Tool Talk

What's-It Forum => What's-It Forum => Topic started by: rusty on August 22, 2011, 06:39:58 PM

Title: It needs a wrench?
Post by: rusty on August 22, 2011, 06:39:58 PM

Here's a wrench for something I didn't even know needed a wrench.
If you enlarge the picture it says what it is...

Title: Re: It needs a wrench?
Post by: Aunt Phil on August 22, 2011, 10:48:10 PM

It was for removing the screw in water plug on steam irons.  The business end is the rectangular cutout, and the hook is for removing the old gasket.

Title: Re: It needs a wrench?
Post by: Papaw on August 22, 2011, 10:57:02 PM

Makes sense. I looked at a bunch of steam irons, but found no wrenches. I did see one of the same wrenches on one of the sales sites, but neglected to remark which it was. They had no more info that we have.

Title: Re: It needs a wrench?
Post by: Aunt Phil on August 23, 2011, 11:53:32 AM

First gen home steam irons were quite akin to pressure cookers in the thinking of people who designed them so they came with gasketed fill plugs.  You need to remember we did NOT yet have any thermoplastics that would survive the operating temperatures and limited manufacturing ability in terms of what could be done with Bakalite(s).

The bakalite plug into the aluminum or brass tank fill often resulted in a stuck plug, especially when the iron was put away wet because somebody didn't read the instructions. which included advice on using a straightened hairpin to ream steam holes.

Look at the shape of the cutout and you see a mirror of the plug handle designed for thumb & index finger operation.