Today, all the grandmothers in the closet can find this rarity, even if the children or grandchildren have already presented a modern steam with a ceramic or teflon coating. Why do they keep it? Probably, for the same reason that the samovar is stored in the presence of an electric kettle, they continue to collect plastic bags and waste paper - a habit of youth, echoes of times of shortage.
Soviet iron - history of origin
Mass production in the USSR began back in 1948. Yes, yes, it was already a real electric instance, although a little primitive. There was no temperature controller in it, it was necessary to wait intuitively for the heating time, then disconnect from the network, iron and re-enable. A little inconvenient, but still easier than cast iron, which had to be heated on coal or in a furnace. You will probably be surprised, but even steam irons were produced in the Soviet Union. At that time they cost 10 rubles. The amount was considered fabulous, but the fact itself was interesting that such a wildly convenient thing was.
Evolution
As previously mentioned, the first iron appeared without a temperature controller. In 1960, they began to produce the same ones, but with a removable cord, so that it would not interfere with ironing after disconnecting from the network - small but progress. Belarus produced this model.
In the 70s of the last century, they began to produce copies with a drum, which made it possible to regulate the temperature of heating the sole, which made the ironing process much more convenient. And then that very moment: in 1976 the first Soviet iron with a steam heater was released, which weighed about two kg. The evolution of this useful household item and its variants can be seen firsthand at the Iron Museum in the Yaroslavl Region, in the town of Pereslavl-Zalessky.
A bit about weight
Do you think the iron was heavy due to the fact that it was not possible to make it out of lighter material? But no. He weighed from one and a half kg for practical purposes, so that he did not have to put pressure on him while ironing dense fabrics, which greatly simplified the process itself.
Repairs
Why are irons preserved to this day, and in working condition? Yes, because they were made in accordance with GOST. According to reviews of Soviet irons, when the models were released, little things were not thought out for a more comfortable use, but durability was clearly laid down. Yes, if it happened that it broke, it was repaired cheaply and quickly. It was not necessary to buy a new iron. All the same, we are talking about times of shortage, and therefore they were more careful about things. We were in no hurry to throw it away: first to the workshop, and only then ... Therefore, the repair and the Soviet iron were inseparable.
Curiosities
Despite the fact that an electric model already existed, production continued of cast iron, which had to be heated on fire or charcoal. And all because not all the houses had electricity. He had to be preliminarily kept for about half an hour in the oven, and he weighed more than three kg. The cast iron was heated for a rather long time, but it cooled quite slowly. Usually 2 pieces were used immediately: while one was ironing the linen, the second was heating up and vice versa. Thus, the ironing process was accelerated at times.
The modern life of the Soviet iron
As soon as you do not use this household item today. As a microwave, this is the most common way. If you include imagination and make a little effort, you can make wonderful, original and even unique decoration elements for your home, summer house or garden. For example, a cup holder for pens and pencils, a table lamp or a lantern. Below in the photo is a Soviet iron that has survived renovation.
In conclusion, a bit of humor
About the features of the Soviet iron goes a lot of tales, including anecdotal in nature. Like the one below.
There were no customers at our service station all day. Well, what did our hard workers have to do: who plays cards, who drinks beer and poisons all kinds of stories about women. At one Volodya, a broken iron was brought in from the house and the hope of fixing it. And so he collected it during the entire shift, disassembled it, soldered it, turned it on, turned it off, in general, a man was tormented. At the end of the shift, his joyful cry is heard: "Earned !!!" The others, grinning, pat him on the shoulder, showing respect. In general, everything is in order: the iron works, Volodya exhaled ... Then he pulls out the cord of the still hot iron and throws it into a simple plastic bag. The bottom of the package, of course, melts, the iron falls on the concrete floor of the workshop and shatters. Silence. And then Volodya pronounces the “historical” phrase: “Well, again, the leaky bag got caught!”
Here he was - the Soviet iron.