The London Lounge

Both high-end professional and cheap consumer irons have a limited number of steam holes at the tip followed by a solid surface at the back. This makes sense, as my understanding is that steam first relaxes the fibers and then the heat of the iron takes out the wrinkles and dries the fabric. What confuses me is that mid-grade consumer irons (like Rowenta) generally boast 300-400 steam holes that cover the entire bottom of the iron. How can an iron like this actually remove wrinkles or put a crease in a pair of trousers if it never dries out the steam?

I would also appreciate any recommendations for a new iron, as my old Sunbeam has started to spit out pieces of rust. I use a dry iron on my bespoke shirts (as I iron these while still damp), but I do use steam on my RTW shirts and cotton trousers, so I think a professional style iron would be overkill. I’m trying to understand though whether a better grade consumer iron makes sense or not.

Thanks for your help.

You must use a press cloth , always. Lift the press cloth as you're pressing to let the humidity out.
Home irons are fine. If you want a better iron look at Sussman 220.

Amateurish question: what sort of cloth works best as a press cloth?

Heavy cotton is best. Suiting is fine. If you live in the states I'll send you a piece. I will also post a video in "Tailors and Fans of Tailoring " of Facebook if you're interested.

I will also post a video in "Tailors and Fans of Tailoring " of Facebook if you're interested.

A "Pressing for Dummies" video on properly pressing coats and trousers would be a great contribution to our general knowledge Frank. Great idea!

Looking forward to seeing it.

Cheers

Yes, it would be very useful! Jeffery Diduch has a good overview and step-by-step guide on his blog, with some very useful details in the comments section on pressing specialty cloths (delicate cashmeres, napped cloths, velvets, etc.)

The egregious Simon Crompton has a video interview with Richard Anderson in which RA narrates while one of his pressers is pressing a jacket, discussing the differences between working with a consumer-type iron and a professional one. The instructions are a bit casual compared to Jeffery's, but it's helpful to see the presser moving the garment as he works.

I'm sure Frank would have additional insights, and perhaps some points of disagreement with the two sources above.

I would never disagree with Jeffery D. I ask his advice often. I'll post my humble video on Facebook.

old henry wrote:Heavy cotton is best. Suiting is fine. If you live in the states I'll send you a piece. I will also post a video in "Tailors and Fans of Tailoring " of Facebook if you're interested.

V. kind of you, sir. Heavy cotton will be sourced forthwith.

Cotton Drill, it is sometimes called. I posted a video on letting the moisture escape when pressing.

https://youtu.be/0KcfRdRUCtg

OH, What are you putting on the cloth after you lift the iron off in this video?
Looks like a piece of wood or .....?

TIA.

Uppercase, that's a clapboard. If you hold that on the just pressed seam it takes the heat and remaining humidity out of the cloth so the seam will set. You can also "clap" it on the seam to remove humidity. FS

Just how much ironing goes into the making of a bespoke suit ?

Ironing is really something that gets very little notice or discussion when talking about bespoke.

What is ironing about and how is it used to shape a suit?? At what stage of the making is the iron used? Do most tailors use it today?? And does it work on all kinds of cloth or only the heavier, older woolens ?

Just wondering....not a lot of information out there on ironing and it’s not soemething that many talk about or show you.

TIA.

Jeffery Diduch has discussed many aspects of this on his blog. This little photo essay (in Italian) and the comments below (in English) are not a bad introduction.

Here he discusses the different amounts of fulling (easing) and stretching appropriate for different parts of the sleeve cap and sleeve, due to the varying orientation of the weave at different points.

Typing "www.cutterandtailor.com iron stretching fulling" also brings up many useful posts (some quite technical) from the Cutter and Tailor forum and elsewhere.

All I would say is that any shaping I do with the iron is first done with pattern manipulation. Full chest. Round back. Then it is accentuated with the iron. Shape cannot be forced if it is not first in the pattern. Shape can also be given with fullness, draw stitching and Linen tape. I do however do lots of shaping on my canvas and under collar. I have not watched JefferyDuddich pressing video but I know I'd learn something.

uppercase wrote: Ironing is really something that gets very little notice or discussion when talking about bespoke.

What is ironing about and how is it used to shape a suit?? At what stage of the making is the iron used? Do most tailors use it today?? And does it work on all kinds of cloth or only the heavier, older woolens ?

Dear Uppercase,

you hear little about the ironing perhaps because "iron manipulation" does not sound very sartorial And you probably need an older tailor who is used to work with heavier cloth, because this is where it is most useful and effective.

A large proportion of my tweed coats are made with a single piece back by an old mystery tailor. He is a master in iron manipulation, and he uses his technique mostly on these coats.

Cheers, David