General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

1

Total Parts

5

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

Cast iron body.

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

16.5 cm

Width

8.5 cm

Height

5.5 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Domestic Technology

Category

Laundry

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Dover

Country

United States of America

State/Province

Ohio

City

Dover

Context

Country

Unknown

State/Province

Unknown

Period

Unknown

Canada

Sad irons were presumably used in Canada from the 1880’s up and into the early 20th century.

Function

Flat irons or sad irons were heated on a stove and then used to press and smooth textiles. When thoroughly heated, the handle/nickel case was attached to the sad iron base and secured with a screw. While one iron was being used, the other two (or one of the other two) would be heated on the stove. Once the iron being used had cooled, it would be placed on the stove, the handle would be removed and then attached to another (hot) iron base. These sets were made up of different weighted irons, which were designed to be used on differently weighted textiles.

Technical

Sad irons with detachable handles (patented in 1870) are a marked advancement in the history of ironing technologies. They not only increased productivity, as a user could have multiple iron bases being heated at once (and therefore not have to wait for a single iron to re-heat) but also provided a greater level of comfort for the user; wood does not conduct heat and allowed the user a much cooler handle. While being aesthetically pleasing, the nickel case provided greater distance between the user and the iron, and insulated the sad iron. These irons were generally sold in sets of three with a detachable handle/frame. This style of Dover sad iron, with the detachable handle/frame is rare, as Dover was the only company to manufacture this style of iron.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

Embossed lettering reads: 'DOVER/ NO. 62/ SAD IRON'.

Missing

From CA of 04/15/1994 by Tony Missio: No - Complete

Finish

Black wrinkle finish on iron.

Decoration

N/A