Product Code Database
Ironing is the use of an iron, usually heated, to remove wrinkles and unwanted creases from fabric. The heating is commonly done to a temperature of , depending on the fabric.Fritz Schultze-Gebhardt, Karl-Heinz Herlinger "Fibers, 1. Survey" in Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, Wily-VCH, Weinheim, 2000. Ironing works by loosening the bonds between the long-chain polymer 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) are advertised as needing little or no ironing. Permanent press clothing was developed to reduce the ironing necessary by combining wrinkle-resistant polyester with cotton.
The first known use of heated metal to "iron" clothes is known to have occurred in China. Oldandinteresting.com The electric iron was invented in 1882, by Henry W. Seely. Seely patented his "electric flatiron" on June 6, 1882 (U.S. Patent no. 259,054). Enchantedlearning.com
On 15 February 1858 W. Vandenburg and J. Harvey patented an ironing table that facilitated pressing Sleeve and Trousers 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.Mario Theriault, Great Maritime Inventions 1833–1950, Goose Lane, 2001, p. 31 In 1892 Sarah Boone obtained a patent in the United States for improvements to the ironing board, allowing for better quality ironing for shirt sleeves.
Historically, larger tailors' shops included a tailor's stove, used to quickly and efficiently heat multiple irons. In many developing countries a cluster of solid irons, heated alternatively from a single heating source, are used for pressing clothes at small commercial outlets.
|
|
