Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-01-30
HOW HAIRPINs ARE MADE.
A Complicated Industry, Though 1t
Seems Simple.

5COAaS 6AAaPACs
Hairpins that bear French label on
the package, writes corresondent, as
well as those having an American label,
are nearly, if not quite all, manufactured
at Birmingham, England. A hairpin
mandatory is very interesting place to
spend pleasant half hour in. The hair
pin is very small article, yet it forms an
important article of commerce, and a
great deal of complicated and costly ma
chinery is used to turn them out in suffi-
cient quantities to meet the ever-increas-
ing demands of an advancing civilization.
The material of which hairpins are
usually made is steel wire. This comes
to the hairpin mandatory wound around
immense spools. These are placed in a
machine that draws off the wire,
straightens and cuts it into the required
lengths, each of these lengths dropping
into box the proper size, to prevent
their lying at right angles to each other,
and gentle shake given to the box
causes them to Lie parallel.
In front of the box and Just below it
is a solid wheel, the periphery of which
is grooved parallel with its axis. The
grooves are Just the size of the wire, and
the face of the wheel is of size to allow.
the straight wires to jut over a trifie
each end AS this wheel revolves it re-
ceives the wires at the top, and as the
wheel slowly revolves it carries the wires
with it. On the side that they would fall
off by force of gravity, they are tightly
held in place by belt, similar to slack
belt tightener, which is often used on
short belts.
While being held in place by this belt,
they are also ground on their protecting
ends to the required shape by two small
grindstones, set at an angle that will
probably point them. Now, as the wheel
further revolves, the wires drop off and
fall into box made just the length to
receive them. 1t is during the working
of this machine that noise which much
resembles duet played on the Scotch
bagpipes is evolved. The wires are now
ready for the next machine, which is
called a bender This machine has a
steel box, with a slanting bottom. At
the bottom of the slant is longitudinal
aperture of sufficient size to allow the
wires to fall out one at time.
They fall between two plates of hard
ened steel, at the bottom of which works
steel rod, finely tempered on the end.
1t slides back Just far enough to admit of
one wire at time to fall through the
steel plates and is then driven forward
through a small hole in plate of hard
ened steel, conveying the double pointed
piece of steel wire with it and bending it
into the proper shape of hairpin. Some
have to be crimped, and these are passed
between set of steel jaws that closes on
them one at time, and crimps them for
portion of their length on each prong
into waved outline
They are now ready to receive their
first coat of japan. On being taken to
the ground floor, about half bushel is
placed in large crock, known by the
name of jowl, and two tablesponfuls of
the japan are poured on them, and then
they are stirred and worked around in
the jowl until each separate hairpin has
received a complete coating of japan.
They are then taken out of the jowl and
placed on shallow tin trays and put in
an oven and baked. The baking of the
japan on a hairpin is an operation rcquir-
ing great judgment and skill on the part
of the operator. They must be cooked
just enough and no more, or they blister
and are rendered rough and unfit for use,
This is.repeated for medium grades,
and three coats are put on for the best
work. They are then sent to the pack
ing-room, where they go through pro-
cess called heading. This consists of get
ting each one strung upon wire. The
next operation is TO weigh them and pack
them in small packages, properly labeled
for the retail trade. The final operation
consists Of putting them up in gross lots
and packing them in large boxes, for
shipment toall parts of the world A
packet Of one dozen hairpins usually sells
for two cents at retail.