An Improved Gas-heated Hand Iron.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Aug., 1898-Accepted, 24th Sept., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Gas-heated Hand Iron.
I, DUNCAN RAMSAY BLAIR, of 9, Southampton Street, Bloomsbury Square,
London, in the County of Middlesex, Secretary, 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:-
This invention has reference to irons for laundry work and similar smoothing
and pressing purposes, and has for its object the production of an iron of a superior
heating power whose Bunsen-burner arrangements are specially designed to avoid
the nuisance arising from the flame travelling back and lighting at the gas inlet,
and one in which the combustion is so far complete as to remove all evil,smells
arising from an unsatisfactory combustion of the gas.
In order to fully describe my invention I have annexed a drawing setting out
Figures 1 to 4.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the iron. Figure 2 is a sectional plan
of the interior showing also the position of the delivery orifice of the Bunsen-
burner. Figure 3 is a cross section on the line x, y, looking to the rear of the
iron, and Figure 4 is a similar section looking forward to the nose of the iron.
The same letters refer to the same parts in all the figures.
The major parts of the iron consist of two pieces, the body A, and the lid B,
complete with handle-bracket B₁ chimney B³, and Bunsen-burner B³.
Attached to the handle-bracket is a hollow wooden handle secured by a hollow
bolt B*.
Instead of the Bunsen-tube being straight or approximately so, I purposely
curve it very considerably as shown, and after greatly enlarging the interior
capacity at B³, I reduce the exit for the gas to a slit B, narrow in depth and
broad in the direction of the breadth of the iron, bringing it down as near the
base as practicable. This in order to battle against back draughts.
Many irons have their gas played on their bases too abruptly, which causes
the flame to rebound at once, but this I avoid by bringing the delivery orifice
low down very nearly into a horizontal line, and I provide the mouth with a
further deflecting guide B7 to insure the delivery being slightly downwards.
The extra air entering at the back of the iron is thus given better opportunities
for mixing with the burning gases in the upper part of the interior in proximity
to the highly heated asbestos sheet 18 thereby producing a more satisfactory-
combustion. In Figure 2 the position of the deflecting guide B7 is shown in
dotted lines.
Along the base of the iron are a series of flame dividing and heat conducting
projections A1, A2, A3, and A cast solid with the base, and these are increased
in height as they approach the chimney for the purpose of abstracting heat from
the escaping products of combustion to the very last. These flame dividers further
intermix the gas with the air entering at the back of the iron and thus lead to
a better combustion.
The flame dividers in the rearmost position, three of which are shown in the

page_text: drawing, are of such a height and occupy such a position relative to the delivery
orifice of the Bunsen-burner that the issuing flame is split up accordingly. Ranked
immediately in front of these first flame dividers are others, three of which are
again shown in the drawing, whose duty it is to further divide and intermix the
burning gases; in front again are others, two in the case illustrated, whilst the
last divider as shown is a solitary one, extending well up towards the chimney.
These flame splitting projections being solid with the base of the iron, act in the
additional capacity of conductors of heat to the base.
Referring to Figure 1 it will be noticed that the rear handle-bracket is suitably
bowed so as to provide additional space for the user's hand.
A shield, shown in dotted.lines in Figure 1, may be looped into the front of the
hollow handle and in the rear be secured between the handle and the loose wood
washer behind it.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
4. The combination in a gas-heated hand iron of a lid B cast solid with a
chimney B2, and rear handle-bracket B', fitted with a hollow fixing bolt and
handle 1, the lid of the iron being also lined with an asbestos sheet 138; cast
solid also with a Bunsen-burner B³ having a curved and enlarged mixing
chamber B, and a flat delivery orifice and guide B6 and B7 together with a series
of flame dividers A' to A cast solid with the body of the iron, substantially as
described and shown and with the object set forth.
2. The general arrangements of the gas-heated hand iron as shown in Figure 1.
the handle being supported on and by a hollow bolt fixed in a handle bracket
rearwardly bowed, to afford extra space for the hand, and the chimney thrown
rearward to admit a vertical fixing screw at the head of the nose, substantially as
described and shown, with the object set forth.
Dated this Twelfth day of August 1898
WM. SNOWDON,
(Agent for the Applicant),
(Box W.S.), 24, Basinghall Street, Leeds, Yorks.