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.



Electric Fluting Iron by Maxant"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



Pedestal Base Machine FluterPatented Pedestal Base Machine Fluter  This is a great looking machine fluting iron with a very unusual pedestal base.  A few years ago this type of flutter was virtually unknown and only a few have appeared at auction or on eBay since.  There are a couple of different versions available, and the maker / inventor must have been trying to come up with the perfect configuration.  The most notable differences I have seen are the way the large spring on the base is dealt with. 

This example is in nice condition, and there is no damage or casting problems.  There is still some of the original black japanning and remains of the pinstripe highlighting as well.   A rare machine fluter!

Good . . . . .  $1495.00       SOLD



Chandler Electric Fluting IronChandler Motorized & Electrically Heated Machine Fluter  This has to be one of the latest and largest of all machine fluters ever made.  I am guessing it is from the 30's or later and that it was made for use in the movie studios or film industry.  Or perhaps for use in a wig factory or something like that.  Surely by the time this was made women were done fluting hubby's shirts before he went off to work.  

This is the second time I have seen this fluter.  I have never seen another. Hummmm????   Well that is because this fluter originally came from the Glissman collection which we bought a number of years ago, and Al Russell was the lucky buyer at the auction we had in Indianapolis.  Now I am selling it again.   He had driven there, so carrying it home was not a big deal on that trip as this thing must weigh 70 lbs or so.  Taking it with him on the next journey was not an option and probably not an option for many of us.  He enjoyed it immensely, and now it is your chance to as well.

This piece is in near mint condition and turns along at a nice even pace when plugged in.  It has a gear system and transmission that gives it all the power it needs to run off the little Chandler motor seen.  A super piece of Ironing history and technology that was way ahead of its time, and yet seems out of time.  RARE!!!

Good . . . . .  $1975.00       SOLD





Belgian Electric Goffering IronBelgian Electric Goffering Iron  These unusual goffering irons almost never show up in the US.  This is the first example I have ever seen in person.  It would revolve with the arms holding the material while the small rods would make the formed ruffle when the operator pushed the top arm back and forth. There is no cord. Very Rare!!

Good . . . . .  $1750.00       SOLD





Clamp-On 
	Companion FluterClamp-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



tongs1.jpg (14905 bytes)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



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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