Sad irons, also called flat irons or smoothing irons, are shaped pieces of metal that are flat and polished on one side and have a handle attached to the other, created for the purpose of de-wrinkling fabric. “Sad” is an Old English word for “solid,” and the term “sad iron” is often used to distinguish the largest and heaviest of flat irons. They often had a trivet on which to rest the hot iron.Two triangular flat irons. They are made of solid cast iron with hollow iron handles. Flat irons (often referred to as sad irons) were heated on trivets in front of open fires, or on the tops of closed ranges, or on specially-designed iron stoves in larger laundries. They were made in numbered series which related to their size, although there was no standardisation in the series between manufacturers. these two are Salter brands. 1872.1 is a No 7 and 1872.2 is a No 8 and slightly heavier.Salter 7 Salter 6flat-iron sad-iron domestic-appliance laundry

Mrs. Potts invented the Potts Removable Handle Iron. Her invention of the Cold Handle Sad Iron changed the clothing iron industry. The detachable insulated handle was designed to be always cool for ironing. The handle was detachable, so that several irons could be on the stove at one time and the handle swapped between several bodies.This item is an example of an invention that was universally adopted because it meant that users could keep several irons on the stove at one time and the handle swapped when needed. The original Mrs Potts irons had handles made of wood (walnut) and this enabled the user to us the iron without sustaining burns.A Mrs Potts Sad Iron.It is a double point design with detachable handle. The detachable insulated handle was designed to be always cool for ironing. The handle was detachable, so that several irons could be on the stove at one time and the handle swapped between several bodies. There is no handle with this iron. MRS POTTS. Rest is indecipherable.domestic-appliance mrs-potts sad-iron flat-iron laundry