Before the advent of electricity in the home made electrically-heated clothes irons a possibility, ironing was a cumbersome process, with self-heated irons being an arguable improvement over solid (so-called sad) irons that required heating in an external heat source like a stove or fire. These self-heating irons used a variety of fuels, with the one featured on the [Our Own Devices] YouTube channel using gasoline for fuel, making it technically a gasoline-powered clothes iron.
The used gasoline form is LSR, which is commonly referred to as naphtha and is also sold as camping fuel today. In addition to the gasoline version a kerosene-powered version was also sold, so you had to better make sure you refueled your iron with the right fuel.
After pouring in fresh fuel you have to prime it by pushing the plunger a couple of times, before igniting the burner with a lit match via a hole in the side while opening the fuel valve. If you did things right, the iron will now be heating up. In a sense this makes it effectively like a camping stove, with also many of the same caveats, with such irons gaining a reputation for starting fires and causing bodily harm.
Due to decaying seals this iron in the video wasn’t fired up, but it was disassembled to show the internal components, along with a comparison of the kerosene version. Inside is a kind of crude carburetor that mixes air in with the fuel to get a combustible fuel-air mix, along with plenty of soot to attest to this iron having been regularly used.
Although electrical irons eventually removed all need for gasoline-powered irons, they were still used in mostly rural settings until the 1950s. Reading the Wikipedia entry on clothes irons makes one rather glad that these days we can iron our clothes without all the fuss and significant risk of accidents of these old irons.
More Dangerous Than Dynamite
“Gasoline isn’t just for setting things on fire or fueling automobiles any more, folks! Learn all of it’s fun, functional and dysfunctional uses in this PSA – made funny by RiffTrax!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JirQCaZ_6Xg
This video woul’ve been great without the obnoxious commentary inbetween.
Don’t you know the rule? No commenting before your morning coffee. Somebody get Daniel a coffee!
Here it is without: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIarvjoaK8U
I guess the temperatur control is not good enought to solder SMD. So what it is made for?
Kids these days!
Back in my time we used to solder our surface mount PIC16F84As with our Zippos and it was fine!
Have a butane powered soldering iron around here.
I use to love those things!
According to the old timers, the 39-47 Dodge pickups (and earlier, presumably) were advertised by dealers as being able to run on naphtha (also knows as “white gas”), which was commonly available in rural areas. With the flathead 6 having a 5.1:1 compression ratio, I believe it.
There used to be a lot of camping equipment that ran off of “white gas”. I always thought that it was just “unleaded gasoline” that had no additives. (before modern unleaded gasoline).
I’m old enough to remember naptha fueled torches for plumbing work. My dad had a couple. I have vivid memories of him under the house trying to thaw out frozen pipes with one. My vocabulary expanded in a whole new direction that day….
For extra danger, use the gasoline for both dry cleaning and ironing!
The Talking Heads wrote a song about that, Burning Down the House.
Great song but don’t forget “We didn’t start the fire” – Billy Joel.
A bar I DJ’ed in several years ago had a kitchen fire that shut the place down for 6 weeks. When it reopened I had the owner give a thank you speech and then dedicated a song to him “Oh My God The Bar’s On Fire Somebody Save The Beer” – The Bottle Rockets 🤣
It is odd but I have seen clothes irons that would hold red hot coals from the fireplace. And then ones that burned charcoal (made a lot of carbon monoxide) as well.
Regular or high-test?
I don’t want it to stumble and snag a button if it goes dead….
Whenever I went camping with my dad we a kid he would always stress, “Son, always be very careful with white gas, respect it,” as he filled and pumped up our old Coleman stove or lantern.
Many years later as an adult I took him on the last camping trip we’d ever go on. Cold morning, hungover, wet wood, no fire, need coffee. Dad brushing his teeth down at the creek. Loud cursing. Fire. He runs back. 3rd degree burn over my entire hand. ER. Dad drove.
I still have no idea what went wrong, but it went wrong FAST. We never once spoke of the incident. There was no need, I already knew.
This iron is absolutely terrifying. Life is full of temporary wrinkles, a few on your clothes will be fine. Scars and skin grafts are forever.