question regarding laundry stoves and irons
While looking through the old catalogs I have seen stoves that are dedicated laundry stoves, some with flat sided areas for irons used in ironing clothes.
It is my understanding these were coal fired, but I imagine ironing was only done once a week?
seems like getting a coal fire going for a few hours is not a good use of coal, then maybe they are wood fired?
Why are there so many iron placements on one stove? Were these used in hotels? Or perhaps the home owner used an iron until i cooled then grabbed the next in line to continue ironing the clothes?
I have also seen different types of irons advertised in the catalogs, such as 'smoothing iron', 'polishing iron', and 'sad iron'.
What makes a 'sad iron' sad?
here is an example of a laundry stove I am referring to, albeit this one seems to be the largest I have seen so far in the old catalogs
It is my understanding these were coal fired, but I imagine ironing was only done once a week?
seems like getting a coal fire going for a few hours is not a good use of coal, then maybe they are wood fired?
Why are there so many iron placements on one stove? Were these used in hotels? Or perhaps the home owner used an iron until i cooled then grabbed the next in line to continue ironing the clothes?
I have also seen different types of irons advertised in the catalogs, such as 'smoothing iron', 'polishing iron', and 'sad iron'.
What makes a 'sad iron' sad?
here is an example of a laundry stove I am referring to, albeit this one seems to be the largest I have seen so far in the old catalogs
-
- Member
- Posts: 771
- Joined: Sun. Jan. 18, 2015 9:40 pm
- Location: plainfield NH
- Hand Fed Coal Furnace: newmac wood,coal,oil como
- Baseburners & Antiques: 20th century laurel, glenwood hickory,crawford fairy
- Coal Size/Type: nut, stove
- Contact:
This is the laundry stove I have in the corner waiting
Mine is coal fired has a small draw center grate and brick lined, I suspect the irons would cool down rather quickly being pressed into cool wet or damp clothes
Mine is coal fired has a small draw center grate and brick lined, I suspect the irons would cool down rather quickly being pressed into cool wet or damp clothes
Attachments
- Sunny Boy
- Member
- Posts: 25706
- Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 1:40 pm
- Location: Central NY
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Anthracite Industrial, domestic hot water heater
- Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood range 208, # 6 base heater, 2 Modern Oak 118.
- Coal Size/Type: Nuts !
- Other Heating: Oil &electric plenum furnace
Wrong version of "sad". You only use that version when you drop a sad iron on your foot.
The "sad" version used with antique irons is a very old term meaning, "heavy".
Paul
Last edited by Sunny Boy on Mon. Mar. 11, 2019 12:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- Sunny Boy
- Member
- Posts: 25706
- Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 1:40 pm
- Location: Central NY
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Anthracite Industrial, domestic hot water heater
- Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood range 208, # 6 base heater, 2 Modern Oak 118.
- Coal Size/Type: Nuts !
- Other Heating: Oil &electric plenum furnace
The ones with many iron racks could be for Hotels, but don't forget that when these stoves were new, home ownership was not as common. But boarding houses were very common. Many boarding houses included meals and sometimes laundry service, too - usually advertised as, "room and board".gardener wrote: ↑Fri. Mar. 08, 2019 12:56 pmWhile looking through the old catalogs I have seen stoves that are dedicated laundry stoves, some with flat sided areas for irons used in ironing clothes.
It is my understanding these were coal fired, but I imagine ironing was only done once a week?
seems like getting a coal fire going for a few hours is not a good use of coal, then maybe they are wood fired?
Why are there so many iron placements on one stove? Were these used in hotels? Or perhaps the home owner used an iron until i cooled then grabbed the next in line to continue ironing the clothes?
I have also seen different types of irons advertised in the catalogs, such as 'smoothing iron', 'polishing iron', and 'sad iron'.
What makes a 'sad iron' sad?
here is an example of a laundry stove I am referring to, albeit this one seems to be the largest I have seen so far in the old catalogs
delete_laundry_stove.png
Paul
- mntbugy
- Member
- Posts: 2046
- Joined: Fri. Dec. 23, 2016 2:36 pm
- Location: clearfield,pa
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: D S 1500, Warm Moring 400
- Baseburners & Antiques: Art Garland 145,GW114 ,Clarion 115, Vestal 20 Globe,New Royal22 Globe, Red Cross Oak 56,Acme Ventiduct 38,Radiant Airblast 626,Home Airblast 62,Moores #7,Moores 3way
- Coal Size/Type: stove and nut and some bit
- Other Heating: Propain
That link saysmntbugy wrote: ↑Mon. Mar. 11, 2019 7:01 pmSome light reading.
http://www.oldandinteresting.com/antique-irons-sm ... ngles.aspx
Sorry for reviving this thread, came back and reread that, Paul's answer 'heavy' I think is correct, but must have missed that links description of 'solid', or probably forgot about it, and it seems more significant this time around.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.
- CoalHeat
- Member
- Posts: 8862
- Joined: Sat. Feb. 10, 2007 9:48 pm
- Location: Stillwater, New Jersey
- Stoker Coal Boiler: 1959 EFM 350
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Harman Magnafire Mark I
- Baseburners & Antiques: Sears Signal Oak 15 & Andes Kitchen Range
- Coal Size/Type: Rice and Chestnut
- Other Heating: Fisher Fireplace Insert
Great link a few messages back. I have a couple sad irons, haven't gotten a laundry stove yet.
- Sunny Boy
- Member
- Posts: 25706
- Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 1:40 pm
- Location: Central NY
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Anthracite Industrial, domestic hot water heater
- Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood range 208, # 6 base heater, 2 Modern Oak 118.
- Coal Size/Type: Nuts !
- Other Heating: Oil &electric plenum furnace
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/sadiron
"sadiron (ˈsædˌaɪən)
n
a heavy iron pointed at both ends, for pressing clothes
[C19: from sad (in the obsolete sense: heavy) + iron] ........... "
Cleaned up, so they don't leave marks on fabric, they actually work quite well on non-synthetics - which in their day, cotton and wool were about the only fabrics.
With synthetics you just have to be more careful of how hot the iron gets.
But, if the power ever goes out you can still look your best.
Paul
- freetown fred
- Member
- Posts: 30299
- Joined: Thu. Dec. 31, 2009 12:33 pm
- Location: Freetown,NY 13803
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: HITZER 50-93
- Coal Size/Type: BLASCHAK Nut
Don't have a clue what kind this is but I do know it's heavy & holds the hopper door down!!!
Attachments
I don't know if its shape meant it had a particular function, but in the row of irons pictured in the photo I took at Myra Museum in Grand Forks ND (posted earlier in the thread) there is an iron of that shape in about the middle.freetown fred wrote: ↑Fri. Mar. 20, 2020 12:37 pmDon't have a clue what kind this is but I do know it's heavy & holds the hopper door down!!!