Pressing Iron and Trivet Collectors of America

Kevin Talks Irons

PITCA members Kevin and Kate McCartney live in Caribou, Maine. Together, they are producing a series of videos about iron collecting that can be found at Kevin Talks Irons on YouTube. (Links to each individual video are shared below.)

This series debuted on June 14, 2020 and feature Kevin talking about a wide variety of topics related to antique pressing irons, collecting, antiquing, and a few biographies of the more prominent iron inventors. It is intended to educate and entertain the avid collector, beginning collector, antique shop owner, pickers and novices alike. Each video is a mini lesson on a different topic about irons.

If you'd like to be the first to know when a new video is released, make sure you Subscribe to their YouTube channel and don’t forget to give a Thumbs Up 👍 to each video! 

✽ The Most Recent Videos: 

#72: "Another Auction" posted on 8/28/23. Good irons (unusual, rare, in special condition) can be obtained at low prices at the specialty auctions if the bidder is patient. 

#71: The A.C. Williams foundry posted on 8/12/23. Kevin visits the Portage County Historical Society in Ravenna, Ohio, to learn more about the history of the A. C. Williams foundry

#70: The Howell Co. from Geneva, Illinois posted on 7/22/23. Kevin visits the Geneva History Museum to get a closer look into the manufacturing history of the W. H. Howell company.

 

Video Index by Topic

 

  1. Collecting & Buying: #1, 14, 20, 29, 38, 59, 60, 72
  2. Researching and Patents: #21, 24, 26, 61, 62, 70
  3. Foundries and Inventors: #25, 27, 36, 37, 40, 48, 49, 53, 61, 62, 70, 71
  4. Advertising & Trade Cards: #28, 43
  5. Flat Irons & Detachable Handle Irons: #2, 3, 9, 27, 48, 49, 51, 56, 66
  6. Slug Irons: #4, 45,51, 56
  7. Coal & Liquid Fuel Irons #5, 6, 7, 8, 51, 53, 54, 55, 58, 65 
  8. Special Purpose Irons: #10, 11, 12, 19, 22, 51, 68
  9. Fluters: #15, 16, 17, 18, 51, 68, 69
  10. Small & Toy Irons: #42, 43, 44
  11. Standing Irons (mostly Goffering): #30, 31
  12. Travel & Electric Irons: #34, 35, 39, 63
  13. Devices to Heat Irons: #23, 32, 33
  14. Mangles & Other Wooden Devices: #41
  15. Sad Iron Stands, aka Trivets: #13, 65
  16. Auctions, Meetings, Collectors: #46, 47, 49, 50, 59, 72
  17. Rear-handled Irons: #52
  18. Demonstrations: #17, 22, 54, 55, 56, 58, 60
  19. Original Packaging and Paperwork: #57
  20. Very Large Irons!: #64
  21. Blacksmith Wrought/Forged: #66
  22. Irons that are more unique or defy easy categorization: #67

 

Kevin Talks Irons Video Index 2020-2023

 

 #1 The Premiere An introduction to the fascinating world of antique pressing irons. 

#2 The Humble Flat Iron 

#3 Detachable Handled Irons 

#4 Slug Irons European and American irons heated with removable slugs. 

#5 Coal Irons   

#6 Natural Gas Irons 

#7 Gas Jet Irons 

#8 Liquid Fuel Irons Examples from 1889 to the Coleman Irons of the 1960s.

#9 Tailor Irons (Gooses) 

#10 Polishing Irons 

 

#11 Sleeve & Seam Irons Long, narrow irons with a specific function.

#12 Hat Irons 

#13 Sad Iron Stands (Trivets) Kevin shares his substantial collection of flat iron & double pointed shaped sad iron stands

#14 Collecting Old Irons Kevin discusses his philosophy of collecting irons and the limits and focus of his own collection.

#15 Hand Fluters An exclusively American category of pressing irons.

#16 Machine Fluters Used to crimp fabrics for the fancy clothing of that era.

#17 Let's Go Fluting Kevin demonstrates how fluting irons were used, firing up three different types.

#18 Combination Fluters 

#19 Rotary (Rotating) Irons 

#20 Buying Old IronsTechniques and strategies for buying irons.

 

#21 Researching Old Irons Essential books & magazines for the collector's library.

#22 Millinery (Ball, Egg & Flower) Irons 

#23 Wood Stove Heaters for Old Irons Devices used to heat irons on cook stoves.

#24 Patents for Old Irons A basic introduction to the role patents played in the development of old irons.

#25 Foundries that Manufactured Old Irons

#26 Finding & Reading Old Iron Patents 

#27 Mrs. Florence Potts The American inventor of the cold-handled sad iron.

#28 Mrs. Potts Trade Cards 

#29 To The Auction! A guide to buying irons from a specialty auction.

#30 Standing Irons (mostly Goffers) The irons of old Europe, used to ruffle collars.

 

#31 Elite Goffers Some of the fanciest goffering irons auctioned in 2019 and 2020.

#32 Kerosene Stoves and the Sad Iron Heaters that love them A short tutorial on the history and variety of kerosene stoves.

#33 Natural Gas Sad Iron Heaters 

#34 Travel Irons 

#35 Electric Travel Irons 

#36 The Old Irons of Nelson R. Streeter was the inventor and marketer of the Sensible and Magic brands of irons.

#37 Susan R. Knox Creator of the American style of machine fluters.

#38 Top 10 Old Irons for the Beginning Collector The first 10 irons a beginning collector might search for.

#39 Electric Old Irons 

#40 Asbestos - Dover and Related Old Irons 

 

#41 Mangles and other Wooden Devices for Pressing Fabric 

#42 American Small and Toy Old Irons Learn the difference between a small iron, a toy, and a salesman's sample.

#43 Old Sad Irons as Advertising Learn how sad irons were used to promote goods and businesses.

#44 Old European Small Irons 

#45 Elite European Slug Irons These irons were included in the first William "Buck" Carson auction in July 2021.

#46 Live At The Auction You have a front row seat at the first Buck Carson Auction in 2021. 

#47 PITCA Meeting 2021 Join Kevin at the 2021 PITCA Convention and meet some of the club  members.

#48 Ober Sad Irons 

#49 Harper Irons 

#50 Documenting Your Collection 

 

#51 Twenty-five Categories of American Laundry Irons  

#52 Rear-handled Irons 

#53 Monitor & Royal (Gasoline) Sad Irons 

#54 Firing Up the 1903 Monitor Gasoline Iron 

#55: Using a Coal Iron in India 

#56: Testing Ftat Irons vs Slug Irons 

#57: Old Irons in (the Original) Boxes 

#58: Imperial Brass gasoline irons 

#59: At Convention: Favorite Old Irons of PITCA Members 

#60: Old Irons with "Something Special" 

 

#61: Mr. Potts Patent Model 

#62: The Chalfant Mfg. Co. 

#63: Early Electric Irons 

#64: Very Large Old Irons 

#65: IWANTU and UNEEDIT Natural Gas Sad Irons 

#66: Blacksmithed Wrought/Forged Sad Irons 

#67: "Interesting" old sad irons 

#68: "Interesting" fluter/fluting Irons 

#69: Fluter/fluting Irons Variability