charcoal iron

another household item that has become obsolete is the charcoal iron. it has since become a collector's item and you can still get one either at sungei road or in some antique shops.

first, you had to get the charcoal to burn in a stove. then, using those extra long scissors-like tongs you gingerly transferred the smouldering pieces of coal into the chamber of the iron. when there was sufficient burning coal in the chamber, you closed it and secured the latch. subsequently, you just added fresh coal and let it smoulder before using a straw fan to fan the fire.

there were holes near the flat base of the iron. these holes were to let air in to allow the charcoal to burn and at the same time to let smoke out. however, sometimes ash might fall onto the article being ironed through one of these holes. to prevent damage to the article, sometimes a sheet was spread over the article.

most of the clothes would have to be starched before they could be ironed. just like today, water was sprinkled onto the clothes to enhance the removal of the wrinkles.

with charcoal iron, there was no proper way of controlling the amount of heat. thus, you had to be extra careful when you were ironing clothes made from fine materials like silk and linen. it was best to send such clothes to the professionals - the dhobies. i used to watch my mother ironing on a piece of banana leaf before she actually started on the clothes.