"Family Laundry Iron" adjustable revolving sad iron, an early laundry tool patented on February 13, 1894, and January 3, 1899.

Before electricity was common, these tools—referred to as "sad" irons from an old English word meaning solid or heavy—were used to smooth fabrics by relying on sheer weight and thermal retention. This specific, highly collectible model features several notable design characteristics:

Key Features

• Swivel/Revolving Mechanism: It features a spring-loaded latch on the side that allows the body of the iron to flip or rotate into multiple positions.

• Heating Inserts: The hollow iron body opens up to hold pre-heated cast iron blocks or "slugs". When one side cools down against the clothing, the user flips the iron over to use the freshly heated opposite side without changing the core slug.

• Cold Handle Design: The curved wooden handle remains insulated from the blistering heat of the metal core, protecting the user's hands from burns.

• Dual-Sided Texture: One side features a smooth face for standard flat pressing, while the reverse side often features a patterned or geometric face for specialized textures.

Good used condition with expected wear. Please enlarge the pictures from your desktop computer to see better every little detail.

Overall dimensions:

7 1/2" x 3 1/4" x 5"

Thank you for looking, and feel free to contact me with any questions.