Coleman irons

This iron is marked for the Incandescent Light & Supply Co., Wichita, that was later consolidated with the Coleman Lamp Co. This model was manufactured for Incandescent Light & Supply by the American Gas Machine Co. (AGM), Albert Lea, Minnesota. The iron (here Patent Applied For) was issued patent 1,043,421 on Nov. 5, 1912 to Hans C. Hanson, President of AGM. This iron is in Jan Dyke’s collection.

Coleman sold their No 1 iron for a short period in the mid 1920’s. This model was made for them by the Monitor Sad Iron Co., Big Prairie, Ohio. The stamping on the top plate of this model says The Coleman Iron, Made in the U.S.A., and Patent Pend’g. You can see this same Monitor iron badged for the Thomas Mfg. Co. here. The “key” wrench controlled the fuel flow. Jason Tyler bought this iron near his home in Australia.

The Monitor Sad Iron Co. also made this Sunshine Iron (bottom image) for Coleman’s Sunshine Safety subsidiary, located in Kansas City, Missouri. The construction of the iron is much the same as the No. 2 Coleman iron below except that it lacks the lid extension to prop up the top plate for preheating. The Monitor irons for Coleman were gasoline gravity models. The body of the iron has a metal insert on each side (middle image) that covered the holes in the side of the body. This iron is in Dean DeGroff’s collection.

Roland Chevalier was preheating his Coleman Canada Model No. 2 iron with alcohol when he took this image. The alcohol preheats the valve at the back of the iron and the lid extension allows the top plate to lean against the tank to preheat that part as well. This iron came with the wrench, funnel, and instructions. The trivet is from a different iron.

The Coleman No. 2 iron, in Nancy Remkus’ collection, was also manufactured by the Monitor Sad Iron Co., in the mid 1920’s. The lid extension is rotated back during operation in the left image and the iron is running in the right image.

Coleman made their first iron, No. 3, in 1927-1928. This model is instant lighting. The mixing chamber casting (3rd image down) has slits on the rear upper half of the casting to keep the generator hot and a heat shield above that to reduce the heating of the top plate. The plug in the back of the casting is absent in later Coleman irons that use this burner. A pin in the front of the bottom of the body (bottom image) aligns that part with the sides of the body. This iron is in Dean DeGroff’s collection.

Coleman – Wichita made the No. 4 iron from 1929 through the first month of 1932 (Coleman Shipping Records). This model was also instant lighting. It has the same burner casting as in the Coleman – Canada Model 4-A iron below. The unmarked trivet holds the iron at an angle to one side for ease of use (upper image). This iron is in Nancy Remkus’ collection.

Coleman’s Model 4-A iron was very popular with it’s “Cool BLUE Handle.” Coleman in Wichita, Kansas made this model from 1929 – 1948. This iron belongs to Clarence Landrum; it was purchased in 1939-40 in rural Oklahoma.

This Coleman Model 5 iron has green enameled sides and a green painted handle. The lower part of the burner (lower image) may have been less expensive to produce than the burners on other models of the period. This torch-lighting model, in Darrel Johnson’s collection, dates from 1929-33, and was photographed by Doug Dwyer.

Coleman only made the Model 8 Good Value iron in 1936. This iron is in Don Colston’s collection. The 5/8″ wide handle bracket is unique to this model; other Coleman models have a 3/4″ wide handle bracket.

While the valve wheel and other parts on this iron appear to be Coleman the only markings is “Instant.” Paperwork with another of these irons shows that it was sold by Sears as No. 5946 and possibly made in 1935 based on what may be a date code on that paper. The burner in the iron (lower image) is unlike the cast iron burners that Coleman used in their other irons in this period: it is only a brass tube with slits across the bottom to direct the flames to the sole of the iron as well as 6 slits across the top to heat the generator. This iron is in Nancy Remkus’ collection.

Coleman Canada’s version of the Model 8 iron features a gold painted tank and gold band on the black wood handle. This iron, Don Colston’s collection, appears to have been used very little.

This Coleman iron is stamped Made in Australia by arrangement with Coleman Lamp & Stove Co., Ltd, Canada. It also has a Jan. 14, 1936 Trademark date. This iron appears in Australian catalogs until at least 1955. This instant lighting iron is in Joey Sparks’ collection.

Coleman in Wichita made the Model 609 iron in 1938-1940; the paperwork with this iron is dated April, 1938. This instant lighting “Streamlined” model featured a natural grip Bakelite handle with a built-in thumb rest. The tank has a counter sunk filler plug. This iron is in Nancy Remkus’ collection.

This is Coleman’s Model 8A, the Good Value iron. It was manufactured in September, 1939. This iron, in Nancy Remkus’ collection, was found with “all the bits” – box, wrapping paper (in Spanish) for the trivet, instructions, pump, filler can, wrench, and extra parts. The cast iron burner in this iron is the same as the one pictured below in the Coleman – Canada 4-A iron.

Coleman – Canada made the Magic No. 10 iron. This instant lighting model features the fluted body that is seen in only a couple of other models. The instruction sheet for this model has a printer’s date of April 1937 (Rocen). This never-fired iron is in Bernie Rousseau’s collection.

The paperwork that came with this Canadian 4-A iron is dated March and November, 1939. The cast iron burner in this iron (lower image) is flattened on the bottom, presumably to further direct the heat to the sole of the iron. There are also 4 slits in the upper side and at the back end of the casting (not visible) to direct flames to the generator. The trivet that came with the iron is embossed with the Sunshine logo, Coleman, and Made In Canada. This iron is in Nancy Remkus’ collection.

This iron has the same fluted body as the Magic No. 10 iron above but is stamped Model 4A on the tag on the handle. The iron may have been made with a fluted body left over from production of the No. 10 iron above (Rocen). This iron is in Ken and Carol Lunney’s collection.

This Coleman 609A iron is shown with the original pump and filler can. This iron is in Dwayne Hanson’s collection. It was manufactured in 1938-1941.

Coleman Canada listed the 4-A iron in ivory and red colors as well as blue in a 1942 catalog. The iron retailed for $6.95 in that year and came with a stand, pump, wrench, and measuring can. This instant lighting iron is in Joey Sparks’ collection.

This is a Canadian Coleman iron, Model 4-A, which was manufactured in this beautiful red color. This iron is in Don Colston’s collection.

Coleman Canada also made Model 4-A with a black enamel body and black painted handle. This iron, in Tom Muscardin’s collection, came with the trivet, tools, and spare parts. The iron has a common problem – the user burned the wood handle!

This iron is stamped Coleman Model No. 11 Kerosene, Pat. Appl’d For. George Rocen, whose collection this is in, notes that it appears to be identical to Model 611 below.

This Canadian Coleman iron is Model 611, a kerosene model circa 1947. Note the clean-out lever built into the fuel valve which distinguishes it from the more common 611A which lacked this feature. This iron, in Don Colston’s collection, came with the original pump, burner cleaner, and instructions.

Canadian Coleman Model 611A differs from Model 611 above by not having the clean-out lever built into the fuel valve. The two lower images show the iron running from the side (left) and rear (right). In the side image you can see the flames directed to the sole of the iron and in the rear image you can see the flames directed down on the generator. This model first shows up in catalogs in the late 1940’s. This iron is in Roland Chevalier’s collection.

This 611A Canadian iron is the same as the 611A iron above except that it has a blue wooden handle instead of the usual black plastic handle. George Rocen, whose collection this is in, believes this handle is original to the iron.

Model 12, a Good Value Instant-Lighting Iron, appears in a Coleman Wichita Jobber’s Catalog in 1948 and is listed for two more years with parts available in a 1958 parts catalog. It cost $1.50 – $3.00 less than Model 4A. This iron is in Joey Sparks’ collection.

Coleman Canada may have made this 4-A iron in the early 50’s based on the color and style of the instruction sheet that came with it. For years Coleman Canada referred to the 4-A iron as the Aristocrat in its brochures. (Rocen) The iron, in Doug Downs collection, came with the box and accessories.

Coleman Canada probably made this Model 4-C iron after 1952. The body of the iron is stamped steel that was enameled. This Instant Lite iron is in Roland Chevalier’s collection. The top plate has a rounded lip all the way around, not just on the nose as Model 4-A, and lacks slots around the top of the enameled sides, that made it prone to overheating (Engbring).

Coleman Toronto also made a Model 12 iron but later than Coleman Wichita (see above). This iron, in Ron Becker’s collection, is stamped Model 12 Instant Light, Good Value Iron, Coleman Lamp and Stove Co. LTD Canada. The only differences that Ron can see between this iron and the US version are the screw heads used to attach the handle to the body of the iron and the lack of company stamping on the tank of the Canadian version. The instruction sheet that came with this iron is dated 4-60. This iron has a cast iron burner (not shown).

This Coleman 4-D instant lighting gasoline iron is date stamped January 1972. It has a stamped, not cast, blue enameled body. The large hole in the middle, black enameled area of the top of the body (second image down) lines up with the air intake in the mixing chamber casting. The valve wheel (bottom image) has a screw to fasten it to the valve stem, rather than being molded to that part. This iron is in Darrel Johnson’s collection and was photographed by Doug Dwyer.

This kerosene fueled Model 615A, date stamped January 1972, is in Nancy Remkus’ collection. The burner (lower image) was made from two pieces of pressed steel in a similar fashion to the lantern burners made in that period. The generator passes through the hole in the preheater cup and enters the burner to the left of “A.” A slit in the burner immediately to the right of “A” allows flames to keep the generator hot. The sole plate is aluminum. An instruction sheet that came with this model has directions in English, French, Spanish, Sotho, Zulu, and Afrikaans.

 

Coleman Canada also continued making their 4 series irons at least until January 1983 (second image from top) when these 4-E irons were made. The blue enameled body of this instant lighting model was stamped rather than cast (third image from top). The mixing chamber is made from steel tubing rather than cast (bottom image).  The unfired iron in the upper two images is in Ron Becker’s collection while the iron in the lower two images is in Darrel Johnson’s collection and was photographed by Doug Dwyer.

© 2000-2023 Terry Marsh