Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1903-01-31
MAKING PINS, HOOKS AND EYES.
The Interesting Journey of Bit OF
Wire Through a Wonderful Ma

The Interesting Journey Of a Bit OF
Wire Through n Wonderful Ma
chine.
| The manufacture Of pins has become
such an industry in the United States
that the mills Of this country practical
ly supply the ~Eorld with this needed
article, and yet the demand is by no
means a small one. In 1900 the 75,OOO,-
900 people in the United States used
66 OOO. 900 gross Of common pins, which
is equal to $500. .O00,OO0 pins, or an aver
age of about 126 ping for every man,
| woman and child in the country. This
is the highest average reached any
where in the use Of pins. Ten years
ago we used only about seventy-hVe
pins each.
The total number of pins manufac-
tured in the United States, during lsoo'
the census year, was 6S,880,260 gross.
There are forty-three factories IN ALL
with 1883 employees. The business has
grown rapidly during the last twenty
three years, for, although there were
forty factories in 1880, they produced
only half as much, employed only about
half as much capital and only l'On
hands. There has been considerable
increase in the number Of women ana
children employed in pin factories OF
late years, which is an indication tnat
the machinery Is being improved ana
simplified and that its operation does
not require 80 high an order OF mechan-
ical skill.
Hooks and eyes are by-product or
nin-making and are produced at most
of the factories from material that
will not do for pins. The total output
of hooks and eyes in 1900 was l,l3l,Sz4
gross.
Pins and hooks and eyes are turned
out by automatic machines In sucn
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 ma
chimes, which cut them into proper
lengths, and they drop off into recepta-
cles 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 passed 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
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 a revolving barrel of
| bran and sawdust, which cools and
polishes them at the same time. Be-
cause 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 well-drilled SOL
diers, pass along toward the edge of
the bottom, and slide down an inclined
plane still hanging by their heads. un-
til they reach strips of paper, to which
they are introduced by curious jerk of
the machine. The first they know they
are all placed in rows, wrapped up and
on their way to the big department
stores, where they are sold at from five
to ten cents Il gross. A machine is ex-
pected to throw out several thousand
gross an hour.
Needles are made by similar me-
chine. In 1900 there were made l,39I-