The first machine was invented by Lemuel Wellman Wright, of the United States. in 1824. This did very little more than make solid heads to the pins, by a process in prin ciple like that used for nail-making—viz., by driving a portion of the pin itself into a counter-sunk hole. The action, however, was automatic, and consisted in an arrange ment by which the wire was seized in two small grooved cheeks. When both cheeks arc placed face to face, and the wire is held tightly in the groove. with a small portion pro jecting, a small ram or hammer connected with the machine strikes on the projecting portion described, and compresses it into .a small cup-shaped depression, and thus the head is formed. The pointing and dressing of the pins was afterwards carried on as described in the processes for hand-made pins. Since Wright's invention many remark able improvements have been effected in these machines, which have consequently become very complicated in their details, although the principles upon which they act are very simple. No description would convey a satisfactory idea of these* wonderful pieces of mechanism, which now, without the aid of bands, complete the pin in all respects except the coloring and polishing; but a slight account of the leading features will enable the reader to understand their mode of working. First, then, a reel of wire as it comes from the wire-drawer is placed in the rear of the machine, and the end of the wire is taken hold of by a pair of nippers, which pull it over a fixed straightening-board, aml pass it ou completely straightened, until it is seized by two cheeks, when a cutter de:cends and cuts it off, leaving the projecting part for the head ; on the withdrawal of the cutter, the hammer flies forward, and makes the head as before described; the cheeks open, and the pins drop on to a sloping metal plate finely grooved, down which they slip with the heads upwards, until the end which is to be pointed conies in contact with a cylindrical roller with a grinding surface, which soon grinds points upon them, owing to two or three ingenious arrangements: the first is, that the grooved surface of the plate by which the descend terminates a little above the grinding roller, then aslight depression is given to the sloping plate and also to the roller, so that one end is an incli or two lower than the other; therefore, as the pin descends the groove, and is thus brought down the inclined plate, until it lies on the smooth part, where it is highest, and with its end in contact with the grinding roller which is revolving, the pill itself is coin pelted by the friction 'of the roller to turn round, and gradually descends from the upper to the lower part of the inclined plate, and then falls off into a box placed to receive it.
These operations are performed so rapidly that they can scarcely be followed by the eye, and the pins fall into the box beautifully pointed in a complete stream. They are then yellowed, tinned, and prepared for papering, which is a remarkable process. The machine by which it is done is worked by two children; one feeds the machine with pins, the other with papers. The first part of the machine is a box, about 12 in. long by 6 in. broad, and 4 in. deep; the bottom is made of small square steel bars, sufficiently wide apart to let the shank of the pin fall through but not the head, and they are just as thick as the space between papered pins. The lower part of the bottom of the box is made to detach itself as soon as the row of pins is conmlete, and row after row at regular inter vals is received and passed down a corresponding set of grooves, until they reach the paper, which, as before described, is pinched into regular folds and pierced to receive the pins, which, by the nicest imaginable adjustments, come exactly to their places, and are pressed into them.. In this way many thousands of those neat-lookiug paper packages of pins, with which all are familiar, are put up in one day, by two little girls, aided by these ,vonderful machines.