Diagram of ironing table for P.W.D. Storeyard, Port Melbourne. No. 46 by Public Works Dept., Furniture & Fitting Branch. Redrawn by K.H.storeyard, ironing table, victoria public works department

Ironing is the use of a machine, usually a heated tool (an iron), to remove wrinkles from fabric. The heating is around 180–220 °Celsius, depending on the fabric type. Ironing works by loosening the bonds between the long-chain polymer molecules in the fibres of the material. While the molecules are hot, the fibres are straightened by the weight of the iron, and they hold their new shape as they cool. Some fabrics, such as cotton, require the addition of water to loosen the intermolecular bonds. Many modern fabrics developed in or after the mid-twentieth century require little or no ironing. Permanent press clothing was developed to reduce the ironing necessary by combining Wrinkle resistant polymers with cotton. The first known use of the iron for removing wrinkles in clothes is known to have occurred in China, and the electric iron was invented in 1882, by Henry W. Seeley. Seeley patented his "electric flat iron" on June 6, 1882 (U.S. Patent no. 259,054). On 15 February 1858 W. Vandenburg and J. Harvey patented an ironing table that facilitated pressing sleeves and pants legs. A truly portable folding ironing board was first patented in Canada in 1875 by John B. Porter. The invention also included a removable press board used for sleeves. In 1892 Sarah Boone obtained a patent in the United States for improvements to the ironing board, allowing for better quality ironing of shirt sleeves.A domestic item with an interesting history of development, significant as it shows the progress and the evolution of a domestic item designed to make housework more efficient.Wooden Ironing board with press board for sleeves, board is folding.Noneflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, domestic item, ironing board, ironing, clothes, wrinkles in clothes, henry w. seeley, w. vandenburg and j. harvey

Households from the 18th century onwards used a hot iron to removed wrinkles and creases in fabric such as clothing, table and bed linen This simple iron stand provided a rest for a hot iron between use during an ironing session and a place for the iron to cool when the session was completed. This item is associated with domestic life during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Triangular shaped stand made from metal rods welded together at feet. Painted black.flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, iron stand, triangular iron stand, ironing, laundry equipment

Sad-irons or "solid" irons were made by blacksmiths and used to smooth out material by pressing the hot iron over it. A piece of sheet -iron was placed over the kitchen fire and the irons placed on it could be heated whilst remaining clean of ash.. The women used 2 irons - one heating while the other was used. Thick cloth or gloves protected their hands from the hot irons. The handle was removed from the cool iron and re- attached to remove the hot iron from the fire. The cool iron was replaced on the fire or stove to heat again. Mrs Florence Potts invented in 1871 a detachable handle made from walnut wood with a metal latch to release the handle. These wooden handles prevented burned hands and were sold to grateful women all over the world. These irons were cleaned with steel wool to prevent them marking the material. If the iron was too hot the material would scorch. Most homes set aside one day for ironing and some large households had an ironing room with a special stove designed to heat irons. However, most women had to work with a heavy, hot iron close to the fireplace even in summer.Mrs Florence Potts invented this type of detachable walnut wood handle with a meta release latch for sad irons in 1871 and it sold widely throughout the world to grateful women including those in Moorabbin Shire. The family of Ms May Curtis were early settlers in Moorabbin ShireA) A sad iron, made of cast iron , has a special handle invented in 1871 by Mrs Florence Potts of Iowa, USA. B) The detachable handle made of walnut wood to prevent burned hands, was attached to the iron by a metal latch.A) UNITED/ N0 / 50 / AUSTRALIApotts florence, iowa usa, melbourne, moorabbin, sad irons, kitchen equipmentn fireplaces, walnut wood, sewing, laundry, table ware, linen, pioneers, early settlers, washing days, craftwork

Foldable padded ironing board designed for use on a table. Label: "Foldable Ironing Board. Patented No. 111,674 - 11/9.39"ironing board, sleeve ironing board

A stand or support for utensils near or on the fire. Usually made of wrought iron, the most common variety, from the 17th century, stands on three legs and has a circular plate with perforated decoration, often in the form of a date. Another early type, short-legged, stood in the fire to support a cast-iron pot. Later, in the second half of the 18th century, trivets designed to be hung from fire bars were made. These were of two types: an oblong, standing trivet with a handle at one end and projections to fit over the fire bars at the other, and a plate that could be attached to the fire bar. Some of the latter were hung inside the grate supporting a vessel over the fire. Large quantities of cast-brass fender trivets were manufactured at Birmingham, in England, in the last quarter of the 18th century; these were suspended from the top rails of the fender as muffin and kettle stands. Four-legged trivets that stood under the spit holding the dripping pan were made in the 18th and 19th centuries. The cat, an entirely different type of plate stand that was made in the 18th century, consisted of six spokes, three at the top and three at the bottom; it could be used either way up. The term trivet is also used in reference to a metal stand with short feet, used on a table to support a hot dish.Trivets have been used since the invention of iron and are essential for placing hot items on surfaces. This trivet is an example of a trivet used in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.Metal stand, heart-shaped, with three metal feet or supports. Made to rest and sppport hot items such as pots or irons. The wrought iron stand is painted black.flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, wrought iron, pot stand, trivet, stand, kitchenalia, iron stand, heart shape, heart shaped trivet, cooking, ironing