I never heard of such a thing, my curiosity got the better of me.
http://www.libcoop.net/mountclemens/ironrite.htm

lol... what are you going to do with this monster?

Well, you wouldn't want to smoke it, which might happen with all that oil in the motor. My suggestion is to try to wash the oil out of the motor with a solvent. Hexane is what we use in the lab to clean oil off of parts (short of the now-banned degreasing solvents of old) and it does a nice job. Pour a large amount into the motor housing, slosh it around and then drain it out as best you can. Repeat this several times and you should get the vast majority of the oil out. If you have trouble finding hexane, acetone will work, but not as fast. When the oil is all out, blow the motor out with compressed air or let it ventillate for several days to get all the solvent vapors out. No need to tempt an explosion! Finally, the solvent will have washed the lubricant out of the motor bearings, so re-oil just the bearings/bushings, and you should probably change the gearcase oil as well. Good luck.

I'd be really cautious about putting a solvent into the motor--it might well dissolve the insulation on the wire in the motor's windings, which would be really bad.

Use NO solvent in the motor. Use rags to mop the oil from the motor. Repeat the use of rags for several days to get all the excess oil out. Oil is nonconductive until it is burned to carbon. I doubt that the oil has harmed the motor. While not recommended, I have seen lots of over-lubricated motors with oil-soaked windings that run just fine.

Whatever you do DO NOT put a solvent in a motor housing. The windings are covered with a varnish and it will disolve. Do what bus driver said mop it up with rags. If the motor has brushes clean them off and the commutator. The rest of the windings won't care about the oil.

Re-reading what I wrote earlier, I see that "cautious" didn't read the way I intended--I didn't intend to mean "be cautious when you do this", I meant, "be cautious in carefully checking out whether solvent might destroy the motor." In other words, I'm 100% with Bus Driver and RJOH--DO NOT put a solvent into the motor, as it will dissolve the enamel that is used to insulate the windings.

Do NOT use acetone - as SP says, it will dissolve the enamel on the field and (if so fitted) armature windings and is likely to damage plastic parts.

I've cleaned gear oil out of golf car motors with automotive brake cleaner. Be very careful with it, it's nasty stuff. Make sure you have plenty of ventilation and wear gloves to keep it off your skin.

Thanks for the suggestions. I will keep you posted. As far as what I am going to do with this monster...I am going to iron with it. :) I found some info on the ironrite.com site about smoking motors. I might try their suggestions as well. I haven't plugged in the ironer yet and I don't know how much oil is in there. All I know is that it was laid on it's back with 8 oz. of oil in the gear housing. The gear housing is right next to the motor where the gear shaft goes into the motor. Just by looking, the shaft doesn't have much space around it, but there is some space where oil could seep in. There is no oil shield where the shaft enters the motor. So.. I am *assuming* there is oil in the motor, I just don't know how much. The insulation on the wires is old. The machine was manufactured in 1946. I'm afraid to take the chance and plug it in for fear of a fire in the motor. Eee gads. I think I might have to take it to an electric motor shop and end up spending more than I paid for it. Thanks for letting me vent and for your suggestions.

I think old guys like this one are sold mostly as collectors' pieces, not to really be used. It's 60 years old! A rewiring with modern materials would definitely be in order.

But once that's done it should give you good service for years. The 20 cent an hour teenage girls in the Chinese sweatshops just don't build stuff like the ... uh .... 43 cent an hour immigrants in the 1940s US sweatshops did. ;-)

Somebody probably paid a month's salary or so for that machine back when it was new. Think about that before you say it's not worth fixing!

WhatÂs this? When I was a kid, everybody had an Iron-Rite. It was for ironing bed sheets and dress shirts. Talk about an anachronism. This is a great machine. I think my son has one in the basement (after buying grandmaÂs house.)

HereÂs a thought: there is nothing to removing a motor and replacing it. It mounts, somehow, with a locator, or key. Pull that puppy off and clean it with manual means: rags and paper towel.

Then get some Âelectronics spray cleaner. This is a volatile, aerosol fluid, cleaner that works in seconds and then disappears. (I had a girlfriend like that, once.) That will clean the oil out of the electrical area.

Use a 90 weight oil to refresh the gearbox. And make sure moisture is not an issue. ItÂs hard on metals.

But, from the adage, ÂWhat goes up must come down, it just seems to me that, if you store this machine in the way that the oil would run back to its source, you would be back where you started.

In the meantime, do you happen to have a cuspidor that your arenÂt using?

Pinoke

The materials used today to insulate the wire used in motor windings is very different from that used in 1946. The older motors often used organic based varnish. Brake cleaner and any other solvent may ruin that old varnish. No way would I use any solvent in that motor.

As a former electric motor rewinder/rebuilder, my advice to you would be to remove the motor from the machine (get a mechanically inclined friend to help if you need to) and take it to a motor shop. A motor this age may or may not have many small parts inside that will not function if saturated with oil, and at the very least may have an internal switch for starting the motor. The malfunction of either, depending on the type of motor, will let out all the high pressure black smoke that makes the thing work. While at the shop the proper lubrication can be applied to whatever type of bearings are in the motor, something often overlooked by users.

Of course, removing the motor should let you verify whether or not there actually is oil in the motor that shouldn't be there. Either way, have someone look over the motor. It would be a shame to burn up a good motor that is just gummed up a bit. If the ironer sat for years without being used the grease or oil in the bearings is probably in bad shape anyway.

UNK

First of all, the motors used in Ironrites have openings in them for ventilation-it should be readily apparent if there is oil present. If there is, the motor must be removed and disassembled. Be sure not to lose any spacer washers on either end of the motor shaft. Clean windings and interior with mineral spirits and a soft brush, followed by a spray-on quick-evaporating electrical solvent. I use "Electro-Motive," avalable at auto parts stores. These motors are split-phase motors, and have a starting switch operated by a centrifugal mechanism on the end of the rotor. The switch contacts are fastened to the inside of one of the end frames. Be sure to get all oil off of the switch and mechanism. The bearing at the machine end of the motor may be lubricated by the gearcase oil; if there is wicking around the bearing, place a few drops of oil on it, and do the same for the opposite end. DO NOT OVER OIL-it's worse than not oiling it! reassemble the motor, being careful not to abraid the winding insulation, and good luck to you!

By the way-does anyone know where I can get a new roll cover for my 1948 Ironrite?

The muslin cover for Ironrite is offered on E-Bay for $30

I am at a loss. To make a long story short........... bought a Ironite -95 on Ebay. My handyman unpacked it and assembled it. We plugged it in , it worked perfectly. The only problem- a really, really hot plastic plug. The handyman decided to look at the wiring, finding that it was extremely dangerous.( the electrical wire was not wrapped and was very close to the meatal)So, he rewired the machine with new cord and polarized plug. We plugged it in again -smole came pouring out of the motor. We turned it off immediately. What to do now?? I was so looking forward to having a working Ironrite! Any help would be greatly appreciated.

You might try the Appliance Forum instead.

What you really need is a good old fashioned appliance repair shop. When I was a kid, appliances cost several times what they cost now (adjusted for inflation) and people expected to use them for half a lifetime. In those days every medium-size town had at least a couple of places that would repair appliances. Such shops are just about extinct now, thanks to crummy, cheap, made-in-China appliances meant to last 5 years and then be thrown in the trash.

Rant, rant, rant. Nothin' worse than a codger-in-training, whining that things were better in the old days. ;-)

Hello, I have an IronRite and the instruction book -- can anyone tell me what kind of oil I can buy that is safe for my iron?
Thanks
doreen1942

Doreen,

Did you try an ordinary web search? I typed "ironrite oil" into a search engine. Lo and behold, the very first hit was this thread on Gardenweb's very own Laundry Room Forum.

The poster there says to use hydraulic oil, such as the type sold for use in floor jacks. You can get some at an auto parts store.

Clear the old lubricant in the gear box with rags wrapped around a screwdrivers after draining what will run out the bottom into a shallow pan. Replace with hydraulic jack oil. I think about 4-5 oz. but not too much; the gears carry the oil through the box so don't overfill. Do not tip Ironrite on its side or oil will run into the motor. I use my ironrite to do all my ironing and it's a breeze. Watch youtube video "Making a New Day Out of Tuesday" and learn how!

Oh and I used a little gasoline on a rag to remove gunk from the gearbox floor. It evaporates so later you can ad the jack oil.

Hopefully , in the 9 years since the OP first asked the question, she figured out what to do...

I thought I was the only crazy one. I bought a mingle iron back in June.

Before buying it I plugged it in and it seemed to work just fine. I did notice some oil on the right side where the motor is. The woman said the iron has been down the basement since she bought the house from 20 years ago. We logged it up the basement steps and into the back of my van. Given that the mangle iron Is very heavy, “ 150, 200 pounds,” we plugged it in again before removing it from my van. It worked. I was so excited, I thought I found a treasure. So we manage to get it up a flight of stairs and placed it across from my washer and dryer. We plugged it in and it started smoking. That was in June, I haven’t done anything with it since. My dreams of having iron sheets, tablecloth, napkins went up in smoke. I have spoken to a man in the neighborhood who works on old motors he said he would work on it for me but I have to get it to him. I’m not sure how to remove it. So, What worked for you?

I would not remove a motor myself. See if he will remove it before working on it. I sure hope you can get it to work. I just ironed 8 shirts!

Hilarious bit of seriously outmoded marketing for the IronRite from 1946.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkgN2YpeKu0

"If Mary loses her good looks, her health, and her disposition, the breakdown is likely to start at the ironing board." LOL

Love it!

I know! I have told more people about that video. Hilarious!

Jhauen89, are you sure the smoke was coming from the motor? Maybe in
the jostling of moving it, something inside fell across the heating
elements. Not that that's trivial, mind you.

With an old
appliance like this, you're kind of on your own. Independent appliance
service people are few and far between. Finding replacement parts is
also a challenge.

If you have even some mechanical ability,
I'd say tear into it anyway. Right now it's just taking up space, so
what do you have to lose? These big old guys were designed for service, so dismantling it ought to be fairly straightforward. You might even find that it's a simple repair.

If the motor's at fault, you have someone to look at it, and that puts you ahead of the game already.

Take
lots of pictures as you go along, so you know how to put it back
together. Store the hardware and small parts in labeled zipper storage
bags.Good luck! Let us know how you make out with it.

Final thought on this repair: I bet there are some antique appliance collector's forums/websites out there. I know there are for vacuum collectors - yes there are people who collect old vacuums. And toasters, washing machines, hand and power tools, and so on. Those folks will know how to fix this stuff. Search the web for 'vintage (or antique) appliance forum.' Maybe add 'collector' if you don't get results.

That is a great idea, toxcrusadr.