Sad Iron

I found this little bit of history recently, and it's now out in my garage serving as a doorstop:


I figured it was something to do with ironing, but wasn't entirely sure until I read this. The name "sad iron" is an alternative to the more common "flat iron," where "sad" means "solid," differentiating this heavy piece of metal from the lighter, flat irons that were in common use.

This particular product came with several of these sad irons, plus an asbestos-lined cover with a handle that had two purposes: it kept the iron hot longer and prevented the handle from heating up.


We can all imagine that would be more comfortable for the person using the iron than the typical single-piece iron with handle.

The Asbestos Sad Iron was made from the late 1800s until the 1920s, when electric irons ran them out of business.