Neat Waffle Iron with early patent heat diffuser plate

Hello I'm new to this forum, but have collected, and have cooked with cast iron for many years. (I'm a big lodge guy, and love its accessibility/low prices/and functionality), but when the opportunity arises, I will also pickup other manufacturers if the price is right. Its also a fun learning process trying to figure out the history of all these pieces I run across when digging through estate/garage sales, auctions, and flea markets.

This waffle iron itself is not all that rare, but what caught my eye was the heat diffuser plate that came with it. I'm not sure what the story is behind this piece. It fits the waffle iron perfectly, and the three pieces seem to be made to go together, but the patent date is so early that it Pre-Dates the Wagner foundry.

I just wanted to share these photos with other collectors as I don't believe this diffuser plate is all that common anymore. Could this piece be made to go with the Wagner Waffle Iron, but be a acquired patent from another manufacturer. Or do you think its just something someone managed to piece together sometime in the last 100 years?

I hope you all enjoy the photos! Please let me know how you think the rest of the story goes concerning this trio of iron.

I forgot the most important picture.

I'd say the waffle iron and the plate are together out of mere coincidence. That they appear to fit together is likely more a function of the waffle iron and the heat diffuser being designed to (or happening to) fit the same basic size wood stove eye. There would have been no reason or need to disperse the heat coming from an open stove eye the same diameter as a waffle iron made to fit it.

Your diffuser plate is most likely a sad iron heater which was made by the Adams Company , Dubuque Iowa or a copy of it. The patent date just doesn't add up so I'm very confused regarding it originality.
If you have the paperback book "Collectors Guide To Wagner Ware and Other Companies" there is a picture of your piece at the top of page 116. It doesn't show the back of the plate nor any date regarding when it was made.
I have an old bread stick pan that was made by Klauer out of Dubuque, Iowa and my research led me to many of the cast iron manufacturers located in the Iowa area that made a lot of steam boat parts along with some other misc. pieces that were sold in trading post and local hardware stores.
Sorry I can not give you any further information but I am certain it is not part of the waffle iron. It just wouldn't make sense to deflect the heat away from a waffle iron that needs the heat to cook as designed.

---------- Post added at 10:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:23 PM ----------

MEKlama said:

I forgot the most important picture.

Click to expand...

ME...Here is a link to the Adams Company with a bit of history and a picture of the Sad Iron Heater I made reference to.
I didn't realize that Doug was posting his information so you have two opinions that it is most likely not a part of your waffle iron.
http://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=ADAMS_COMPANY_(THE)

Thankyou very much for the quick replies. When I purchased the item this last weekend, the three pieces were tied together by a wire. The seller was also not familiar with the item.

The patent date on the iron itself appears to be 1898 (its hard to decipher through all the grunge)

Thanks for information concerning the sad iron heater / diffuser plate. I would of had trouble figuring that one out on my own.

I'd think an 1892 patent date. I had that same waffle iron, seems I was told it was one of their first patterns. It had the same sloping base too, more elegant than the later ones with a trough.