Archaeological excavations show that even during the Stone Age, people used polished mammoth bone to smooth their clothes. The practice of using iron for ironing began with the Romans in the 4th century BC. In those days, people used an iron rod. It was heated and used like a rolling pin to smooth the fabric.
In 1636, an iron was first mentioned in written records in Russia. With the development of iron foundry production in the 18th century, the Demidov factories began to make the first cast-iron clothes irons. People heated them on the stove — the irons were quite efficient. A little later, a charcoal iron appeared — an iron with a container inside its base where burning charcoal was placed to heat it up.
Women opened the lid and put hot birch coals inside. There were holes along the sides of the iron — people blew through these holes, the air circulated and kept the charcoal embers burning. Sometimes, for the same reason, the iron was swung from side to side. People called this type of iron a “spirit” one. Some models of such irons could weigh up to 10 kg, and small ones were half the size of a palm.
In those days, the cost of the iron was quite high. Therefore, an iron, like a samovar, was considered a sign of prosperity. Wealthy families had several irons for different types of fabric. For wealthy customers, irons were made individually and decorated with copper and silver.
To improve traction, a pipe was added a little later. The iron heated up for about 30 minutes and retained heat for about the same amount. The problem was that such an iron produced soot. Although the electric iron was invented at the end of the 19th century, cast iron irons were used until the middle of the 20th century, since many apartments were not equipped with sockets.
The exhibit from the collection of the Uray City Historical Museum has a total of five holes for blowing coals. The edges of the lid were made in the form of rounded teeth. A small lever was mounted on the lid itself to fix it. The handle consists of two plates, which the artisan connected to a cylindrical wooden holder.
In 1636, an iron was first mentioned in written records in Russia. With the development of iron foundry production in the 18th century, the Demidov factories began to make the first cast-iron clothes irons. People heated them on the stove — the irons were quite efficient. A little later, a charcoal iron appeared — an iron with a container inside its base where burning charcoal was placed to heat it up.
Women opened the lid and put hot birch coals inside. There were holes along the sides of the iron — people blew through these holes, the air circulated and kept the charcoal embers burning. Sometimes, for the same reason, the iron was swung from side to side. People called this type of iron a “spirit” one. Some models of such irons could weigh up to 10 kg, and small ones were half the size of a palm.
In those days, the cost of the iron was quite high. Therefore, an iron, like a samovar, was considered a sign of prosperity. Wealthy families had several irons for different types of fabric. For wealthy customers, irons were made individually and decorated with copper and silver.
To improve traction, a pipe was added a little later. The iron heated up for about 30 minutes and retained heat for about the same amount. The problem was that such an iron produced soot. Although the electric iron was invented at the end of the 19th century, cast iron irons were used until the middle of the 20th century, since many apartments were not equipped with sockets.
The exhibit from the collection of the Uray City Historical Museum has a total of five holes for blowing coals. The edges of the lid were made in the form of rounded teeth. A small lever was mounted on the lid itself to fix it. The handle consists of two plates, which the artisan connected to a cylindrical wooden holder.
