A clothes iron is used, when heated, to press clothes to remove wrinkles and creases.The early irons were heated over a stove or in a fire. Irons were used very early in time and cast-iron irons during the 18th century. Mrs. Potts invented many irons starting from an early age thus making a difference to the clothing industry. She invented clothes irons with detachable wooden handles. Her first patent was in October 1870.This iron was used in the Kiewa Valley.Vintage cast iron body invented by Mrs Mary Florence Potts 1890s to 1940s. Detachable wooden handle (not attached) was cooler than a metal handle. It is double pointed for ironing in both directions. Body is hollow the top part being held by two screws. It can be filled with a light material. The No. 1 size is for specific ironing task. compared with No. 2 or No. 3. One handle with other bases enabled some to be reheating while using one. This iron has a stand. Formerly KV88B)Mrs Potts / No. 1 / Iron"" embossed on the topmary florence potts iron, cast iron, laundry, mrs potts

Sad irons of the 19th century were so named because of the weight 1.8Kg that was needed to press wrinkled clothes and sheets. They were made of solid metal, including the handle. When the iron was heated, this meant that the handle would also heat up. The user would have to use a thick cloth or a mitt of some sort before they could pick up the iron. Even so, burns and blisters, as well as strained, tired arms, were a normal part of the “ironing day.” Mrs Mary Florence Potts of Ottumwa, Iowa, brought a change to the world of ironing. At the age of 19, in 1870, she invented her first sad iron. It had a hollow metal body that could be filled with a non-conducting material such as plaster of Paris. In 1871, Mary invented the removable wood handle, so that it could be changed from the cool iron to one that was hot and ready to use. A final improvement was the shape: Mary made both ends pointed so its user could iron in either direction. All of these inventions were patented under her name, a rarity for the time. Mary, with the help of her husband, tried unsuccessfully to market her invention on her own. It wasn't until she sold the sales rights to the American Manufacturing Company that sales took off. Advertised as "Mrs Potts' sad iron," it became a sensation. The company manufactured the iron from about 1876 to 1951. Mrs Potts' sad iron became a household word and a standard for future inventors to have to surpass. This didn't happen until 1882 when Henry W. Seely patented the first electric iron. The item is significant not only as a usable domestic tool, but it was, at the time of its creation, a revolutionary labour-saving device. Mrs Potts invention remains associated with a housewife's answer to the domestic drudgery of ironing.Iron,"Mrs Potts" pattern iron. Semi-circular or 'D' shaped wood handle and wood knob.Mrs Pottsflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, iron, clothes iron, flat iron, laundry, sad iron, mrs potts