iron box
TRANSCRIPT
EVOLUTION OF IRON BOX
ByNaveen
History of ironing
• No-one can say exactly when people started trying to press cloth smooth, but we know that the Chinese were using hot metal for ironing before anyone else. Pans filled with hot coals were pressed over stretched cloth as illustrated in the drawing to the right. A thousand years ago this method was already well-established.
• Meanwhile people in Northern Europe were using stones, glass and wood for smoothing. These continued in use for "ironing" in some places into the mid-19th century, long after Western blacksmiths started to forge smoothing irons in the late Middle Ages.
Contd
Contd..
At the turn of the 20 Century most irons were manufactured from cast iron. Cast iron was a common materials at that time as it was cheap to produce. This example had a wrought iron handle, which had been beaten into a hollow shape at the top to help it cool. These irons got their heat being put onto a coal or wood burning stove. The fabrics which were ironed were mainly cotton and linen. Woollen fabrics were generally not ironed
Contd..
Gradually, homes were linked to an energy supply. Coalgas became common in towns and this energy source wasused for lighting and heating. This iron used gas to heatup its soleplate. A turned wooden handle was used for itsinsulating properties. To help improve the look of the
iron,an enamelled coating was applied to the casing. Pastelcolours where popular in the first half of the century.
Contd..
The introduction of electricity into homes
allowed the development of a wide range of
electrical products. This iron used an electrical
element to heat the soleplate but like the last two
examples, the only way to control the
temperature was to remove it.
Contd..
By the 1950’s the world had changed forever. Two WorldWars had produced a vast number of factories producingweapons and military equipment. These were now beingused to create consumer products. Employment was high,many women now went out to work and product designbecame more important.Styling became really important as manufacturerscompeted for markets. The chrome and black looksuggested quality.
Contd..
This period was also one of tremendous
development in materials. Fabrics such as Nylon
and Rayon were becoming popular and the
temperature of the iron needed to be adjustable.
This was done with an adjustable thermostat
with the fabric names printed onto it.
Contd.
By the 1960’s steam had been incorporated into irons. So instead
of using a damp cloth to assist with ironing, consumers were
provided with a new time saving alternative. The soleplate was
now made of aluminium and the whole product had become
lighter. Now an international code was introduced rather than
writing the names of all the fabrics on the thermostat. By the end of the
century, irons had become very lightweight and stylish. Unlike irons at the
start of the century they were no longer manufactured locally using the
materials and skill of the labour force. Made mainly from injection-moulded
plastics, except for the aluminium soleplate and electrical components,
production had become generally automated
Contd.
contd• Linen smoothers: stones, glass, presses
• Flattish hand-size stones could be rubbed over woven cloth to smooth it, polish it, or to press in pleated folds. Simple round linen smoothers made of dark glass have been found in many Viking women's graves, and are believed to have been used with smoothing boards. Archaeologists know there were plenty of these across medieval Europe, but they aren't completely sure how they were used. Water may have been used to dampen linen, but it is unlikely the smoothers were heated.
• More recent glass smoothers often had handles, like these from Wales, or the English one in the picture (left). They were also called slickers, slickstones, sleekstones, or slickenstones. Decorative 18th and 19th century glass smoothers in "inverted mushroom" shape may turn up at antiques auctions. Occasionally they are made of marble or hard wood.
contd• Slickstones were standard pieces of laundering equipment in the late
Middle Ages, in England and elsewhere, and went on being used up to the 19th century, long after the introduction of metal irons. They were convenient for small jobs when you didn't want to heat up irons, lay out ironing blankets on boards, and so on.
• Other methods were available to the rich. Medieval launderers preparing big sheets, tablecloths etc. for a large household may have used frames to stretch damp cloth smooth, or passed it between "calenders" (rollers). They could also flatten and smooth linen in screw-presses of the kind known in Europe since the Romans had used them for smoothing cloth. Later presses (see right) sometimes doubled as storage furniture, with linen left folded flat under the board after pressing even when there were no drawers
contd
contd
Mangle boards, box mangles
• Even in modest homes with no presses, large items needed to be tackled with something bigger than a slickstone. They could be smoothed with a mangle board and rolling pin combination; many wonderfully carved antique Scandinavian or Dutch mangle boards have been preserved by collectors. The board, often carved by a young man for his bride-to-be, was pressed back and forth across cloth wound on the roller.
• In England boards, paddles or bats like these were called battledores, battels, beatels, beetles, or other "beating" names. In Yorkshire a bittle and pin was used in the same way as the Scandinavian mangle board and roller. The earlier mechanical mangles copied this method of pressing a flat surface across rollers. The box mangle was a heavy box weighted with stones functioning as the "mangle board", with linen wound on cylinders underneath, or spread under the rollers.
contd
contd
• The boards/bats used for smoothing were similar to wooden implements used in washing: washing beetles used to beat clothes clean, perhaps in a stream. Sometimes they were cylindrical like the mangle rollers, sometimes flat. Instead of pressing you could simply whack your household linen with a bat/paddle against a flat surface, as witnessed in the Scottish Borders in 1803 by Dorothy Wordsworth.
• Early box mangles (see left-hand column), like Baker's Patent Mangle, were devised for pressing and smoothing. Mangles with two rollers (above left) could also be used for wringing water out of fabric. Many Victorian households would complete the "ironing" of sheets and table-linen with a mangle, using hot irons just for clothing. In the UK laundry could be sent for smoothing to a mangle-woman, working at home, often a widow earning pennies with a mangle bought by well-wishers after her husband's death. In the late 19th/early 20th century US commercial laundries described the mangling or pressing of large items as "flatwork" to distinguish it from the detailed ironing given to shaped clothing.
Contd Flat irons, sad irons
• Blacksmiths started forging simple flat irons in the late Middle Ages. Plain metal irons were heated by a fire or on a stove. Some were made of stone, like these soapstone irons from Italy. Earthenware and terracotta were also used, from the Middle East to France and the Netherlands.
• Flat irons were also called sad irons or smoothing irons. Metal handles had to be gripped in a pad or thick rag. Some irons had cool wooden handles and in 1870 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.) 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.
contd
Iron box
Contd • 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.
Contd
contd
Early electric irons
Electrical self-heating flat-irons, electric sad-irons • The search for a foolproof "self-heating flat iron" was under way by
the mid-19th century. In 1852 a patent was issued in the US for a new, improved charcoal-burning iron which would make "practicable the permanent heating of smoothing irons". By 1860 there were gas irons available in several countries, with rubber tubing to connect them to gas light fittings or to canisters, and then there were numerous designs for irons with internal burners and little piggyback tanks of liquid fuel.
• Any inventor who had ever been near the room where ironing was done knew it was a hot, tiring job. Whatever the weather, the housewife/laundress would work beside a hot stove or hearth, with at least 2 irons, probably 3, moving them from stove to ironing table and back again in a cycle of heating, pressing and re-heating. Meanwhile she must keep the irons spotlessly clean with no trace of ash to soil the clean linen.
Contd • Any inventor who had ever been near the room where
ironing was done knew it was a hot, tiring job. Whatever the weather, the housewife/laundress would work beside a hot stove or hearth, with at least 2 irons, probably 3, moving them from stove to ironing table and back again in a cycle of heating, pressing and re-heating. Meanwhile she must keep the irons spotlessly clean with no trace of ash to soil the clean linen.
Contd
• As we now know, the electric iron solved these problems better than any other self-heating apparatus, while charcoal-filled irons remain popular today in many less-electrified parts of the world. By the early 1880s more than one person had considered powering ironing with electricity, but Henry W. Seely of New York was the first inventor to make this idea workable and patented. Seely developed a design in 1881, got a patent in 1882, and then worked with his partner, Dyer, to patent a different "electric flat iron" in 1883. Seely and Dyer had doubts about having the iron continuously plugged in, as "connecting [it] permanently with the circuit [...] may be inconvenient in some cases". They invented a sort of "cordless" iron, on a stand heated by electricity. (Lower picture left) This echoed developments in using gas for ironing, where gas-fed iron-heaters or ironing-stoves were serious rivals to irons on lengths of rubber tubing.
Contd
• Claims that there was an even earlier electric iron in France seem to be based on two different dates given to an early French iron in London's Science Museum. However, this French museum curator is sceptical about the possibility.
• By the early 20th century enthusiasm was building for the new electric smoothing irons: clean, powerful, adjustable, and labour-saving.
• ...not only the lady of the house will rejoice; also the poor, hen-pecked husband will be in transports of delight...
Contd • They didn't make you roasting hot, and they didn't carry soot or ash.
As the advertisement says, they were better than three flat irons. And yet, there were still plenty of traditionalists who stuck with flat irons (aka sad irons) well into the middle of the 20th century, even when they lived in a home with a good electricity supply.
• The Hotpoint iron, designed by Earl H. Richardson of Ontario, California, was launched in 1905, but it was in the 1920s that enough people had homes wired for electricity for electric clothes irons to spread fast across the US. They were also selling well in some parts of Europe. By 1932 17.5 percent of Swiss homes had one, according to Tibor Iván Berend.
• The Waage ad (above right) for an iron with hot, medium, and low settings, appeared in the 1920s. By the 1930s the iron's only rival for "most popular electrical home appliance" was the radio. In 1941 79 per cent of American households had an electric iron, according to the Monthly Labor Review for December 1945.
Contd
• I, Henry W. Seely... have invented a new and useful electric flat-iron...The object of my invention is to utilize electric currents derived from any suitable source of electric energy for the purpose of heating flat-irons, fluting-irons, and other similar utensils. To accomplish this object I place within the iron and close to its face a resistance, preferably of carbon, and of such size and shape that it will heat the face of the irons sufficiently and equally. This resistance has terminals, by means of which it may be connected in an electric circuit, preferably a multiple arc circuit of an electric lighting system.... (Written in 1881)
contd
Ironing in asia
Ironing continued to be done with hot coals in open metal pans in China, the basic principles no different from an enclosed charcoal iron. Pan irons could be simple or highly decorative. Further west, clay smoothers were sometimes used. Solid ones could be heated for pressing. Others were designed to hold hot embers like the North African terracotta iron on this page. The ladies preparing newly-woven silk in a 12th century Chinese painting are using a pan iron, in the same way as the ironers in the 19th century drawing at the top of this page. Although that drawing comes from Korea, Koreans were traditionally known for smoothing their clothes with pairs ofironing sticks, beating cloth rhythmically on a stone support. A single club for beating clothes smooth was used in Japan, on a stand called a kinuta. In many parts of the world similar techniques were used in both cloth manufacturing and laundering: in Senegal, for example.
Early iron box
Contd
Contd
Later stage of iron
• Dimensions of Ironing Technology
This brief review of History shows that four factors are important to ironing technology. The evolution of this technology will be viewed through representative inventions that address each of the factors:
• Weight: The iron must be heavy enough to compress the cloth but it cannot be so heavy that it limits the ability of the operator to use it.
• Heat Source: The iron must acquire heat energy from some source either from transference (slugs, stoves) or self-contained processes(combustion, or electrical resistance.)
• Heat Regulation: There must be a method for assuring that the heat of the iron lies within the minimum needed to press the cloth and maximum to prevent damage.
Contd
• Moisture: moist heat is most conducive to the effectiveness of pressing; moisture must be supplied from an external source (dampening, press cloth) or from within the iron (sprinkling or steam)
• The evolution of ironing technology has involved removing the judgemental aspects of each factor and replacing them with automated decision-making. This opened ironing to the masses. Once the door was opened, people decided that it was a whole lot of work and social trends moved to doing away with ironing altogether through a combination of fabric treatments that reduced wrinkling and/or acceptance of unpressed garments
contd
Mrs. Potts and the Sad Iron
In general, up to the middle of the 1800s, iron design was generally between the blacksmith and the consumer. There were a number of "flatirons" available commercially, but the process of improvement through invention was slow to take hold. All of this got a fairly rude jolt in 1871 when Mrs. Mary Florence Potts patented an improvement on the "Sad Iron." [remember thatsad means "heavy" in this context] The handle on her invention was removable allowing the user to have many iron bodies heating on the stove. When one cooled, all you had to do was remove the handle and attach it to a fully heated iron.
The Legendary Mrs. Potts and Her InventionMrs. Potts Sadiron Patent, No. 113,668
Contd • This is noteworthy for several reasons: First, it is a darned clever
idea. Second, it is a major consumer product invented and patented by a woman (at the time, women could not vote...) Third, it reflects the growing mass-market for appliances. Mrs. Potts became famous because she advertised broadly. The Potts Patent Iron became one of the very earliest commercial successes in the growing post-Civil War economy. Mrs. Potts directed the company and was considered to be a very able executive.
• Robert Caro provides a wonderful chapter on the difficulties faced in the process of pre-electric ironing in his chapter on "The Sad Iron" in the first volume of his monumental biography of Lyndon Johnson (Lyndon Johnson: The Path To Power); in this chapter, Mr. Caro provides an appraisal of life before and after the Rural Electrification Administration brought cheap power to the farmers of the Hill Country in Texas. President (then Congressman) Johnson was one of the prime movers in this government program.
Various types of ironing in the garment industry
• Ironing is the relative movement or friction between two flat
surfaces
• Pressing is the application of heat, moisture and pressure to shape ,mold or crease fabrics,garments
parts into the geometric forms intended
by their designers.
• Ironing is generally done on the ironing table with a slightly warm iron with a Teflon base.
• the comman tool for this purpose is STEAM IRON
Ironing table Non-stick teflon base
Electronically – controlled high – pressure iron with special chamber system for condensed free steam qualityHigh reliability and consistent steam for constant use.Temperature controlled accuracy within + -2 °C.
Model Voltage
(volts)
Power
(kw)
Temp.
(°C)
Weight
(kgs)
Temp.
tolerance
RV 2002 220/
240
1.25 0-250 1.5 2
This slim press is used to bust seams on trousers
and sleeves.Temperature tolerance of +/-2 °C facilitates
pressing on all kinds of fabricsThese irons have rounded surface . No pressure is
given to avoid seam impressions. Steam is
released through one row of outlet at centre of
iron to prevent marks
Model Voltage
(volts)
Power
(kw)
Weight
(kgs)
RV 500 0-150 1.35 2
Heat proof bakelite handlePrecision control of temperatureSteam regulator to control the flow
rate.Complete dry steam through specially
designed baseModel Voltage
(volts)
Power
(kw)
Weight
(kgs)
RV PEN
3500
110/220 1.20 2.6
Unique , energy saving design Incorporate multiple safety features such as turning off automatically when the water runs outThermal resistance handle with an ergonomic design Quick and powerful steam spraying.
Model Voltage
(volts)
Power
(kw)
Weight
(kgs)
C 1 120/220 Pre heat:0.20
Steam: 1.35
7.6
• To smooth away unwanted creases and crush marks
• To make creases where design of the garment require them
• To mould the garment to the contour of the body• To prepare garment for further sewing• To refinish the fabric after manufacturing the
garment
• Flat bed press are used for pressing flat table covers, pillow covers and staff uniforms.
• These presses are pneumatically operated and have automatic features incorporated as per the specifications provided by manufacturer
• In addition, heating system in flat bed presses is also available with steam, electric and thermic fluid.
• A tunnel finisher comprises of an entrance and an exit, and two pairs of air drums one at the entrance and one at the exit
• The tunnel finisher also comprises a steam chamber separated from a finishing chamber by the air drums and an exhaust chamber which passes off from the ceiling of the steam chamber.
• A conveyor having grippers for passing garments between the entrance air drums, through the steam and circulation chambers, and out between the exit air drums.
• The distance between two grippers is selected such that a second garment enters at the inlet when a first garment enters between the exit pair of air drums.
Tunnel finisher
CFS 150 Weight: 886 kgPower of motor: 3 HpSteam Consumption: 188 kg/hr
CFS 300Weight: 1533 kg Power of motor: 2 HpSteam Consumption: 188 kg/hr
The "U" configuration is preferred because of equipment layout, conveyor system and/or production flow.
CTU-190 Weight: 2618 KgMotor Power: 10 HpSteam Consumption: 314 Kg/hr
CTU-290Weight: 3625 kgMotor Power: 20 HpSteam Requirement: 314 Kg/hr
CFS 2100-2 Weight: 4607 kgMotor power: 5 HpSteam Consumption: 314 kg/hr
CFS 2100-3 Weight: 6154 kgMotor Power: 5 HpSteam Consumption: 314 Kg/hr
• Thread Sucking Machines are designed to successfully meet the operational requirements of sucking loose threads from garments.
• These have airtight cladding, which enable quick removable for easy access to areas such as blower motor, garment trap, strainer & control box.
IT IS ALSO KNOWN AS ‘PUFFER’
CONSISTS OF A FRAME CARRYING:
1. STEAM DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
2. COMPRESSED AIR DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
3. PRESSING FORM
CONTROL SYSTEM WITH TIMER
REDUCES THE POSITIONING AND REPOSITIONING IN PRESSING OPERATION.
REMOVES ACCIDENTAL CREASES.
DISTORTION ALONG THE BUTTONED OPENINGS IS PREVENTED BY SPRING PADDED CLAMPS
THE HIGH PERFORMANCE STEAM SYSTEM PROVIDES EVEN WITH SHORT STEAM PHASES EXCELLENT RESULTS.
THE POWERFUL HOT AIR FAN REDUCES FIXING AND DRYING TIME THUS INCREASING PRODUCTIVITY.
HIGH QUALITY ENSURES TROUBLE FREE OPERATION AND A LONG LIFE CYCLE.
SHORT PAYBACK BASED ON AN EXCELLENT COST AND PERFORMANCE RATIO.
Model 8362
Capacity (per hour) 75
Steam Consumption (at 6bar in kg/hr) 25
Air Consumption (at 6bar in l/min) 1
Power (kw) 2
Voltage (volts) 200-240
Dimensions (l*b*h) (mm) 1350*2430*2530
Weight (kg) 290
Sound intensity level Drying : 69 dB Steaming: 83 dB
(height 1.6 m, 1 m from the front edge)
VEIT 8346
• Trousers with a waistband width of 19 - 56 inch can be finished without any pre-adjustments.
• Timing belt drive for the hem clamps
• Re-stretching for leg length
• Belt drives provides a smooth and gentle movement of hem clamp unit.
Model 8741
Capacity (per hour) 60
Steam Consumption (at 6bar in kg/hr) 15
Air Consumption (at 6bar in m3/hr) 0.2
Power (kw) 0.92
Voltage (volts) 200-240
Dimensions (l*b*h) (mm) 642*1013*1946
Weight (kg) 180
Sound intensity level Blowing : 75 dB Steaming: 85 dB
(height 1.6 m, 1 m from the front edge)
VEIT 8741
• Extremely powerful blower that is adjustable for all fabrics from extremely light weight fabrics to much heavier ones
• This machine can be used on the following kinds of garments:
• Dresses, Coats, Aprons, Bathrobes Jackets, Ladies’ Jackets, Blouses, Pullovers,
VEIT 8308
Model 8308
Capacity (per hour) 60
Steam Consumption (at 6bar in kg/hr) 25
Air Consumption (at 6bar in l/cycle) 1
Power (kw) 2.2
Voltage (volts) 200-240
Dimensions (l*b*h) (mm) 525*1270*790
Weight (kg) 115
• Another improvement is in the mechanical principle in the operation of steam presses.
• This employs a vertical head movement instead of a scissor action ,giving the benefit of much finer control and a more even distribution of presses over the whole surface of the buck.
