How to do It: Stiff Starch Grandma's Way

[Vampyre Master]

stiff collars

hi all
does anybody know how to starch detachable stiff collars I wear imperial 1, 1/2 inch high ones but cannot get that shiny finnish

Vampyre

 

[virtualk]

Photos not showing

I've seen the photos on this psot before and now they are not showing.
Anyone else having this happen?

 

[t_crown]

hi all
does anybody know how to starch detachable stiff collars I wear imperial 1, 1/2 inch high ones but cannot get that shiny finnish

Vampyre

I know what you mean about not getting that "high gloss" finish on collars. I would try pressing the collars face down on a sheet of tin (aluminum?) foil. This might give the smoothest surface possible, which would decrease the ironed texture that the starch mimics when pressed.

 

[scotrace]

All of my photos were hosted at Apple's .mac servers. They jiggered the server set up, and broke a few hundred links for me.
I need to get busy and re-link them all.

 

[Sir RBH]

hi all
does anybody know how to starch detachable stiff collars I wear imperial 1, 1/2 inch high ones but cannot get that shiny finnish

Vampyre

Hello there. There are a few techniques about but if you drop me an email I can email a Word doc to you that is quite good at describing all the steps. kind Regards
RBH

 

[scotrace]

Hello there. There are a few techniques about but if you drop me an email I can email a Word doc to you that is quite good at describing all the steps. kind Regards
RBH

May I request that you copy/paste the info here for everyone to see? This question comes up frequently so it deserves the exposure here. Alternatively, you can create a .pdf file and link it.

 

[Kifaru]

So, is a "boiled shirt" for a dinner jacket just a uber-starched shirt? or is it something else entirely? If is different, where does one get a traditional shirt for a dinner jacket (no pleating)?? Thanks in advance,

 

[cufflinkmaniac]

So, is a "boiled shirt" for a dinner jacket just a uber-starched shirt? or is it something else entirely? If is different, where does one get a traditional shirt for a dinner jacket (no pleating)?? Thanks in advance,

http://www.vintageshirt.co.uk/

Go to shirts and scroll down until you see "Stiff fronted collarless evening shirt."


Only the bib and cuffs are starched to cardboard-like stiffness. They also have a marcella fronted collarless shirt, which is what I would prefer for a dinner jacket. Boiled shirts are best with white tie.

 

[Sir RBH]

May I request that you copy/paste the info here for everyone to see? This question comes up frequently so it deserves the exposure here. Alternatively, you can create a .pdf file and link it.

I will try and link to a PDF although i haven't done that before.. so any advice would be helpful. Thank you
RBH

 

[Vampyre Master]

I will try and link to a PDF although i haven't done that before.. so any advice would be helpful. Thank you
RBH

One of the most common requests for information we receive is for addresses of
laundries which do stiff collars. Unfortunately these are becoming harder and
harder to find while at the same time the quality of the laundering itself is
declining. It seems that few laundries these days will launder stiff collars to a
suitably rigid and glossy finish and those that do still provide a collar laundering
service charge almost as much for laundering as it does to buy a new collar.
For many of us, particularly those of us who live outside the U.K. the difficulties
involved in getting collars laundered means we are forced to wear modern shirts
while being left looking disconsolately at a pile of dirty stiff collars we are unable
to get cleaned.
Old fashioned laundries used to have a special type of iron which consisted of
heated metal rollers through which the collar was forced. This process apparently
both ironed the collar in the round and left the surface with a glossy bright finish.
Very few laundries have this equipment any more.
At one time of course, collars were mainly laundered at home, but the knowledge
of the methods used to attain the best result has been almost completly lost. You
do not need the special equipment found in traditional laundries to get a perfect
finish to your collars, but it is a labour intensive process which takes time and
more than a little patience. Perhaps it ought to be a required skill for anyone who
seeks to join the Guild as a manservant!
The following information was kindly posted on a group message board on the
Internet by a gentleman using the nickname collartight who states that he
habitually launders all his own collars at home according to a method taught to
him by a retired laundress who used to specialise in laundering stiff collars.
“Wash collars in normal way and leave damp. Mix 2 tablespoons of starch
powder with a pint of COLD water. Stir well and leave for a few mins. Put damp
collars in one at a time and knead the starch mixture into the collar.
Squeeze out lightly and put to dry- top of radiator or similiar. The collars MUST
dry completely. Leave them for at least 24 hours before going onto the next
stage.
Now roll the collars into a fairly damp towel and allow to dampen all the way
through.
On a well padded surface put the collar face down having sprayed with 'Easiron'
or similiar. Press firmly with a hot iron until almost dry. Turn it over and repeat
being careful not to scorch. Iron carefully until the collar is perfectly smooth and
flat.
If you want a polished surface this can be acheived by wiping over the surface of
the freshly ironed collar with a damp cloth lightly rubbed onto a bar of white soap
and then gently polish the collar with the tip of a hot iron.
The collar can now be folded into shape, held with a peg and put somewhere
warm to harden off. Practice makes perfect but some failures are inevitable.”
With a little trepidation, I attempted to follow these instructions. I have a large
(and growing) pile of collars which I have been unable to get laundered on my
occasional trips to the UK. In case of major disaster, I chose a couple of my least
favourite style of collar - a style still commercially available, took a deep breath,
and took the plunge.
My first surprise was how thin and watery the starch mixture was. It had the
appearance and consistency of milk. On my previous failed attempts at home
collar laundry, I had followed the instructions on the starch packet and used
boiling water. This had usually left me with a mixture with the consistency and
appearance of wallpaper paste which caused a terrible mess and which clung to
the collars in gobby lumps which then burned as soon as you tried to iron them.
This time, the collars were simply soaked in the mixture, and I put them to dry in
the airing cupboard.
I left the collars to dry completely, which took some 24 hours. Most of them dried
fairly stiff and rigid, but I found some were rather soft - these were new collars
that had never been washed before. I simply put these back into the starch
mixture, and let them dry again.
The collars were then rolled up into a damp towel and after leaving them to
dampen for a few minutes, I sprayed one with an easy-iron spray.
I had placed a dry towel on the ironing board to further pad it, and started ironing
the first collar. In order to avoid scorching, I used a low heat on the iron thinking I
could increase the heat if it was not effective. I used the setting for wool and to
my surprise found that the collar ironed smooth very easily and without any
scorching at all. I was soon able to iron the collar perfectly flat and smooth
without any trace of creases or wrinkles.
I discovered it is easier to simply lightly run a bar of white soap over the still
damp surface of the collar than to mess about with damp cloths. I also
discovered that collars scorch very easily when you iron them after putting soap
on them. I managed to scorch two of the four collars I was experimenting with.
On the other two however, by dint of lightly running the iron over the soaped
collar, I was able to produce a beautiful sheen.
I used paperclips to hold the collars into a round shape, and put them back into
the airing cupboard overnight.
The end result is quite acceptable. With a little practice I am sure that I will
master the technique, but on my first attempt I was able to produce two collars
that are perfectly serviceable and with a satisfying shine to their stiff surfaces. It
will be necessary to experiment with the process a little, perhaps altering the
proportion of starch to water slightly in order to produce the sharpest and stiffest
finish. I felt the collars I did today could be a little stiffer - but then is that not a
constant refrain? I was using a rice starch, other types of starch powder may
require a different proportion of water. I assume the original instructions were
given with a corn starch in mind. This may also have been the reason why some
of the collars were so soft on being first starched and had to be starched again.

 

[Nick D]

Here's another possibility, which indicates that the glossy sheen comes from the starching process itself. I imagine the combination of wax and starch really held those collars rigid. I think I'll give the soap method a try first.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rabinal/2583964851/in/photostream/

 

[Warbaby]

I recently acquired two NOS collars in a style I've been looking for in my size for a long time. They're a bit age-discolored - is a washing in Oxyclean the proper way to bring them back to white? Can I get that nice curve back with a conventional iron or do I need some special gizmo to do it? There is, of course, no place here on the island that can/will do them, so I'm on my own with this.

 

[Tomasso]

All of my photos were hosted at Apple's .mac servers. They jiggered the server set up, and broke a few hundred links for me.
I need to get busy and re-link them all.

Not to rush you, but


worthlesswithoutpics



That one where the shirt is standing up by itself on the ironing board is hilarious.

 

[Nick D]

I recently acquired two NOS collars in a style I've been looking for in my size for a long time. They're a bit age-discolored - is a washing in Oxyclean the proper way to bring them back to white? Can I get that nice curve back with a conventional iron or do I need some special gizmo to do it? There is, of course, no place here on the island that can/will do them, so I'm on my own with this.

Nice collar! I'm working on adding a few more of the high rounded collars to my wardrobe, to go with the point collars. They take a bit of getting used to, but if they fit right they're perfectly comfortable.

You don't need a special gizmo, you can do it with an iron and ironing board. This is how I do it. After you've pressed the collar and folded it, lay it flat on the board with the collar down and the stand up, and lay the iron as close to the tab as you can and still be able to grip it. Hold the tab and pull the collar up and out from under the iron, keeping the iron in place. Then do the same thing in the other direction (this gets a curl on the long lock and the underlap tab.) Also, you can do it in halves, starting with the left edge of the iron covering the rear buttonhole and pulling left, then the right edge covering and pulling right.

I've got a few collars that are going to need a starching soon, I can take pictures of curling them if anyone would find that helpful.

Regards,
Nick​

 

[jamespowers]

That one where the shirt is standing up by itself on the ironing board is hilarious.

Ah, the way shirts should be. :eusa_clap

 

[Warbaby]

Nick - Thanks for the instructions! I'm going to practice on some old collars I have before I attempt these. I'll post some photos if I get it right.

 

[DanielJones]

Anybody have/use a steam press? Do they work well? I've been curious about them for a while now.

I have my Grandmothers old one, I think bought in the early 70's to replace an even older one she used since the 30's. It works fantastic. Bit of a time saver.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[habberdasher]

Was this just the standard way of ironing in the 30s, etc? Did people really spend this much time ironing?

 

[jamespowers]

Was this just the standard way of ironing in the 30s, etc? Did people really spend this much time ironing?

Actually not. They were very used to doing this so it took them quite a bit less time. Grandma could knock this out at about five minutes per shirt. her hands moved fast as lightening over a shirt.

 

[habberdasher]

WOW! Thats one experienced grandma.