The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-07-16
MAKING MEEpLes.
The Vast Amount Of Labor Expended on
Theae Trin1ng Articles.

rho Vast Amount Of Labor Expended On
These Trining Articles.
This little but useful instrument has .
sast amount of labor connected with it
before the bit of steel is made to as
sumo the proper form and shape for
market 1t has to 60 through the hands
of five score workmen Mt least. The
steel wire being drawn to the proper
size, is submitted to various physical
tests to ascertain its quality; then it is
cut into proper lengths with shears,
which, by striking blow every two
seconds cut in ten hours over 4OO. 900
ends of steel wire, which produce twice
this number of needles. These are
passed on for further manipulation to
other workmen, who straighten and
point the pieces of wire. After point
ing they are cut in two. SO as to form
two separate needles of equal strength
and quality. For each different size a
small copper plate is employed. This
plate is nearly square and has turned
up edge on two of its sides; the one is in
tended to receive all the points, while the
other resists the pressure of the shears.
On this plate certain number of wires
are put with their points in contact with
the border, and they are cut together
flush with the plate, by means of q
small pair of shears moved by the
knees of the workman. They are now
all even, and the wires are taken to
the head flattener. This workman,
seated at his table with cubic block of
steel about three inches square, takes
about twenty-five of these needles be-
tween his thumb and fingers. Spread
ing them out like fan, with the points
under the thumb, he lays the heads on
his steel block, and. with small faced
hammer, strikes few successive blows
upon them SD as to flatten them in an
instant. The heads having become
hardened by hammering, are now an
nealed by heating and slow cooling,
then handed to the piercer, generally a
child, who forms sixty eyes per minute,
by LAYING the heads on a block of steel,
and by driving small steel punch
through on one side with quick, sharp
stroke of the hammer. and then exactly
opposite on the other. The eyes are
again trimmed by driving the punch
through them again on lump of lead.
and after laying the needle with the
punch sticking through it. upon the
block of steel, hammering the head on
the sides. which causes it to assume the
form of the punch.
The next operator makes the groove
at the eve and rounds the head, which
he does with small file. The needles,
being thus prepared, are thrown, by the
workman, pell-mell into box or drum.
in which they are made to arrange
themselves into parallel lines by means
of few dexterous shakes of the work
mans arm. Now they are ready to be
tempered, for which purpose they are
arranged on sheet iron plates, about
thirty pounds at time, containing, say,
SOC, 900 needles, and are placed in q
proper furnace where they are heated
to bright redness for the larger needles.
and to a less intense degree for the
smaller ones. They are thus removed,
and inverted suddenly over bath OF
cold water in such manner that all the
needles are immersed at the same time,
yet separate of each other. This has
the effect of making them very hard and
brittle. After the water is run off the
needles are removed for further opera
tons, sometimes by throwing into a
bath of melted lead, others by putting
in burning grease. They are now ready
for polishing, the most prolonged and
expensive process through which needles
pass.-Midldnd Industrial Gazette.