used today in some parts of India and Africa. It has a hinged lid and air holes that allow the coal to breathe and shoulder. Historically, they have been used in many different countries. The disadvantage of this method is the smoke emitted by the coal can get into the clothing.
Some have funnels to keep the smoke away. Ironers also have to be very careful that soot does not get onto the clothing. Similar boxes are heated using slugs or bricks. These inserts are heated in the fire and then placed into the iron.
This is a much cleaner method than the charcoal irons. Metal handles had to be gripped in a pad or thick rag. Some irons had cool wooden handles and in a detachable handle was patented in the US. This stayed cool while the metal bases were heated and the idea was widely imitated.
See these irons from Central Europe. Cool handles stayed even cooler in " asbestos sad irons ". The sad in sad iron or sadiron is an old word for solid, and in some contexts this name suggests something bigger and heavier than a flat iron. Goose or tailor's goose was another iron name, and this came from the goose-neck curve in some handles.
In Scotland people spoke of gusing goosing irons. You'd need at least two irons on the go together for an effective system: one in use, and one re-heating. Large households with servants had a special ironing-stove for this purpose. Some were fitted with slots for several irons, and a water-jug on top.
At home, ironing traditional fabrics without the benefit of electricity was a hot, arduous job. Irons had to be kept immaculately clean, sand-papered and polished. They must be kept away from burning fuel, and be regularly but lightly greased to avoid rusting.
Beeswax prevented irons sticking to starched cloth. Constant care was needed over temperature. Experience would help decide when the iron was hot enough, but not so hot that it would scorch the cloth. A well-known test was spitting on the hot metal, but Charles Dickens describes someone with a more genteel technique in The Old Curiosity Shop. She held "the iron at an alarmingly short distance from her cheek, to test its temperature The same straightforward "press with hot metal" technique can be seen in Egypt where a few traditional "ironing men" makwagi still use long, heavy pieces of iron, pressed across the cloth with their feet.
Berber people in Algeria traditionally use heated metal ovals on long handles, called fers kabyles Kabyle irons in France, where they were adopted for intricate ironing tasks. If you make the base of your iron into a container you can put glowing coals inside it and keep it hot a bit longer. This is a charcoal iron, and the photograph right shows one being used in India, where it's not unusual to have your ironing done by a "press wallah" at a stall with a brazier nearby.
Notice the hinged lid and the air holes to allow the charcoal to keep smouldering. These are sometimes called ironing boxes, or charcoal box irons, and may come with their own stand.
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