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Meeker's
Mechanical Nature Antiques |
Larry and Carole Meeker Purveyors of Americana Patented & Mechanical Antiques |
www.AntiqBuyer.com LCM@AntiqBuyer.com 530-620-7019 |
Antique & Vintage Fluting Irons
Past Sales Archive
This is just a sample of the many antiques we have sold. Click link to see other Sales Archive Pages on this Site.
We can help you sell quality Antiques Contact Us.
For further info on consigning / selling your antiques
with us please see our FAQ page,
the
Appraisal / Selling Page and the
Selling
Your Collection Pages.
Our current offering of Antiques for sale are at our sister Website Patented-Antiques.com.
"Banner"
Electric Fluting Iron by Maxant
From the 1860's thru the 1890's numerous
pleaters, hand fluting irons, and hand-crank machine fluters were granted US
patents, each using one of several methods to heat the fluter rolls or plates.
Most incorporated iron lugs or slugs which were heated in the fireplace or on
a coal, wood or oil stove. A few other fluting devices were made to be
heated over a kerosene or gas burner, or over an alcohol lamp. The Maxant
Button & Supply Co. of Chicago, according to the late and great antique pressing
iron researcher and author Esther Berney, was the first to insert an electric
element into their fluting iron to provide the heat source. The year was
1921 and electricity was on the way in---unfortunately by that time the pleated
and ruffled fashions and styles that required the job of a fluter were quickly
going out of style. The Maxant slogan that appeared in their ads for electric
fluters, "Built for years of perfect fluting", was wishful thinking on their
part. Comparably few of these "new" electric fluting irons were ever produced
and sold, explaining their relative scarcity today. This particular Banner
fluting iron is not one of the examples pictured in any of the reference books
on irons. It has the characteristic V-belt groove in the wheel, enabling
it to be power-driven as well as cranked by hand. It utilizes a
heating element that runs through the upper 7 3/4" roll and included are the
remnants of the original electric cord and a wonderful black porcelain plug
that connects to the element. But what is most unusual about this electric
fluter is the gearing device that increases the efficiency of each turn of the
crank and controls the speed. It is a triple-geared affair that is attached
to the frame and the effortless cranking of the handwheel that it provides is
a textbook study of applied physics in action!
Good . . . . . $350.00 SOLD
Good . . . . . $1495.00 SOLD
Good . . . . . $1975.00 SOLD
Good . . . . . $1750.00 SOLD
Clamp-On
Companion Fluter The Companion
Fluting Iron is unique in two regards. It is one of just a handful of
machine-type crank fluters designed with an integral clamp to securely attach
it to the edge of the worktable, thereby attempting to solve what undoubtedly
was the problem of the "roaming" tabletop fluter. And the second unusual
feature is that rather than having the more typical brass rollers, on the Companion
Fluter they are all cast iron. This particular example is in extra nice
condition, still retaining most of its original black paint and much of its
pretty gold decoration and scrollwork, including the "Companion" name on the
top bar. On the handle, stenciled in gold, are traces of the names of
the patentees, or perhaps it is the manufacturer; it reads, ".....Shipman
...... Holly ...... etc." In both rarity and condition, this one is a
true "top shelf" piece!
Good . . . . . $450.00 SOLD
Clamp
On Fluting Tongs We found this unusual
fluting iron in a shop in Upstate New York and we were not even sure exactly
what it was, but it looked a little different and I could afford it, and the
rest is history. This unusual fluting iron is an prime example of the
value of joining one the many collector clubs that revolve around any given
category of antique or collectible that you are interested in. In a short
time, and with just a few queries, we were in possession of a copy of the patent
papers which showed this gem to be exactly what we had hoped---an early clamp-on,
foot-operated fluting tong iron. A rare example that I am pretty sure
that not many of which were made, as it was one of the more impractical patents
ever pulled for a fluting iron. In operation, you were supposed to have
a small lit flame going at the end, heating the small rods as you were moving
the fabric along. Different to say the least!
Good . . . . . $450.00 SOLD
This is just a sample of the many antiques we have sold. Click link to see other Sales Archive Pages on this Site.
We can help you sell quality Antiques Contact Us.
For further info on consigning / selling your antiques
with us please see our FAQ page,
the
Appraisal / Selling Page and the
Selling
Your Collection Pages.
Our current offering of Antiques for sale are at our sister Website Patented-Antiques.com.
This website is Copyrighted
(1998 -
2009)
Larry & Carole Meeker