The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

This probably isn't the right topic for this, but I thought I'd share the following.

I bought a collection of items which included a couple of vintage electric irons. When I got home, I discovered that one of them was an Edison! I know absolutely nothing about these, but here it is...

I like it! Nice find to add to the "miscellaneous" area of your collection!

Mike Sorter
Riverside, CA

Edison sold the rights to his name to several companies. This was made by a division of General Electric in the early 1930's , which soon after changed the name to Hotpoint.

Also from about 1924 on they made these things.

I have one as well but am trying to restore it. Why did I buy an Edison clothing iron? Well--I have a lot of button-down shirts!

They get super hot but it takes a while to warm them up. Basically it's a sadiron with a heater coil inside. Cool stuff!

VanEpsFan1914 wrote:Also from about 1924 on they made these things.

I have one as well but am trying to restore it. Why did I buy an Edison clothing iron? Well--I have a lot of button-down shirts!

They get super hot but it takes a while to warm them up. Basically it's a sadiron with a heater coil inside. Cool stuff!

They also have no safety fuse- if left plugged in they just continue to heat until something burns out.

VanEpsFan1914 wrote:Also from about 1924 on they made these things.

I have one as well but am trying to restore it. Why did I buy an Edison clothing iron? Well--I have a lot of button-down shirts!

They get super hot but it takes a while to warm them up. Basically it's a sadiron with a heater coil inside. Cool stuff!

To use an electric iron of the his type, one plugs it in to heat it to the correct temperature for the fabric, and then unplugs it for use, using the exact technique as was used for a stove-heated sad iron. By 1915 manufacturers were offerring switched cords to make the management of electric it's easier, though many women continued using their irons in the old way.

estott wrote:Edison sold the rights to his name to several companies. This was made by a division of General Electric in the early 1930's , which soon after changed the name to Hotpoint.

Sorry, but this is an early Edicraft speed iron, not a Hotpoint product.

Search Edicraft on the forum and you’ll find a bunch of info and photos of the other appliances in the Edicraft line (mostly mine )

HisMastersVoice wrote:

estott wrote:Edison sold the rights to his name to several companies. This was made by a division of General Electric in the early 1930's , which soon after changed the name to Hotpoint.

Sorry, but this is an early Edicraft speed iron, not a Hotpoint product.

Search Edicraft on the forum and you’ll find a bunch of info and photos of the other appliances in the Edicraft line (mostly mine )

Ah- sorry- the maze of smaller products Edison made (like the children's furniture) and the companies he sold name rights to can get tangled. I find it amusing that he supplied Battery Oil to be used with batteries which competed with his own. A market was a market.