What Is a Sad Iron Set?

An antique sad iron

The advent of electricity changed the world. While electricity made advances in technology possible, it did so at the expense of some previous technologies. One that might not immediately spring to mind, however, is ironing.

Changing Technology

Today, it takes little effort to plug in an iron, wait a few minutes and then start taking the wrinkles out of shirts and pants like magic. Before electricity, however, ironing could prove quite cumbersome, and one of the most difficult tools to work with was the sad iron, or sadiron.

Large and Heavy

An antique type of iron noted primarily for its size, the sad iron was large and heavy. With no electricity, users heated their iron over a fire. Composed completely of metal, a sad iron required a cloth wrapped around the handle in order to hold it.

Sold as a Set

Irons lose heat when used, so the user would have to "keep another iron in the fire," for when the first iron became too cool to function. Thus, sad irons often came sold in sets, usually varying a little in size for each iron, allowing the user to do ironing as a continuous task.

References

• Old & Interesting: History of Ironing