PIN, in commerce, a little necessary instrument made of brass-wire, and chiefly used by women in fastening and adjusting their dress. In the year 1543, by statute 34 and 35 of Henry VIII. c. 6, it was enacted, “That no person shall put to sale any pinnes but only such as shall be double headed, and have the heads soldered fast to the shank of the pins, well smoothed, the shank well shapen, the points well and round filed, cauted, and sharpened.” From the above extract it should appear that the art of pin-making was then but of recent invention, being probably introduced from France; and consequently our manufactories must since that period have wonderfully improved.

Though pins are apparently simple, their manufacture is, however, not a little curious and complex. When the brass wire of which the pins are formed is first received at the manufactory, it is generally too thick for the purpose of being cut into pins. The first operation, therefore, is that of winding it off from one wheel to another with great velocity, and causing it to pass between the two, through a circle in a piece of iron of smaller diameter. The wire being thus reduced to its proper dimensions, is straightened by drawing it between iron pins fixed on a [7:17:745]board in a zigzag manner, but so as to leave a straight line between them. Afterwards it is cut into lengths of three or four yards, and ,then into smaller ones, every length being sufficient to make six pins; and each end of these is then ground to a point. When the wire is thus pointed, a pin is taken off from each end, and this is repeated until it has been cut into six pieces. The next operation is that of forming the heads, or, as they term it, head spinning ; which is done by means of a spinning-wheel, one piece of wire being thus with astonishing rapidity wound round another, and the interior one being drawn out, leaving a hollow tube between the circumvolutions. It is then cut with shears, every two circumvolutions or turns of the wire forming one head; and these are softened by throwing them into iron pans, and placing them in a furnace until they are red hot. As soon as they are cold, they are distributed to children, who sit with anvils and hammers before them, which they work with their feet by means of a lathe, and taking up one of the lengths, they thrust the blunt end into a quantity of the heads which lie before them, and catching one at the extremity, they apply them immediately to the anvil and hammer, and by a motion or two of the foot the point and the head are fixed together in much less time than it can be described, and with a dexterity only to be acquired by practice; the spectator being in continual apprehension for the safety of their finger-ends. The pin is now finished as to its form, but still it is merely brass. It is therefore thrown into a copper containing a solution of tin and the lees of wine. Here it remains for some time, and when taken out assumes a white though dull appearance. In order, therefore, to give it a polish, it is put into a tub containing a quantity of bran, which is set in motion by turning a shaft that runs through its centre, and thus by means of friction it becomes perfectly bright. The pin being complete, nothing remains but to separate it from the b⅛n, which is performed by a mode exactly similar to the winnowing of corn; the bran flying off and leaving the pin behind fit for immediate sale.