FAMOUS CREATION OF THE DAY THE ELECTRIC IRON This device enabled folks to express the way they

y felt on the inside; confidence

with loads of elegance

and pizzazz thrown in. And I dont

care how sexy

you feel or look; without the electric

iron,

you would still come across as sloppy

DESCRIPTION: The electric

iron is a handheld domestic appliance that consists of a flat triangular base which when heated and pressed on

clothes

, removes creases and wrinkles

HOW IT WORKS: The basic parts that make up an electric iron are:1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) Sole plate Pressure plate Heating element Cover plate Pilot lamp Handle Thermostat Capacitor

The sole plate forms the base of the electric iron and it is often coated heavily with chromium to prevent rusting. The pressure plate follows the sole plate and this adds the extra pressure required in removing the creases; it is usually made

of heavy cast iron or a thin sheet of steel, 0.25cm thick. In between the sole plate and the pressure plate is the heating element made up of a nichrome wire wound

around a sheet of mica; the nichrome wire is connected to a pair of contact strips which in turn, are connected to the terminals of the electric iron. The mica sheet is used as the insulating material because of its ability to withstand tremendous heat and an asbestos sheet is used to separate and insulate the top plate from the heating element. The thermostat acts as the temperature regulator and is made up of two metals soldered together, each having different expansion

coefficients. When the temperature of the electric iron rises significantly, each of the metal in the thermostat expands but to different degrees; the strip then curves upwards towards the metal with the lower expansion coefficient and this

pushes the contact spring up, thus stopping electric supply and ensuring that the temperature is controlled within certain limits. The cover plate encases all the internal parts of the iron and the handle is attached to it. The pilot lamp is located on the cover plate and it is connected at both ends to the electric supply and the heating element; it signals when the electric supply has been cut off by the thermostat. All together, current is supplied to the heating element and this heats it up. It transfers this heat to the sole plate by means of conduction. As both heat and pressure are applied to the creased fabric, the bonds between the long chains

of molecules that exist in the fabric are loosened and the fabric retains this new structure even when cool.

INVENTOR(S) OF THE ELECTRIC IRON: Since time past, generations

have found several ingenious means by which to straighten their clothes. In the

first century BC, Chinese used metal pans filled with hot water as a th means of ironing. In the 14 century, thick slabs of cast iron shaped into delta form with metal handles, were heated in the fire and used as irons; they were called

flatirons. Another design created during that period was an iron box which was filled with charcoal but it had to be blown with air from time to time to keep the charcoal from burning out. In 1870, an American housewife by the name

of Mary Potts , made significant changes to the flatiron model and made ironing that much easier for customers. Her model consisted of a detachable wooden handle and a cast hollow metallic body filled with Plaster of Paris. The wooden handle protected the customers hands from burning and the Plaster of Paris, being a poor conductor of heat, retained heat for longer. In 1880, the first electric iron was invented in France and it was heated by means of a carbon arc; this proved too dangerous to be used domestically as temperatures could rise to about 3500C. In 1882, the first electric iron to work on the principle of electrical

resistivity was invented by Henry W. Seeley from New York. His invention proved impractical as it lost heat too quickly and required constant

reheating. In 1903, Earl H. Richardson from Ontario, California, created a small, lightweight iron heated by a glowing wire wound around a brass core. His invention proved very successful as the iron produced heat all the way to the tip, making it easier to smoothen buttonholes and collars; thus he named it the Hotpoint.

EVOLUTION OF THE IRON: In 1920, automatic heat control, made of pure

silver , was invented by Joseph Myers and the Silex Company picked it up to produce the first automatic iron in 1927. In 1926, the Eldec Company introduced

the first steam iron that could straighten dry-stiff clothes like linen with ease. More changes to the iron were made over the years but the most significant took place in the 90s when non-stick coating was added to the sole plate.

BEST TEMPERATURES TO IRON DIFFERENT FABRICS:

1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Cotton: 2000C Linen: 2250C Wool: 1650C Silk: 1550C Polyester: 1500C

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ONLINE SOURCES
1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) Bright Hub Engineering: The Invention of the Electric Iron Info.com: Who invented the Electric Iron? MadeHow.com: How Clothes Iron is made Wikipedia: Clothes Iron Pressing Iron and Trivet Collectors: Mrs Potts Sad Irons Bellevue Memorial Park: Featured Burials; Earl Holmes Richardson