A Moment of Silence for “Irony” the Iron (19??-2023)

[SO_tailor]

A few of you may recall a post I made about this iron.




I have some unfortunate news...

This night at 7 pm central US, Irony the Iron gave her last press.

I was pressing the center back seam of a new lounge coat for a suit I was making for myself. When I was doing the water shenanigans and all that, I noticed the water stopped sizzling a little. I thought it was weird so I decided to look through some openings in Irony to see if her heater was working. It wasn't glowing or anything. I didn't think much of it, so I decided to just turn off the power extension it was connected to to see if she would work later.

An hour later I turned on the power cord and checked through the small openings to see if Irony's "heart" was working. I had to proclaim Irony dead.

19?? - 2023
R.I.P. Irony, you will be missed.

[Schneiderfrei]

So sad, They really don't make things like they used to.

[stoo23]

Oh dear    so sad,.. can it be dis-assembled, easily or at all ??

Would be interesting to See the internal element.
Depending on it's construction, it May be possible to have a new Element made.

I'm unsure of the costs involved but if it is (as it would appear to be) a much loved and excellent iron, then the cost may be worth it and very possibly cheaper than replacing it with a New Iron of similar quality.

Just a suggestion   

[Gerry]

Apologies if you've already done this, but if you have a multimeter with a built-in continuity checker (they cost very little), you can test all the electrical connections for conductivity. Basically, checking to see if there's a break in the cable/connections.

Could be something as simple as replacing the flex, or securing a wire.

[stoo23]

Oh YES good suggestion, am annoyed I didn't suggest it LOL

Apart from merely checking 'Continuity', you could also check the Impedence / Resistance (Ohms).

 

[SO_tailor]

Apologies if you've already done this, but if you have a multimeter with a built-in continuity checker (they cost very little), you can test all the electrical connections for conductivity. Basically, checking to see if there's a break in the cable/connections.

Could be something as simple as replacing the flex, or securing a wire.

I haven't considered that nor have I done it yet.

The only problem is that her "life support" (electrical cord) is very old and obsolete. If there was an issue with the wire I wouldn't want to:
a) accidentally start a fire due to the cords antiquity
b) damage the cord. I'm not very savvy with tech unfortunately, and I wouldn't want to break something.
c) I don't think I have a multimeter. I will check but I don't think I have one sadly (not really into gizmos if I'm honest)

This type of cord is not very readily available anymore, it's one of those old cords from the 20's or 40's that were braided and had woven cords (reminds me of those fabric couches from the 70's).

I will consider it though. It was the cord that caused Irony to pass away. But again I wouldn't want to start a electrical hazard even if it could mean Irony be resurrected.

[SO_tailor]

Oh dear    so sad,.. can it be dis-assembled, easily or at all ??

Would be interesting to See the internal element.
Depending on it's construction, it May be possible to have a new Element made.

I'm unsure of the costs involved but if it is (as it would appear to be) a much loved and excellent iron, then the cost may be worth it and very possibly cheaper than replacing it with a New Iron of similar quality.

Just a suggestion   

It probably can, but I wouldn't want to accidentally cause my clumsy fingers to slip something (and in respect of Irony of course  ).

[Gerry]

Apologies if you've already done this, but if you have a multimeter with a built-in continuity checker (they cost very little), you can test all the electrical connections for conductivity. Basically, checking to see if there's a break in the cable/connections.

Could be something as simple as replacing the flex, or securing a wire.

I haven't considered that nor have I done it yet.

The only problem is that her "life support" (electrical cord) is very old and obsolete. If there was an issue with the wire I wouldn't want to:
a) accidentally start a fire due to the cords antiquity
b) damage the cord. I'm not very savvy with tech unfortunately, and I wouldn't want to break something.
c) I don't think I have a multimeter. I will check but I don't think I have one sadly (not really into gizmos if I'm honest)

This type of cord is not very readily available anymore, it's one of those old cords from the 20's or 40's that were braided and had woven cords (reminds me of those fabric couches from the 70's).

I will consider it though. It was the cord that caused Irony to pass away. But again I wouldn't want to start a electrical hazard even if it could mean Irony be resurrected.

If you can wire a plug, you can replace a cord. It's really simple stuff. If that is the problem, you  merely buy the modern equivalent of the old mains flex (it doesn't have to be period specific). So long as the current ratings are the same, you're fine, you're not going to start a fire. If you don't know what the old rating was, check to see what rating its fuse is (and the fuse is yet another thing to check).

Multimeters don't cost much. Old stuff was over-engineered. It's likely that your iron can be brought back from the dead. If you're not confident, find someone qualified who is.

[stoo23]

Well, a good Electrical Appliance Repairman, could Perform All the necessary Checks and if it Is just the Cord, it could very possibly be replaced with a Modern (New) version of Very similar Cord, (that Woven Cloth Cord IS available still)  It is often used here in Aus when repairing Older Kettle Cords that originally had cloth covered cords 

See if you can find a nice Older dude, that knows about all that stuff and has the appropriate experience .... and Understanding   

Some Examples here on eBay  https://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p3519243.m570.l1313&_nkw=cloth+covered+kettle+cord&_sacat=0

[SO_tailor]

Ok, I'll probably consider that then 

Also here is photons of the "life support" (should have showed these earlier tbh)




Edit: I don't exactly know where to find the rating Gerry was mentioning, so if someone could tell this old dino where it is that be great! Also the plastic braiding is kind of the reason I didn't want to repair it.

Another edit: Also mind the mess on the desk, I've been having my table a little cluttered from coat I've been working on.

[Gerry]

Ok, I'll probably consider that then 

Also here is photons of the "life support" (should have showed these earlier tbh)




Edit: I don't exactly know where to find the rating Gerry was mentioning, so if someone could tell this old dino where it is that be great! Also the plastic braiding is kind of the reason I didn't want to repair it.

Another edit: Also mind the mess on the desk, I've been having my table a little cluttered from coat I've been working on.

OK, I'm guessing you're in the States (please confirm, because your mains voltage is different than in the UK and affects calculations). In the UK we have fuses built into plugs. I took it for granted that this is the case elsewhere. Apparently not, which makes it more likely that something internally has been 'blown'/damaged. Not a given though, this could be as simple as a break in the flex or a loose connection.

A cheap multimeter with a continuity tester built in, will tell us if the flex is at fault. They don't cost much and are simple to use. Obviously don't connect the wire to the mains or your iron. In 'isolation', simply select the continuity setting, connect one wire of the meter to one of the prongs of the plug, and the other wire to one of the metal contacts within the socket. You have a 50:50 chance of selecting the right contact, so if there's no noise from the meter, select the other contact within the socket. If there's conductivity, i.e. the flex is intact, the meter will make a continuous bleep. So if you get nothing from either contact, there's a problem with at least one of the wires of the flex. Do the same for the other prong.

The wire flex isn't something that we repair. We replace it. As for current rating, we need to know the power rating of your iron. Is it inscribed somewhere on the body of your iron? Or anywhere on the socket mouldings? If not, we can estimate the highest rating it's likely to be, so not the end of the world. Also, I'm assuming that the plug fittings have screws and can be taken apart? If the plugs are moulded (more the norm nowadays, so I doubt it), then we have a problem.

If your existing flex is fine (the meter bleeps and we have continuity for both wires), then there might be a loose connection within the iron. Often a visual inspection will tell us if we crack it open. Otherwise, the continuity tester can come into play.

[Gerry]

Ok, it's on the plug socket. 10 A at 125V (US rating). So if the flex is the issue, then a 10A rated (or slightly higher for good measure) replacement is required.

[stoo23]

Well, that Plug, looks like it is 'Rated' at 5 Amps at 250 Volts & 10 Amps at 125 Volts.

The 'specific' rating, is often printed on a Plate, mounted somewhere on the Iron but is perhaps Not the case with this unit.

BTW, do you not find that Coiled Plastic coating on the cord annoying ?
I'd imagine that would make it quite stiff, especially as it is quite Aged.

Cloth Alone might be better / easier to work with, inless you found the plastic worked ok, by keeping the cord 'out of the way' as such.
I'd imagine the plastic coating worked fine when New and when the Iron was 'Mounted' on a table 

The coiled plastic coated stuff might be rather difficult to get / replace

[Gerry]

Forgot to mention. If your flex is seemingly the issue (no continuity/conductivity), then undo the plug and socket to first check that a wire hasn't simply slipped out of place. In which case, it's a trivial repair. Though you might want to replace the flex anyway, given its age and (as Stoo points out) possible impracticality.

[stoo23]

With this, you get a slightly Higher rated plug AND Spare smaller Travel Iron
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/225707834711?hash=item348d3c3d57:g:BrEAAOSwPt1kzG3d&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAAwEqxlOE%2FS5JeMcDRzT%2FtMW4GhsgWYpmxYv18qVkt4yLXNrjUJJVDPHOutcZe8kXcv7KBHaD%2FYQYxa8qFMv9Sp4gm3s4ljkQrQGx15lIgtl8FX0UEaaTlwnsU5IDcr8d%2BvOVVkJTULz386r3e%2BkozFzYHtgqcXCfRbMWfQm%2FE326ZdBlBVHLcKNvXXw9XDFG%2B%2BXJzYDLZQkJdAw4J%2BMqhsQhLH%2BjiLqAsLfqZ5SbvMxQEgLWxJQwhp2DNXTty5zULBA%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR8btpNb_Yg

Those plugs are fairly common here and as we run 240 volts the rating would be more than adequate for US 120 volt. (in case you need and can't find / get one) but perhaps a search for 'Vintage Appliance Plug' or Cord might find what you are looking for