Article: Sad Iron Man: A Maine Geologist featuring Kevin & Kate McCartney. Collector's Weekly, 8/21/2020. 

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:

#86: Antique collecting "Go-Withs" A quick overview of a few of the "go-withs" in Kevin's collection.

#85: Collar Irons of Troy, NY Travel with Kevin to learn a bit about a fascinating slice of American industrial history.

#84: Round Backed Sad Irons A brief overview of the stylistic design of round-backed flat irons.

#83: More Sad Iron Heating Devices Kevin gives a guided tour through some of his latest devices used to heat irons.

#82: Sad Irons from the Wapak Hollow Ware Company The types of irons made by the Wapak Hollow Ware Company of Wapakoneta, Ohio.

#81: Firing Up a 1913 Acorn Gasoline Iron 100-plus-years old technology can be a little fussy!

#80: Coleman Gasoline & Electric Irons Come with Kevin as he visits a museum in the heart of Amish country dedicated to all things Coleman Manufacturing.

 

Full Length Video Index by Topic

 

1. Collecting & Buying: #1, 14, 20, 29, 38, 59, 60, 72, 75, 78, 85
2. Researching and Patents: #21, 24, 26, 61, 62, 70, 85
3. Foundries and Inventors: #25, 27, 36, 37, 40, 48, 49, 53, 61, 62, 70, 71, 75, 82
4. Advertising & Trade Cards: #28, 43, 73
5. Flat Irons & Detachable Handle Irons: #2, 3, 9, 27, 48, 49, 51, 56, 66, 72
6. Slug Irons: #4, 45,51, 56
7. Coal & Liquid Fuel Irons #5, 6, 7, 8, 51, 53, 54, 55, 58, 65, 80, 81 
8. Special Purpose Irons: #10, 11, 12, 19, 22, 51, 68, 75, 85
9. Fluters: #15, 16, 17, 18, 51, 68, 69, 73
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, 83
14. Mangles & Other Wooden Devices: #41
15. Sad Iron Stands, aka Trivets: #13, 65, 77
16. Auctions, Meetings, Collectors: #46, 47, 49, 50, 59, 72, 75
17. Rear-handled Irons: #52
18. Demonstrations: #17, 22, 54, 55, 56, 58, 60, 81
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
23. Irons with Animal Themes: #74
24. Decorative Painting or Other Embellishments on Irons: #79
25. "Go-Withs": #86

 

Kevin Talks Irons Video Index 2020-2023

 

 #1 The Premiere 

#2 The Humble Flat Iron 

#3 Detachable Handled Irons 

#4 Slug Irons 

#5 Coal Irons   

#6 Natural Gas Irons 

#7 Gas Jet Irons 

#8 Liquid Fuel Irons 

#9 Tailor Irons (Gooses) 

#10 Polishing Irons 

 

#11 Sleeve & Seam Irons 

#12 Hat Irons 

#13 Sad Iron Stands (Trivets) 

#14 Collecting Old Irons 

#15 Hand Fluters 

#16 Machine Fluters 

#17 Let's Go Fluting 

#18 Combination Fluters 

#19 Rotary (Rotating) Irons 

#20 Buying Old IronsTechniques and strategies for buying irons.

 

#21 Researching Old Irons 

#22 Millinery (Ball, Egg & Flower) Irons 

#23 Wood Stove Heaters for Old Irons 

#24 Patents for Old Irons 

#25 Foundries that Manufactured Old Irons

#26 Finding & Reading Old Iron Patents 

#27 Mrs. Florence Potts 

#28 Mrs. Potts Trade Cards 

#29 To The Auction! 

#30 Standing Irons (mostly Goffers) 

 

#31 Elite Goffers 

#32 Kerosene Stoves and the Sad Iron Heaters that love them 

#33 Natural Gas Sad Iron Heaters 

#34 Travel Irons 

#35 Electric Travel Irons 

#36 The Old Irons of Nelson R. Streeter 

#37 Susan R. Knox 

#38 Top 10 Old Irons for the Beginning Collector 

#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 

#43 Old Sad Irons as Advertising 

#44 Old European Small Irons 

#45 Elite European Slug Irons 

#46 Live At The Auction 

#47 PITCA Convention 2021 

#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 

#70: The Howell Co. from Geneva, Illinois 

 

#71: The A.C. Williams foundry 

#72: "Another Auction"

#73: American Machine Company fluting irons and trade cards

#74: Old irons with Animal themes 

#75: Detachable Sleeve Irons 

#76: A Tour of the Old Iron Inn B&B Collection 

#77: 188x to 189x Trivets 

#78: Amish Use of Old Irons 

#79: Tole & Other Painted Irons