The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1903-02-28
MAKING PINS, HOOKS AND EYES.
The Interesting. Journey of Bit of Wire
Through Il " ondcrfu1 Machine.

| Through Il " ondcrfu1 Machine.
| The manufacture OF pins has be
come such an industry In tn
United States that the mill
OF this c0untry practically sup
ply the world with this needed
article. and yet the demand is by NJ
means small one. In 1900 the Is,
0Oo,OOC people in the United State:
used 66.000,000 gross of common pins
which is equal to 9,5OO,00OO 900 pins, OF
an average of about 1926 pins for ever!
man, woman and child in the country
This is the highest average reached
anywhere in the use of pins. Ter
years ago We used only about 72 pins
each.
The total humber of pins manufac-
tured in the United States during 1900
the census year, was 6S,SS9, ESQ gross
There are 43 factories in all, with 2253
employees. The business has growll
rapidly during the last 20 years, for,
although there were 40 factories in
! 1880, they produced only half as much,
employed only about half the capital
and only 1877 hands. There has been
considerable Increase in the number
CT women and children employed in
pin factories of late years, which is an
indication that the machinery is being
improved and simplified and that it's
operation does not require so high an
order of mechanical skill.
Hooks and eyes are a 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,S ,S24
gross.
Pins and hooks and eyes are turned
out by automatic machines in such
quantities today that the cost of man.
ufacture is practically 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 a recep-
tacle and arrange themselves in the
line OF a slot formed by two bars When
they reach the lower end of the bars
they are seized and pressed 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 a solution of sour beer, whirling
as they go, to be cleaned, and then into
not solution of tin, which is also
Kept revolving. They here receive
their bright coat Of metal and are
pushed along, killing time, until they
nave had an opportunity to harden,
When they are dropped into a revolv-
ing 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
'ows again, and, like well-drilled SOL
iiers, pass along toward the edge of
he bottom, and slide down an inclined
'lane, still hanging by their heads.
Until they reach strips of paper, to
which they are introduced by curious
ERIK of the machine. The fi1st they
NOW they are all placed in rows,
up and on their way to the
zig department stores, where they are
old at from five to 10 cents a gross.
machine is expected to throw out
everal tho.sand gross an hour.
Needles are made by a similar ma
hire. In 1900 there were made 1887
SO gross Of machine needles, 212.6S9
ross for shoemaking 324,476 gross for
rdinary household sewing machines,
O7,426 gross for knitting machines,
nd the rest for other kinds of sew
lg and knitting machinery, generally
Dr. factory use. We imported $418,OO4j
'orth Of ordinary needles, most of i
lem from EnAlanG.
Ha:rpins and safety pins and other
inds of pins are manufactured in
milar manner. We made 1.1S9,1Ol1
ross of hairpins in 1890. Both need
IS and hairpins are manufactured to
greater extent in Europe than plain
lns. Safety pins, however, are de- =
dedly American, and of these we
AXE on an average 100000 gross
Exporter.