I don’t know anything about either of these old household ironers; although they were quite popular in some households in the 1940s and thereabouts.
John and I picked up the Ironrite Automatic Ironer one summer in Lewiston, Maine from a gentleman who’d had it in his garage for many years. It had been his mother’s, and he had memories of her using for all of her household ironing… even the sheets! The last he knew, it worked – but over time it had gotten somewhat rusty.
Since equipment was John’s forte, I have to admit I don’t know anything about this piece other than what I’ve read: that it was the “simplest” of all ironers to use, and that everything from linens to shirts to dresses could be ironed on it. And that “everyday housewives” used theirs at least weekly.
Great features with this particular piece are that the ironer comes with both the original chair and – even better – the booklet on how to iron everything… the booklet alone has sold for as much as $22.00, according to one of our antiques subscription services.
In addition to the Ironrite, we’ve also ended up with a Bendix ironer. The Bendix seems to be in better shape, but didn’t come with either a product booklet or a chair.
Scroll down for more photos. (I’ll try to get more pictures soon.)
Condition: I don’t know whether either works or not, and there is some rust that appears to be purely cosmetic. If you’re interested and want to come try either of them out, I’m happy to have you do so – especially if you’ll haul them away, since the two of them take up too much room in my small shop!
Dimensions: Yikes… I’m not at the shop right now and forgot to measure them. I’d say they’re both about 3’W x 2’D x 3′ tall, excluding the original matching chair.
Price: The Ironrite with matching chair and product brochure is $75.00. The Bendix is $50.00. Take them both for $100.00. If you look them up on any search, you’ll see that this price is practically a steal. (Yuck, that sounds like some smarmy sales type, doesn’t it?)
There’s also the standard 5.5% Maine State sales tax, of course!
Location: Heritage Collectibles at 189 B Main Street (rear entrance), Lewiston ME 04240.
All sales, after expenses, go to support The Grief Warrior Project, a suicide prevention drop-in center in development. The Grief Warrior Project‘s support group room is located at Heritage Collectibles. FMI: Linda, 207 / 740-2247.
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NOTE: With the exception of nearly 14,000 books, plus maps & music (sheet music & vinyl), most of our antique and other inventory can now be found at the Undercover Antique Mall in Oxford. We are booth number 56.
FMI: https://heritagecollectiblesmaine.com/details-hours/
We hope you will enjoy our revamped shop, as well as our booth in Oxford, as you did our original retail space on Main Street.
For those planning to check out the revamped Heritage Collectibles, Books & Maps, we are still in the same building, but our new entrance is at the back of that building.
Just enter 9 Park Street, Lewiston into your GPS and park in the nearest available spot. Our entrance is through the door at the end of the building on the right hand side. You’ll see signs in the windows (“Retail Store” and “Heritage Collectibles” and “Antiques” as well as others; you’ll also see my silver Jeep Liberty parked nearby.
Thank you to everyone who has supported us since August of 2014!
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In memory of my beloved husband John K Snyder… 20 Sept 1956 – 21 Oct 2016.
He loved our shops, especially the section we called Heritage Books, Maps & Ephemera – that was his baby.
He loved me like crazy, and oh how I loved him.
Follow our blog at https://warrior-project.org, in honor of my husband, and all others who have been lost to internal demons that in the end, overwhelmed them.
All of the profits after expenses from Heritage Collectibles, Books & Maps will go to help fund The Grief Warrior Project, a suicide prevention drop-in and counseling center in the process of being developed.
(Please Note: The Grief Warrior Project is in no way intended to be reflective of, or piggy back off, Wounded Warriors which serves those military personnel wounded after September 11, 2001. Like too many others, John was a warrior long before then.)
FMI: https://warrior-project.org
Heritage Collectibles of Maine 