OK, something pretty scary just happened to me. I had to go to work, so I decided to quickly iron my blouse before I left. I put the plug of the iron in the socket and all of a sudden there was a burst of flames! My hand was still on the plug, so now there's a small but painful burn on it and I can't go to work today. But that's not the point actually.

So here's the question, since I really need my iron and could use my money for other things than a new one. The flames were only at the end of the cord and on the plug. Would it be possible to just replace the cord and plug, or has my entire iron come to meet its end? I did take physics in high school, but I guess the short-circuit part didn't impress me that much, I barely remember a thing!

Any mechanics around?

You can either repair the lead or be like me and give up ironing

I don't think there will be anything wrong with the iron itself. If you are proficient at changing mains plugs it should be OK to chop about 2 cm off the mains lead put a new plug on. Care should be given to the amount the wires are stripped back for connections etc. Make sure the entire lead (outer cable) is gripped in the cable clamp. Just a generally neat job is required.

The arc and subsequent fire most often occurs just where the wire enters the plug. This is why it's best to chop a bit off the length of the lead before re-making the connection.

It happens because the constant movement of the lead eventually cracks the inner insulation of the cable. The wires short out and ...well, you know the rest

The same thing happened to Mrs TWs hair-dryer about 3 years ago. The lead arced (for the same reasons) at the hair-dryer end. It had one of those parts on that is supposed to stop the lead flexing at this point but the insulation broke down internally just outside of that. Singed hair was the result. I took the hair-dryer apart, cut about 1" off the lead and re-made the connection. The hair-dryer is still in use now. This was a soldering iron job though.

The cause of the failure of the plug connection is generally one of two things: a constant flexing of the cord as you iron will cause strain at this critical point. The cord is too short if you have to pull the cord to it's full length while ironing. It should have some slack all the time.
The other cause is more common. When unplugging the iron you pull on the cord instead of the connector.

To repair the cord, do what Tellywellies suggested. It's a lot cheaper than buying a new iron. Just remember to use a connector that has screws to attach the wire. Those plugs that simply close against the wire and pierce the insulation with sharp prongs are ok for lamps but definitely not for an iron which draws a lot more current.

Thanks you both for your advice! I guess I'll be off to the electronics shop tomorrow. I'm usually not too clumsy, so I should be able to figure out how to replace the plug, lead by what you wrote. I'll let you know how I did.

Leau - if you attempt a repair remember the rule of laying out the bits in the order you took them apart. (if you've a bit left over after putting it back together you're in trouble)
(Now look for that little screw that fell off the table and you can't remember where it went or came from)
Have at least 5 different screwdrivers of various sizes and shapes.
You may find you need to be able to solder wires inside the iron.
AND PLEASE REMEMBER to mark the connections - blue to brown might mean BANG!!!

I took the iron to my parents' over Christmas.When I asked my dad where to find the screw drivers he took the iron and fixed it! I was a little afraid when it came to testing the repaired iron, but no explosion. It works!

This is what Dad's are for.

How True TW

My dad is not for fixing irons. I do that stuff myself. My dad is, however, for laying insulation and helping me thaw my frozen bathroom sink pipes. Appearantly, this is NOT what husbands are for.