Irons

This Model 2-G iron was made by the Akron Lamp Co., Akron, Ohio. The iron requires the generator to be preheated with a torch and runs on gasoline. This iron is in Casey Goccia’s collection. Compare this iron to Model 2-K and to the generators below the 2-K iron.

In this image you can see the other side of a Model 2 iron, as above. However, while this iron also requires the generator to be preheated with a torch, it runs on kerosene. Akron  designated this model 2-K. The box that this iron came in has a date stamp of 1-30. Compare this iron, in Nancy Remkus’ collection, to Model 2-G above and to the generators below. You can see the  funnel and orifice pricker for this iron here.

The orifices of the generators for Model 2-G (left) and 2-K (right) distinguish whether it is for gasoline with two flat sides forming an “oval” tip, or kerosene with four flat sides forming a square tip. In this way the fuel for most Akron appliances can be distinguished by examining the ends of the orifices. Akron iron generators include a loop that a cylindrical torch fit through after inserting the torch in the deep opening on the one side of the iron.

These irons were also manufactured by The Akron Lamp Co. The iron in the upper image, in Craig Seabrook’s collection, is also marked with their Diamond brand on the plate at the base of the handle. The iron in the lower image, in Glenn Knapke’s collection, is only marked Montgomery Ward, Chicago, on the filler cap. David Kite found this model in Montgomery Ward catalogs from Fall-Winter 1931-32 through Spring-Summer 1938.

The Akron Lamp Co. patented this iron and the next ones below in the same design on Dec. 22, 1936. This iron, in Benjamin and Rhonda Adams’ collection, is a kerosene model and required preheating with an alcohol torch inserted in the hole near the back.

The Akron Lamp Co. made this No. 7 iron to be run on kerosene: the orifice has four flat sides as on the kerosene generator for Model 2-K higher on this page. There is a short accessory burner to the right of the mounting post (lower image) to keep the generator hot. The box for this iron, in Nancy Remkus’ collection, is date stamped 1937. The design of the iron is the same as the version Akron made for their Radiant subsidiary, below, a decade later. Note, however, that the mixing chamber casting on this No. 7 iron is brass (lower image). You can see the wrench that came with this iron (and the same as with the Radiant iron below) here.

Radiant Products Co. was apparently a subsidiary of the Akron Lamp & Mfg. Co. in Akron, Ohio. This Radiant iron, Model R-9-G, came with a sales slip dated Oct. 31, 1947. The wood handle on the iron is painted to look like plastic. The iron is filled with gasoline by removing the pump in the handle and lit while rested vertically on the fuel tank. Air travels to the cast iron mixing chamber (lower image) by passing under the handle which is raised by spacers on the screws (middle image). This iron, in Nancy Remkus’ collection, requires preheating.

The Albert Lea Gas Light Co, Albert Lea, Minnesota, made this Gem iron between 1910 and circa 1914 when the company became the Brite-Lite Co. The thin brass generator tube (lower image) is kept hot by the heat rising from the burner (lower cylinder with slits below) that otherwise directs the heat downward to the base plate of the iron.

Aladdin Australia made this Model 4 kerosene iron circa 1939. This iron, in Peter Cunnington’s collection, has the spherical filler cap at the top of the reservoir and the pump is built into the handle. Note the thumb rest at the front of the handle for a right-handed user. The iron is preheated in the vertical position resting on the reservoir.

AGM listed this American Self Heating Flat Iron No. 3, in Catalog 22, circa 1917. An earlier example of this AGM iron badged for the Incandescent Light & Supply Co., Wichita, can be seen here. This iron is in Loren Abernathy’s collection.

The Model 67 AGM iron is listed in a parts catalog from circa 1930. This is a torch lighting model with an ivory enamel finish. Stress cracks in the tank prevent this iron from being used. The trivet is the original that was supplied with this iron.

The stamping on the top plate of this iron identifies it as Sun Flame Model 6968 as well as Pat. Appl’d For & Made in USA. There is a tag on the front of the handle marked American Gas Machine Inc., Albert Lea, Minn. This iron is in Clayton Heiderich’s collection.

Based on the valve wheel, Jan Dyke believes this iron in his collection was made by AGM. The tag on the front of the handle identifies it as Sears Model 710.2434. Jan returned the body and tank to their original silver paint color.

This unlabeled gasoline iron was identified by an instruction sheet as the Standard Self-Heating Iron that was made by the C. Brown Mfg. Co., Cincinnati, Ohio. This iron, in Glenn Knapke’s collection, required heating for 5 – 7 minutes with a teaspoon of gas to build pressure in the tank prior to opening the valve to run the iron.

The L.G. Dyson and Coy Co., Brisbane, Australia, made this Trump Brand “Pumpless” iron (lower image). This iron uses Shellite (gasoline) fuel. Note the thumb rest fastened beside the handle for right-handed users. The iron appeared in advertisements from 1949-51 in Australian newspapers according to Iain Sedgman, whose collection this is in. The 3/8 Whitworth spanner (wrench) behind the iron (upper image) fits on the plug.

The self-heating HydroCarbon E-Z sad iron was manufactured by Enterprise Tool & Metal Works, Chicago. Based on the address on the instruction sheet that came with this iron,
the iron was made sometime after 1914. This iron is in John Carriere’s collection.

The top plate on this iron is embossed PERFECTO, PAT. JUNE 15 15, and KEROSENE IRON, but a 1916 advertisement for the Perfecto Iron gives the address of Enterprise Tool & Metal Works. The June 15, 1915 patent was issued to G.T. Rosengren and assigned to that company. Compare this iron to the Enterprise iron in the image above. This iron, in Ron Drake’s collection, came with the original pump.

An Amish company, Even Heat Corporation, Fredericksburg, Ohio, made this Model 9100 gasoline iron that used the design of the much earlier Akron streamlined models such as No. 7, higher on this page. Unlike the Akron streamlined irons, this one has a cast metal tank and a preheater cup mounted just inside the lighting opening (lower image, lower left corner). This iron, in Nancy Remkus’ collection, was traded in by an Amish family for an Even Heat butane fueled iron circa 2004.

This gasoline gravity iron is stamped The Improved Easy Iron, The Foote Mfg. Co., Dayton, O(hio). The iron is preheated with alcohol by putting a tablespoon or two in the bottom and lighting it (middle image). Note the depression to the right in that image where the alcohol will heat directly under the valve and tank. The burner has rows of holes facing down (bottom image) to heat the sole of the iron. This iron was likely made for Foote, a reseller, that appears in Dayton City Directories from 1908-16. This iron is in Iain Sedgman’s collection.

The Gloria Light Co. of Australasia, Melbourne, Australia, manufactured this iron between 1916 and 1928. Iain Sedgman, whose collection this is in, bases the age estimate in part on the fiber valve wheel and on the larger generator that lacks a tip cleaner. Note the slotted, upward extension of the burner (lower image – indicated by the letter A) to help heat the generator once it has been preheated.

This Gloria-Australasia iron shares features with the Gloria iron above including a cast iron enameled top plate and the upward facing burner extension to heat the larger generator (not shown), but now has a Bakelite valve wheel that began to be used at the end of the 1920s. Note the filler plug has four spokes to aid in opening and closing. Gloria also used this spoked filler plug on some of their lamp and lantern models in this period. This iron is in Iain Sedgman’s collection.

The Gloria-Australasia iron above shows a further progression in features from the silver and green finished irons above. Like them, this one has a cast iron enameled top plate and the upward facing burner extension to heat the generator. However, the generator is thin walled and match lighting and has a built in tip cleaner (not visible). Iain dates this iron in his collection to 1933-1936. The pump that came with this iron can be seen here.

The renamed Gloria Light Company Pty Ltd. applied for a patent for their Pumpless Iron in 1936.  The iron’s burner system gets quite hot during running (lower image) so the tank pressurizes well to inject atomized gasoline into the burner. The lower knob controls the fuel flow while the upper knob fastens the top to the bottom of the iron. The wood handle has a thumb rest (upper image) that helps right-handed people hold the iron for use. This iron is in Tony Press’ collection.

This Australian Gloria iron is the same as the above 1936 model and appears in advertising of the period. It also has the same burner system as the one above. The plain cylindrical black wood handle is a replacement of the damaged original that was like the handle on the one above. This version differs from the above in having a filler plug that has four tabs for gripping rather than two as on the above version. This iron is in Iain Sedgman’s collection.

Handi Works Pty. Ltd., a company in Brisbane, Australia, made this “Pumpless” iron, probably between 1960 and 1980, according to Albert White, the Curator of the Handi Museum. The iron and its box are in Jason Tyler’s collection. The black knob on the cover of the body of the iron is a screw to hold the cover on the iron.

This “Self Heating Flat Iron” was made by the Imperial Brass Mfg. Co., Chicago, IL. Manufactured after 1911, it has a wood handle and valve knob; the rest is nickel plated brass and steel. This model is unusual because the “external pump” can be left threaded on to the top of the tank. This iron is in the Engbring’s collection.

This gasoline gravity Jubilee Iron, Omaha, Nebraska, was patented on Oct. 31, 1899. When the valve is opened, fuel flows through the generator (upper tube in the lower image), mixes with air, and returns through the lower burner tube that has slots (not seen) for the fuel-air mixture to burn above the bottom plate. The fastener on the top plate rotates to lock that part to the body of the iron. This iron is in Bruce Strauss’ collection.

The Monitor Sad Iron Co. probably made this early gasoline model prior to April 14, 1903
as this iron is marked Patent Pending and others of this model have the patent date information. George Rocen, whose collection this iron is in, says the wood handle has the original black paint; the body is nickel plated.

This iron, in Jerry Engbring’s collection, is a Monitor Model A, another gasoline model that presumably built tank pressure during preheating the generator. The Monitor Sad Iron Co. was located in Big Prairie, Ohio.

National Stamping and Electric Works was located in Chicago for many years. During this time they made this model, which is only stamped 5986, perhaps for one of the mail order companies. The casting, “A”, opens through the top plate to draw in air by the force of the fuel released through the generator orifice. The generator projects into the back of the casting “A”. Once the iron is preheated a flame from the opening at “B” keeps it hot. The piece of copper, “C”, on the generator helps to transfer heat. This iron is in Nancy Remkus’ collection.

National Stamping and Electric Works also made this iron that was marked as manufactured by them. This Comfort Iron, in Glenn Knapke’s collection, is also embossed Self Heating.

This Nulite iron is badged Laundry Maid for Sears Roebuck & Co. on the metal tag below the handle. James Sizemore, whose collection this is in, ran the iron on gasoline after preheating the generator.

This Model 598 iron was made by National Stamping and Electric Works in the 1950’s after they moved from Chicago to St. Louis, Missouri. The body of this unfired iron, which burns kerosene, is aluminum; the trivet is original to this iron. The only difference in the burner on this 598 model and Nulite 5986 above is the end of this burner is pinched shut (lower image). Flames coming out of the slits along the top of the burner keep the generator hot. This iron is in George and Nancy Remkus’ collection.

This “Pearl” Petrol Iron is a gravity fed model made by the Doughty Pearl Light Co., Melbourne, Australia. This model appeared in an advertisement in a Melbourne newspaper in June 1945 (Sedgman). The “U” shaped generator (lower image) is heated by the burner before the fuel leaves the generator to pass through the red handled valve at the rear of the iron. Jason Tyler, whose collection this is in, has run the iron with Shellite.

J.S. Doughty patented this iron in 1947 for his Pearl Light Co., Melbourne, Australia. Iain Sedgman, whose collection this is in, found they were advertised from 1948 to 1952 in that country. The iron can be tipped back and rested on the back of the tank to rest the hot iron safely. This “Pumpless” iron, like the Peerman I/46 below, runs on Shellite (gasoline) after preheating with alcohol inside the body of the iron. Fuel can be added to the iron by unscrewing the cap at the front of the handle where there is a tubular extension of the tank.

<This Australian Peerman I/46 iron was sold by C. J. Thomas & Son, Melbourne (lower image). This “Pumpless” iron, as the Pearl iron above, is preheated with alcohol with the top partially uncovered. The angled upper knob fastens the top in place. Once preheated, the lower valve is opened for Shellite (gasoline) to flow. Model I/46 can be identified by the seam around the top edge of the tank that joins it to the sides. This iron, in Iain Sedgman’s collection, appears in a 1951 Thomas catalog.

Peerman iron Model PI/46 can be distinguished from Model I/46 above by the tank seam that is halfway down the sides rather than around the top. This iron, in Iain Sedgman’s collection, appears in a 1955 Thomas price list.

The Royal Self-Heating Iron Co. Big Prairie, Ohio, may have succeeded the Monitor Sad Iron Co. (higher on this page). This “Royal” gasoline gravity Iron, that was in the late Glenn Knapke’s collection, is pressurized by preheating and came with a wrench that fits on the square head screw at the back of the iron to adjust the fuel flow.

 The Royal Self-Heating Iron Co. also made this Model D that is is pressurized with a pump and came with the box, a wrench, and three alcohol torches. The generator in the iron (lower image) has an attached copper plate that is heated by the burner once it is running that preheats the fuel in the generator before it mixes with air in the burner. This iron is in Nancy Remkus’ collection.

While this iron is stamped Thomas Mfg. Co., Dayton, Ohio, the patent number that is also stamped on the top plate was awarded in 1903 to John C. Lake, of The Monitor Sad Iron Co., Big Prairie, Ohio (see above). This iron, in Nancy Remkus’ collection, is also stamped The Faultless. The Monitor Sad Iron Co. also made this same iron for the Coleman Co. as their Model No. 1.

Thomas Mfg. Co., Dayton, Ohio, also sold this Kerosafe iron, that was probably made for them by another company, possibly Gloria Light Co., Chicago, based on the generator (lower image). Note the round burner aimed at the end of the generator (below “A”) to keep the generator hot enough to burn kerosene. This kerosene fueled iron (upper image), in Jerry Engbring’s collection, came with the carrying case and pump. Image by Neil McRae.

This Tilley DN6 iron, in Kenny Connolly’s collection, dates to the late 1930’s, when an advertisement for it appeared. As other liquid fueled appliances by Tilley, this one is kerosene fueled.

Tilley Model DN 250n (left) has a cream-porcelained body while Model DN 250A (right) has a chrome-plated body. The 250 was introduced in the early ’50’s and sold until the late ’70’s while the 250A was probably sold for only a few years until the mid ’80’s. These irons, in Neil McRae’s collection, have a regulating generator which enables the user to control the heat.

The only marking on this iron is Patent Applied For. References on irons call this a Standard Model for Sears, #5947. The unidentified manufacturer was Turner Brass in Sycamore, Illinois. This model was introduced in 1935, according to an article in an iron collectors publication. Note the pump is incorporated into the handle (upper image). The burner assembly on this instant lighting iron bears a lot of similarity to an iron made by Coleman for Sears, #5946, also in 1935. This iron is in Nancy Remkus’ collection.

This Turner iron is only marked 135-5988. It differs from the model above in having the pump built directly into the tank. This iron is in Chris and Shannon Norman’s collection.

This iron is only marked 135-2435 and PATENT APPLIED FOR and came with a Sears, Roebuck and Co. instruction sheet. This iron was advertised in the 1940 Fall Winter Sears catalog and retailed for $5.44. This one, in Marty Edwards collection, is described as an instant lighting gasoline iron and includes a pressure gauge on top of the tank (lower image).

The top plate casting on this iron states: MODERN GASOLINE IRON, MILWAUKEE WIS, NON EXPLOSIVE PAT APLD FOR, NO 26. The iron was made by the Modern Specialties Co. between Mar. 13, 1907 and Oct. 19, 1909 based on the patent for this model. This iron is in Bruce Strauss’ collection.

This iron is the same basic design as the Modern Gasoline iron above but the top plate casting on this iron identifies it as made by the Sun Mfg. Co., South Bend, Indiana. This iron has the patent date information for both of these irons. The Sun Mfg. Co. was in business circa 1914, a couple of years after Modern Specialties had gone out of business in Milwaukee (Schedler) This iron is in Pat & Jerry Engbring’s collection.

© 2000-2023 Terry Marsh