The Columbus journal., 1883-05-09
Clothes Pins.

Probably very few realize the extent
of the manufacture of clothes pins, and
the amount of capital employed in the
business. Their manufacture is mostly
confined to New England, and the. State
of Maine produces its share of the COM
modify.
According to the Bangor Industrial
Journal, one of the most complete and
extensive clothes pin factories is located
at Vanceboro, Maine. From the same
source the process of manufacturing the
pins is given.
The wood used is mainly white birch
and beech. The logs are cut and hauled
to the shores of the lake or to the streams
emptying into it. thence they are tlOated
down to the mill. AS fast as required
they are hauled into the mill by wind
lass and chain worked by steam power,
and sawed into lengths of sixteen or
twenty-five inches-the former to be
made into pins, and the latter into
boards for the boxes required in pack
ing. The sixteen-inch lengths are next
sawed into boards of the requisite thick
ness by shingle machine, then into
strips of the proper size by a gang of
twelve circular saws, and finally into
five-inch lengths by a gang of three saws.
The logs have now been cut up into
blocks about five inches long and three
fourths of an inch square. Falling, as
they leave the saws, ON an elevator bolt,
they are carried into an upper story, and
returning to the first floor are deposited
in troughs, whence they are fed to the
turning lathes, of which there are sew
eral-each being capable of turning
eighty pins per minute. They are then
passed to the slotting machines, in which
q peculiar arrangement of knives in
serted in acircular saw gives the slot the
proper flange. after which they are au-
tomatically carried by elevator belts to
the drying bins on the second floor.
where they are subjected to high
temperature, generated by steam pipes,
until thoroughly seasoned. There are
several of these bins, the largest of which
has capacity of one hundred boxes,
1900 pins, and the smaller ones fifty.
The pins are now ready for polishing
and packing. The polishing is accom-
plished by means Of perforated cylinders
or drums, each capable of holding forty
bushels, in which the pins are placed.
and kept constantly revolving until they
become as smooth as if polished by hand
with the finest sandpaper. A few
minutes before this process is completed.
q small amount of tallow is thrown in
the drums with the pins, after which q
few more revolutions gives them q
beautiful glossy appearance. These
polishing drums are suspended directly
over the packing counter on the first
floor of the mill, and being thus imme-
diately beneath the ceiling of the floor
above, are readily filled through scuttles
from the drying bins on the second floor.
and as easily emptied upon the counter
below, where they are sorted into first
and second grades. and packed in boxes
of five gross each. The sorting and
packing are done by girls. Two hum
dred and fifty boxes are packed per day.
The market for clothes pins is not
confined to any special locality. but is
found nearly all over the world. Ten
thousand boxes have been shipped to Mel
bourne. Australia, within the past four
months. Ten firms in London carry .
stock of ten thousand boxes each, and
two firms in Boston carry like amount.
One thousand boxes constitute had.-
6ctsn1jee Anrteas. i