FIN MANUFACTURE. A pin is a small bit of wire, commonly brass, with a point at one end, and a spherical head at the other. In making this little arti cle, there are no less than fourteen dis tinct operations:—l. Straightening the wire. The wire, as obtained from the drawing frame, is wound about a bobbin or barrel. which gives it a curvature that must be removed. The straightening engine is formed by fixing 6 or 7 nails upright in is waving line on a board, so that the void space measured in a straight line between the first three nails may have exactly the thickness of the wire to be trimmed ; and that the other nails may snake the wire take a certain curve line, which must vary with its thickness. The workman pulls the wire with pincers through among these nails, to the length of about 30 feet, at a running draught ; and after he cuts them oft; be returns for as much more ; he can thus finish 600 fathoms in the hour. He next cuts these long pieces into lengths of 3 or 4 pins. A day's work of one man amounts to 18 or 20 thousand dozen of pin-lengths. Pointing is executed on two iron or steel grindstones, by two workmen, one of whom roughens, and the other fin ishes. Thirty or forty of the pin wires are applied to the grindstone at once, ar ranged in one plane, between the two forefingers and thumbs of both hands, which give them a rotatory movement. 3. Cutting these wires intopin-lengths. This is done by an adjusted chisel.-4. Twisting of the wire for the pin-heads. These are made of a much finer wire, coiled into a compact spiral, round a wire of the size of the pins, by means of a small lathe constructed for the purpose. —5. Cutting the heads. Two turns are dexterously cut off for each head, by a regulated chisel. A skilful workman may turn off 12,000 in the hour.-6. An nealing the heads. They are put into an iron ladle, made red-hot over an open fire, and then thrown into cold water. 7. Stamping or shaping the heads. This
is done by the blow of a small ram. The pin-heads are also fixed on by the same operative, who makes about 1500 pins in the hour, or from 12,000 to 15,000 per diem ; exclusive of one-thirteenth, which is always deducted for waste in this de partment, as well as in the rest of the manufacture.-8. Yellowing or cleaning the pins is effected by boiling them for half an hour in sour beer, wine lees, or solution of tartar after which they are washed.-9. Whitening or tinning. A stratum of about 6 pounds of pins is laid in a copper pan, then a stratum of about 7 or 8 pounds of grain tin ; and so alter nately till the vessel be filled; 'a pipe be ing left inserted at one side, to per mit the introduction of water slowly at the bottom, without deranging the contents. When the pipe is with drawn, its space is filled up with grain tin. The vessel being now set on the fire, and the water becoming hot, its sur face is sprinkled with 4 ounces of cream of tartar ; after which it is allowed to boil for an hour. The pins and tin grains are, lastly, separated by a kind of cullen der.-10. Washing the pins in pure water.
—11. Drying and polishing them, in a leather sack, filled with coarse bran, which is agitated to and fro by two men.
—12. Winnowing, by fan ners.-13. Prick ing the papers for receiving the pins.-14. Papering, or fixing them in the paper. This is children, who acquire the habit of putting up 36,000 per day.
The pin manufacture is one of the greatest prodigies of the division of la bor; it furnishes 12,000 articles for the sum of three shillings, which have requir ed the united diligence of fourteen skil ful operatives.
The above is an outline of the mode of manufacturing pins by hand labor, but several beautiful inventions have been employed to make them entirely, or in a great measure, by machinery ; and there are extensive manufactures of these arti cles in the Northern States.