IMPROVE- MENTS IN HAIR PINS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Trotman, of 253, Albany Road, Camberwell,
in the County of Surrey, Pin Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN HAIR PINS."
Sealed the 22nd February 1859, and dated the 27th August 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Trotman at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th August 1858.
I, THOMAS TROTMAN, of 253, Albany Road, Camberwell, in the County of
Surrey, Pin Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN HAIR PINS," to be as follows:-
My improvements in hair pins consist in corrugating or undulating the
limbs of those articles in such manner that the inflections or corrugations are
in a direction at right angles, or nearly so, to the plane of the two limbs of the
pin, or in other words, so that the limbs show the corrugations plainly when
viewed on edge, that is to say, in the plane of the limbs, & presenting only
one to view, but when viewed from the side, that is to say, when. both limbs
are presented broadly to view, they appear straight or nearly so.
I am aware that in the manufacture of hair pins heretofore it has been
usual to undulate or corrugate the limbs in a direction in the plane of the
limbs, but hair pins so made are more or less objectionable when introducing

page_text: them into or withdrawing them from the hair, while no such objections to the
use of hair pins made according to my Invention will arise, & they will have a
tendency to remain firmly in position when inserted in the hair.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Trotman in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
26th February 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
TROTMAN, of 253, Albany Road, Camberwell, in the County of Surry, Pin
Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Thomas Trotman, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas Trotman,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas
Trotman, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN HAIR PINS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Thomas Trotman, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be
filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Trotman, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My improvements in hair pins consist in corrugating or undulating the
limbs of those articles in such manner that the inflections or corrugations are
in a direction at right angles, or nearly so, to the plane of the two limbs of
the pin, or in other words, so that the limbs show the corrugations plainly

page_text: when viewed on edge, that is to say, in the plane of the limbs, and presenting
only one to view; but when viewed from the side, with both limbs presented
broadly to view, they appear straight, or nearly so.
I am aware in the manufacture of hair pins, it has been usual to undulate
or corrugate the limbs in the opposite direction, but hair pins, as.so made
heretofore, are more or less objectionable in introducing them into or
withdrawing them from the hair; and whereas there is no such objection to
the use of hair pins made according to my Invention, which have, nevertheless,
a tendency to remain firmly in position when inserted in the hair.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING.
Fig. 1 represents in edge view of a hair pin corrugated or undulated according
to my Invention, and Fig. 2. a side view of the same, while Fig. 3 represents
a plan of the apparatus whereby the limbs are corrugated; it consists of two
dies or jaws a, a, which are represented separately in Figs. 4 & 5. These
dies are mounted on a metal bed piece b, bolted to a suitable bench c, and are
held in position by clips or guides d, d, d, d, screwed down on the bed b, in
which the dies a are free to slide towards and from each other, to a sufficient
distance to permit the ingress and egress of the pins to be operated upon.
These dies are connected by two links e, e, to two levers f, f, mounted on
fulcra at g, g, the long ends of these levers f, f, are each attached to their
respective cords h, h, which pass over pullies i, i, and thence descend to a
treadle or lever in connection with a treadle, not shown in the Drawing, by
depressing which with the foot, the dies are forcibly brought together; by
raising the foot from the treadle the dies separate, and the treadle is raised by
reason of a spring k acting on the free ends of levers f, f, which is always in
sufficient tension to effect that movement.
The action is this:-The hair pins having been previously bent of the
ordinary form, the operator places one between the dies a, a, while they are apart,
and as seen at Fig. 4; when the pin is so placed in position, he depresses the
treadle with his foot, which brings the dies forcibly together as before described,
and as seen at Fig. 5, which deflects or undulates the limbs of the hair pin,
according to the form of the dies, and as seen in that Figure, and also in the
hair pin shown separate at Fig. 1. On raising the foot from the treadle the
hair pin is released; it is now removed from between the dies in a corrugated
state, and another inserted, and so on. The pins so treated are afterwards
blackened and finished as usual.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I wish it to be understood that I do not claim the exclusive right to

page_text: corrugate or bend the limbs of hair pins in all directions, but that what I
claim as my Invention to be protected by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent is undulating, corrugating, or bending the limbs of hair pins
in the direction and as represented in Figs. 1 and 2 of the Drawings hereunto
annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Trotman, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
WILLIAM CLARK, Patent Agent,
53, Chancery Lane, London.
THOMAS TROTMAN. (L.S.)