hand held steamer

[davestlouis]

I found an American Tourister-branded hand steamer at Goodwill the other day and tried it today...pretty cool. It took a long time to heat up, but once it did, I steamed the wrinkles out of 4 suit coats, as an experiment.

My iron will give steam in a vertical position, but it doesn't throw enough steam to do much. This little guy did very well.

Not half bad for $4.

Any hints or warnings for its use? The owner's manual basically said "plug it on and use it, don't trip over the cord"

 

[Qirrel]

Heres a warning for you: Don't use it on coats -- it will ruin any shaping ironwork done when the coat was made.

 

[davestlouis]

I've been getting out wrinkles on the backs of the suit coats...I have to keep my coat on in the car when we are in procession, and they wrinkle terribly.

 

[Tango Yankee]

Heres a warning for you: Don't use it on coats -- it will ruin any shaping ironwork done when the coat was made.

I'm not sure I understand this recommendation. What do you mean by "shaping ironwork?" If you're referring to the use of an iron during construction, wouldn't dry cleaning or general use do the same thing?

I'm missing something, for sure.

I've used a steamer on sport coats and suit coats and never noticed any ill effect from it.

Regards,
Tom

 

[Qirrel]

I quote Jefferyd from askandy, he explains better than me:

(NB: When he speaks of traditional tailoring, he is not necessarily referring to bespoke. If your suits are modern and mass-produced, steaming wont do anything bad. If your suits are vintage or quality modern: Read on.)

Jefferyd:

"Traditional tailoring involves shaping the wool a bit like when they stretch a flat skin over a shoe last to give it shape. We use steam to relax the fiber, shape the garment, then allow it to dry before moving it, then the shape is semi-permanent (like curling hair with a curling iron). We also use steam and pressure to shrink and stretch parts of the garment to give it shape. This shaping is all lost when the garment is exposed to steam; you may not notice it but the fit will not be the same unless given to a qualified presser to go over again. Most seams also have some stretching and fulling will will relax when exposed to humidity- the seams can pucker and puff up a bit instead of sitting clean and flat. Steam in the wrong parts, like around the sleeve cap, can cause serious puckering which can be very difficult or impossible to get rid of."

Reply from forum:

"I steam the wrinkles out of the back that come from sitting in a chair, but never steam the front or cuffs. It allows me to go a while between pressings and I've never noticed any effects on that particular area of my suits."

Jefferyd:

"
The back gets a good deal of what we call "ironwork" to create room for the shoulder blades and a smoother fit through the waist; you wouldn't necessarily notice it right away, it just wouldn't look right until it was repressed and then it would be like bringing it back to life again. That is, if you could see your back when wearing the suit.

The thing about ironing versus steaming is that you are putting pressure on the garment on a flat or shaped surface which helps to maintain the shape and prevent puckering. In a suit factory during the summer months, sometimes it gets too humid so the suits have to be repressed so they look fresh when shipped. When suits are shipped in containers form overseas factories, they have silica gel packets placed with every suit to absorb any humidity sealed into the container so that they keep their appearance. You may never have noticed the effects because they were never pointed out to you, and you couldn't be expected to see what a pro sees- unless you seek to be educated which, presumably, is why you are here."

He then continues on explaining with some pictures. See them here:

http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/forum/showthread.php?97814-Suit-Wrinkle-Advice

Dry cleaning wont always do the same thing as a steamer, because a suit should always be pressed when it is dry-cleaned. If your cleaners are good, they will have the expertise and equipment to iron your suit properly, and restore the shaping ironwork to the original condition.