Introducing the Coleman 4A Kerosene Iron!!

Introducing the Coleman 4A Kerosene Iron (manufactured from 1929-1948)!  A neat little antique passed down from my wife's side of the family.  The concept is very similar to the Coleman kerosene camp stoves.  The bulb in the back was filled with kerosene.  You then pumped a small rod on the fuel container to pressurize it then adjusted the knob on the back to allow the fuel to flow.  A fire was lit inside the iron allowing it to heat up and smooth those wrinkles out of your finest clothing!  

While it's a nifty idea, there were a couple small design flaws, mainly that the handle was made of wood.  If you look at the handle and the fuel tank you see that they are black in places.  This is not from father time taking its toll on the iron.  The black is char marks from the heat of the iron.  Some of the things I've read on this iron say that the handle would occasionally catch fire.

Needless to say these iron served people well during their time....