question regarding laundry stoves and irons

 
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Post by gardener » Fri. Mar. 08, 2019 12:56 pm

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? :eh:

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
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Post by gardener » Fri. Mar. 08, 2019 1:16 pm

here is a smaller stove with irons pictured in two of the positions
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Post by D.lapan » Fri. Mar. 08, 2019 1:18 pm

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

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Post by gardener » Mon. Mar. 11, 2019 8:17 am

Thanks D.lapan!
Nice photos.

Still curious what makes a 'sad iron' sad?
Is it the shape of the iron?

 
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Post by Sunny Boy » Mon. Mar. 11, 2019 12:49 pm

gardener wrote:
Mon. Mar. 11, 2019 8:17 am
Thanks D.lapan!
Nice photos.

Still curious what makes a 'sad iron' sad?
Is it the shape of the iron?
Wrong version of "sad". You only use that version when you drop a sad iron on your foot. :D

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.

 
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Post by Sunny Boy » Mon. Mar. 11, 2019 12:57 pm

gardener wrote:
Fri. Mar. 08, 2019 12:56 pm
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? :eh:

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
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".

Paul

 
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Post by gardener » Mon. Mar. 11, 2019 4:39 pm

Thanks Paul!


 
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Post by mntbugy » Mon. Mar. 11, 2019 7:01 pm


 
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Post by gardener » Thu. Aug. 22, 2019 8:37 am

I saw these at these irons at the Myra Museum in Grand Forks ND.

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Post by gardener » Thu. Aug. 22, 2019 9:24 am

saw this one at Prairie Village Museum in Rugby ND
the molded "asbestos sad iron" caught my attention

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Post by gardener » Wed. Mar. 18, 2020 9:40 am

mntbugy wrote:
Mon. Mar. 11, 2019 7:01 pm
Some light reading.

http://www.oldandinteresting.com/antique-irons-sm ... ngles.aspx
That link says
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.
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. :baby: :geek:

 
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Post by CoalHeat » Thu. Mar. 19, 2020 10:33 pm

Great link a few messages back. I have a couple sad irons, haven't gotten a laundry stove yet.

 
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Post by Sunny Boy » Fri. Mar. 20, 2020 10:51 am

gardener wrote:
Wed. Mar. 18, 2020 9:40 am
That link says

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. :baby: :geek:
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. :D

Paul

 
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Post by freetown fred » Fri. Mar. 20, 2020 12:37 pm

Don't have a clue what kind this is but I do know it's heavy & holds the hopper door down!!! :)

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Post by gardener » Fri. Mar. 20, 2020 1:27 pm

freetown fred wrote:
Fri. Mar. 20, 2020 12:37 pm
Don't have a clue what kind this is but I do know it's heavy & holds the hopper door down!!! :)
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.


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