The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1869-09-30
PINS, HOOKS AND EYES.
From the Boston Commercial Bulletin

been shrouded i'll secrecy, more or less com
plete. Years ago, when several inventors
were racking their brains, each trying to pro-
duce pin machinery that should sllrpass in
efficiency that invented by his rivals, and
when an ''idea," or hint as to some import
ant timprovementm night be unlawful abstract
ed by the casual visitor, it was proper enough
indeed neccessary-to draw the veil of
secrecy about these wonderful machines. The
rule adopted then is, we believe, generally in
force to day, Visitors are not allowed to
enter the rooms where the pins are made, and
consequently, it is not possible for any one,
without violating confidence to give a full
description of the process. 1t is not mucn of
a secret, after all. The principle Of the ma
chine is known to most educated mechanics.
and there is really no good reason why its
operation should not be witnessed by every
body who cares to see it; except on the gen
eral ground that the intrusion of visitors
would Obstruct business Upon second
thought, there is 4 reason; and, strange as it
may seem, it is founded upon female vanity
The PIN machines are operated by young wo-
men, who-the work being somewhat dirty
are accustomed to attire themselves in
coarse and unbecoming garments and natu.-
ally are unwilling, thus distigured, to subject
themselves to the inspection of a critical
public.
A pin machine is about rs large AS a Wheel
er Il Wilson. Near by it hangs reel Of brass
Wire, one end of which is brought in contact
with the machine, wich cuts Oft pin lengths
with singular rapidity. Instantly each length.
separated from the coil, is struck by little
hammer three times on its end This blow
forms the head of the pin, and is really the
only mysterious feature in the operation Of a
pin machine. The hammer acts somewhat
like Il blacksmiths hammer in forming the
head of a bolt. From the process of heading
the pins are carried by Il revolving wheel I'M
der series of small files, which point them
They then drop into n receiver, and the pin
machine proper is done with them One ma
chine makes 10 pins per minute
Pins are pointed in oil, and when they leave
the machine they are greasy and dirty. Tie
first step is to cleanse them To this end a
bushel or more are put into a revolving bar
rel, containing sawdust. Thence they are re-
moved and placed in kettles, together with
plates Of tin, perforated Ikea cullcndcr-
pins and tin being laid III alternate layers
The kettles contain water with Il dash of
aquaiortis; steam is introduced, and the wa
ter boils three hours; the Tin is deposited
uniformly on the pins, and they emerge of Il
whitish but duh hue. Polish is then GIVEN
tanning saWdust, and they are finished pins
The deposit of tin on each pin is infinitely
thin, and the amount of that metal used in
whitening five or six million pins days
product of the American Companv's mills
surprisingly small.
However curious and intelligent the pin
machine proper, which the writer had not the
privilege of seeing, may be, there are certain
other machines used i'll pin manufacturing
whose operation sufficiently eXciteS the Won
der of the visitor. One of these is the sorting
machine, by means of which the good pins
are separated from the bad or imperfect Ii
comprises system Of belts, which move for
ward horizontally and Vibrate from side 10
side with Il gentle motion. From Il rrcept;,-
cle OF hopper above, the pins, good and bad
are turned upon these belts a crooked or inn
perfect pin sticks to the belt and is carried I,
the end Of the machine where it is dropped
out, while the perfect pins, smooth and sym
metrical, have no hold upon the belts but art
speedily shaken of into Il receiver below
Another very Interesting machine is the
separator, whose office is to assert the pins
according to their sizes Formerly, before
the invention Of this machine, pins unavoila-
blv cot mixed in the factory, and the work Of
separating tlen by hand being too great. they
were sold like mixed candy, a, pound pins ;
the principal market for them being among
the negroes at the South. This machin,
obyi:tfcs this necessity and does the work of !;
hundred hands in asserting the demoraizet
pins. 1t comprises an inclined plane, a re-
volving wheel and numerous sets of stee
| 'iingers," which operate Is follows: The
pins slide down the inclined plane upon tn,
Wheel which revolves horizontally; thi,
catches them and carries them around 10 con
tact with the ''tingcrs;' y these select the pin,
according to their size and drop them in diff
tcrent receptaclcs The delicacy and accu
racy of these ''iingers" may be inferred from
| the fact that they recognize the difference o
one sixteenth of IN inch in the length Of tw,
pins, and dispose Of them accordingly.
English pin manufacturers for years knew
no better method of sticking the pins in pa
pers which is an important part of the h,ls
ness, though it seems triiling, than by hand
work, and they used to give out pins i'll quan
titles to families Of poor people to be stuck
! by hand American inventive genius ha
done away with this slow and wastelul pro
cess, and furnished machines which to do tn,
work better and with infinitely greater rapid
ity Samuel Slocum, who was mentioned il
a former sketch Us one of the earliest Ameri
can pin manufacturers, was the first inventor
Of improvements iii the old English ''hand
barr for sticking pins. His machine was il
use for many years in the principal pin tacto
ries of the country, but about l5 years age
gave place to an invention Of Thaddeus Fow
lcr's
The power sticking machine consists of
table which rcvolves very slowly placed up
on this the pins are dropped into a revolving
cylinder, whose longitudinal ribs throw then
upon an endless chan the links Of this chail
are notched, and the pins catching in tn,
notches ard hanging by their heads, are born'
forward to gate on which is the paper to b,
filled, and are pressed into their places in the
paper; crimp simultaneously acts on th,
paper, holding it in place and making place
or crease for the pins.
The operation Of the hand sticking machine
is quite different. The pins, placed in Il kin,
of hopper, slide down and are caught by theil
heads between conductors placed together
like the halves of u roof; thence they run in
to a slide through goose neck, the Slide
having notchcs corresponding to the rows OF
pins in paper; as the slide runs through the
goose neck" the notches fill with pins ther
the slide is drawn back, Il crimper descend>
on the paper and holds it till the pins are
driven through it. BY this machine, attended
by one person, 900 to 1,2oo papers of pins
can be "stuck' per day. After the pins arc
''stuck" they are carefully inspected and pac
cd in papers, and are ready for market.