improvements in Appiances or ironing.
Year: 1896

page_text: improvements in Appiances or ironing.
I, ROBERT HACKING, of 44 Crocus Street, in the town and county of the town
of Nottingham, Joiner, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in appliances for ironing, and has
reference to hand irons, sad irons, polishing irons, and the like, and to tables
or boards for ironing; also to polishing machines, neck-band, wrist-band, and
shirt bosom ironing machines, and like machinery.
For the purpose of my invention, the iron is provided with a permanent or
electro-magnet (preferably the latter) of horse shoe or other suitable shape. This
magnet may form, or be enclosed in, the handle; and the body of the iron is
made preferably of brass, and hollow to contain a heating coil, or its equivalent,
whereby the iron can be heated by electricity. The poles of the magnet are made
flush with the face or polishing surface of the iron. The ironing table or board
is made of iron, or has an iron plate beneath the felt or flannel covering of the
table which attracts the iron towards it with a pressure depending on the number
and arrangement of coils with which the electro-magnet of the said iron is
wound, and on the amount of current passing through said coils; or, in the case
of a permanent magnet, on the strength of the magnet. By this means a pressure
may be obtained with an iron weighing only 2 or 3 lbs, equivalent to that here-
tofore only obtained with a 14 or 18 lb iron, and without anything approaching
the same amount of labour.
The electric current may be supplied to the iron by any suitable means, and
the heating coil and magnet coil may be in series, or parallel. A suitable device
for breaking the circuit when it is desired to lift the iron from the work is
arranged on the handle, or in any convenient position. In some cases, a small
battery may be arranged upon the iron, or the table may consist of one or of a
number of electro-magnets or permanent magnets, to which a sad or polishing
iron containing an electric heating coil may be attracted to obtain the desired
pressure.
The ironing table or board may consist of a shallow tank to contain water,
above which is a level perforated lid or cover of iron or magnetic metal covered
with cloth or suitable materials forming the ironing surface. Steam from the
water may be caused to rise through the perforations and maintain the board
at the desired degree of humidity.

page_text: To prevent rusting of the ironing board, the iron surface may be galvanized,
or otherwise protected.
Dated this 20th day of October 1896.
ERNEST DE PASS,
Chartered Patent Agent,
78, Fleet Street, London, and 5A, Market Street, Nottingham,
Agent for the Applicant.
I, ROBERT HACKING, of 44 Crocus Street, in the City of Nottingham, Joiner,
do hereby declare the nature of this Invention and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to
the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to improvements in appliances for ironing, and has
reference to hand irons, sad irons, polishing irons, and the like, and to tables
or boards for ironing; also to polishing machines, neck-band, wrist-band, and
shirt bosom ironing machines, and like appliances.
For the purpose of my Invention the iron is provided with an electro-magnet
of horse shoe or other suitable shape, and this magnet may form part of the
handle, or be enclosed therein. The body of the iron is made preferably of brass,
copper, or silver, and hollow to contain a heating coil, or its equivalent, whereby
the iron can be heated by electricity. The poles of the magnet are made flush
with the face or polishing surface of the iron.
The ironing table or board is made of iron, or has an iron plate (beneath the
usual felt or flannel blanket) which attracts the iron towards it with a pressure
depending on the number and arrangement of coils with which the electro magnet
of the said iron is wound, and on the amount of current passing through said
coils. By this means a pressure may be obtained with an iron weighing only
2 or 3 lbs equivalent to that heretofore only obtained with a 14 or 18 lb iron,
and without anything approaching the same amount of labour.
The electric current may be supplied to the iron by any suitable means, and
both the heating coil and magnet coil may be in series, or in parallel. A suitable
device for breaking the circuit, when it is desired to lift the iron from the work,
is arranged on the handle, or in any convenient position. In some cases a small
battery may be arranged upon the iron, or the table may consist of one or of a
number of electro-magnets to which a sad or polishing iron containing an electric
heating coil may be attracted to obtain the desired pressure.
The ironing table or board may consist of a shallow tank to contain water,
above which is a level perforated lid or cover of iron, or other magnetic metal,
covered with a cloth or suitable materials forming the ironing surface. Steam
from the water is caused to rise through the perforations and maintain the board
at the desired degree of humidity.
To prevent rusting of the ironing table or board, the surface of the same may
be galvanized, or otherwise protected.
And in order that my Invention may be readily understood, I will describe
the same fully with reference to the annexed drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation and Fig. 2 a plan (with parts broken away) of
an iron constructed according to my Invention.

page_text: Fig. 3 is a diagram shewing the circuit of the electric current in the iron.
Fig. 4 shews the iron in use, in conjunction with an ironing table or board.
Fig. 5 shews a modified arrangement in which an ordinary iron is used in
conjunction with a magnetic ironing table.
Fig. 6 represents a perforated table provided with a water tank heated by a
steam coil.
Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the iron, which may be of any of the usual forms
of sad irons, polishing irons, or the like, is provided with a handle a which is
screwed or otherwise fixed to the two iron cores of the electro magnet and
forms part of such magnet. The heating plate c, preferably of copper, is flush
with the lower faces of the cores b, and is enclosed in a thin metal box d forming
the body of the iron, in which is arranged the heating coil e. The wire forming
this coil is coated with paraffin, or vaseline, and is arranged in zigzag one over
the other above the heating plate. The box d is then filled with plaster of Paris
or a mixture of plaster and asbestos, which, when solidified, maintains the coil,
together with the heating plate c, in position, and insulated from each other.
The plaster is afterwards baked at a high temperature which causes the paraffin,
or vaseline, to evaporate and so leave a space around the wires sufficient to allow
for their expansion through the heat generated by the electric current.
The coils of the electro magnet are wound with a double wire or strip each
wire making a certain number of ampere turns.
g is a switch which, in the present instance, is shewn affixed to the handle of
the iron; it is so arranged that one or both wires of the coils may be put in
circuit according to the pressure required, as will be readily understood on
reference to Fig. 3.
The iron constructed as above described may be used with a table or board,
such as shewn in Fig. 4, provided with an iron top plate j, covered by a blanket k.
In the arrangement of table shewn in Fig. 5, a series of electro magnets i, are
arranged below the iron top plate j and its blanket k, and an ordinary iron, of
sufficient length to cover the poles of two or more of the electro magnets, is used.
In the arrangement shewn in Fig. 6, the table top jis perforated, and beneath
the same is arranged a tank containing water, which latter is evaporated by
means of a steam coil m, or otherwise, and then passes, as steam, through the
perforations in the table to the blanket k, so maintaining the blanket at the
desired degree of humidity.
It is obvious that the electric iron above described may be used in conjunction
with ironing sleeve boards, or skirt boards, or with any of the well known devices
used by ironers, provided that the so-called boards be made of iron or other like
magnetic material.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said In-
vention and in what manner the same may be performed, I declare that I claim,
is:-
1. An ironing appliance in which the pressure to be exerted on the article to
be ironed is effected by establishing electro-magnetic attraction between the iron
and the ironing table, substantially as described.
2. An iron, comprising a heating coil located in the body thereof, an electro
magnet arranged in or forming part of the handle, and a switch for regulating
the magnetic pressure by causing the current to pass through one or both the
windings of the magnet, said iron being adapted for use in conjunction with an
ironing table or board having its top formed of magnetic material and covered
by the blanket, substantially as described.
3. The ironing table or board having an iron top plate and a number of
electro-magnets disposed beneath the same, substantially as described with
reference to Fig. 5 of the drawings.
4. The ironing table or board having a perforated top, a water tank located

page_text: below the same, and a steam coil for evaporating the water in such tank, substan-
tially as and for the purpose described, and as shewn with reference to Fig. 6
of the drawings.
5. My improved appliances for ironing, substantially as herein before described
and shewn in the annexed drawings.
Doted this 20th day of July 1897
ERNEST DE PASS,
Chartered Patent Agent,
78, Fleet Street, London, and 5A, Market Street, Nottingham,
Agent for the Applicant.