The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1903-01-14
Making Pins, Hooks and Eyes.

States that the mills of this country
practically supply the world with this
needed article, and yet the demand is
by no means small one. In 1900
the 75,OOO.000 people in the United
States used 66,00O,O 900 gross Of com
mon pins, or an average of about 126
pins for every man, woman and child
In this country. This is the highest
average reached anywhere in the use
OF pins. Ten years ago we used only
about " pins each.
The total number Of pins manufac-
tured in the United States during
1900, the census year, was 68, $3.50, ,26O
gross. There are 43 factories in all,
with z,553 employees. The business
has grown rapidly during the last
years. fc., although there we're 40
factories in 1880, they produced only
half as much, employed only about
half the capital and only LOTT hands.
There has been considerable increase
In the number of women and children
employed in the pin factories of late
years, which is an indication that the
machinery is being improved and sim
plified and that its operation does not
require SO high an order of mechanical
skill.
Hooks and eyes are by product of
pin making and are produced at most
OF the factories from material that will
not do for pins. The output Of hooks
and eyes in 1900 was 1,131 1921 gross.
Pins and hooks and eyes are turned
out by automatic machines in such
quantities to-day that the cost Of man
ufaoture is practicslly limited to the
value of the brass wire from which
they are made. A single machine
does the whole business. Coils Of
wire, hung upon reels, are passed into
the machines, which cut them into
proper lengths and they drop off into
q receptacle and arrange themselves
in the line of slot formed by TWO
bars. When they reach the lower end
of the bars they are seized and press
ed between two dies, which form the
heads, and pass along into the grip of
another steel instrument, which points
them by pressure. They are then
dropped into solution of sour beer,
whirling as they go, to be cleaned,
and then into hot solution of tin,
which is also kept revolving. They
here receive their bright coat of metal
and are pushed along, killing time,
until they have had an opportunity to
harden, when they are dropped into
revolving barrel of bran and sawdust,
which cools and polishes them at the
same time. Because Of the oscillation
of the bran they work gradually down
to the bottom of the barrel, which is
metallic plate cut into Sits just big
enough for the body Of the pins, but
not big enough for the head to pass
through.
Thus they are Strengthened out into
rows again and, like we'll trained SOL
diers, pass along toward the edge of
the bottom and slide down an inclined
plane, still hanging by their heads,
until they reach strips Of paper, to
which they are introduced by a curious
jerk of the machipe. The first they
know they are plsood in rows, wrapped
up and on their way to the big depart
1ent storss, where they are sold at
from FIVE to ten cents gross. A ma
chine is expected to throw out several
thousand gross an hour.
Needles are made by similar ma
chine. In 1900 there were made l.
397 ,533 gross Of machine needles,
212, ,689 gross for shoe-making, 324 ,476
gross for ordinary household sewing
machines, BOZ, ,426 gross for knitting
machines and the rest for other kinds
Of sewing and knitting machinery,
generally FOR factory use. We import
ed S41s.0O4 worth Of ordinary needles,
most of them from England.
Hair pins and safety pins and other
kinds Of pins are manufactured in q
similar manner. We made 1,189, ,1H
gross of hair pins in 1890. Both need
les and hair pins are manufactured to
q greater extent in Europe than plain
pins. Safety pins, however, are de-
oidedly American, and of these we
make on an average 1000, 900 gross a
year.-American Exporters.