The next processes are hardening and tempering. To effect these, the needles are placed several thousands together, covered with ashes, in a cast-iron box, and heated in a close furnace to a cherry red, when the box is withdrawn, and its contents dropped into a tub of cold water ; they are next taken out of the water, and placed upon an iron plate, kept nearly red hot by means of a fire underneath ; here they are carefully distributed about, so as to heat them equally, and until they acquire the blue tinge, when they are immediately removed. Some manufacturers make use of oil or tallow, and other ingre dients, instead of water, which substances are supposed by them to improve the process. The needles, thus hardened, are returned to the furnace with the oil upon them, and remain there till the oil inflames, when they are withdrawn and again cooled in cold water. This second process tempers them; at first they were quite hard, and so brittle as to break with the slightest touch ; the tempering renders them tough, yet sufficiently hard to take a good point. When they are hardened in water, according to the former method, it is con sidered that the proper heat for tempering them can only be determined by long experience and observation ; but that the flaming of the oil determines the precise temperature. If the needles be now examined, many of them will be found to have become crooked in the hardening; these are discovered by rolling them over as they lay in rows on a board, and such are selected and made straight by a blow in a notch in a small anvil for the purpose. In some manu factories the needles are next pointed and finished ; in others, where the pointing has been already effected, the next process is that called Scouring.—In this process the needles are piled in rows many tiers deep, and in several parallel rows, upon a piece of buckram, or stout cloth, which is satu rated with oil and fine emery. The needles, after they are deposited, are also sprinkled over with flour of emery and oil, when the whole mass, containing from 10 to 50,000 needles, is tightly rolled up and well bound at both ends. Several of such rolls are operated upon together by a kind of mangle ; a stout plank being laid upon the rolls of needles, which is loaded with heavy weights, and made to traverse backwards and forwards for two or three days. During this time several successive wrappers have been completely worn out, which have been replaced by new ones, with fresh charges of oil and emery, and sometimes soft soap. At the end of three days they are thus made very bright and clean.
In the next operation, called heading and picking, the eyes of all the needles are placed in one direction, and tall the points in another; and all the needles with broken eyes or points, are picked. These operations are usually performed by children with a dexterity and rapidity that can only be acquired by practice. The needles are placed sideways in a heap, on a table in front of the operator. The child puts on the forefinger of its right hand a small cloth cap, or finger stall, and rolling from the heap from six to twelve needles, it keeps them down by the forefinger of the left hand, whilst it presses the forefinger of the right hand gently against the ends of the needles; those which have their points towards the right hand, stick into the finger-stall; and the child, removing the finger of the left hand, allows the needles sticking into the cloth to be slightly raised, and then pushes them towards the left side. Those needles which had
their eyes on the right hand, do not stick into the finger-stall, and are pushed to the heap on the right side previous to the repetition of the process ; each movement of the finger carrying five or six needles to its proper heap.
The finishing operation to the best needles consists in what is termed blue pointing, in allusion to the dark polish upon them; this is effected by a revolving stone, of a bluish colour, against which the needles, several at a time, are applied. After this they are made up into little packages of from 25 to 100 each, and labelled for sale.
The needles which have, of late years, been so much puffed by the vendors as " warranted not to cut the thread " and to be " gold-eyed" and " silver eyed," are made the same as other needles with these trifling variations ;—the eyes of the former being produced by dipping them into an ethereal solution of gold ; but the eyes of the latter have not a particle of silver laid over them, the silvery hue upon them being produced by a peculiar kind of polish. The "drilled-eyed needles" do, however, possess the merit of being less disposed to cut the thread ; the eyes of these are made, at first, in the usual way, and are afterwards finished by a drilling counter-sink, which improves them materially; and the steel being softened to enable the drill to cut, they rarely snap or break in the eye.
Packnig-needks, bodkins, 4.e.—Some years ago a patent was taken out for making needles of this kind, by Mr. William Bell, of Walsall; and as the manufacture of them has ever since been continued with success, we shall close the present subject by subjoining that gentleman's brief specification verbatim. "The method by which I make needles, bodkins, fish-hooks, knitting-pins, netting-needles, and sail-needles, is by casting them with steel, or common fusible iron, called pig or cast-iron, into moulds, or flasks, made with fine sand ; or, otherwise, I make stocks or moulds, of iron or steel, or any other compo sition capable of being made into moulds ; on which stocks or moulds I sink, engrave, or stamp, impressions of the said articles. Into these I pour my melted iron or steel (I prefer for my purpose sand casting), and prepare my iron or steel as follows :—I melt it in a pot, or crucible, in small quantities about the weight of twelve pounds (and upwards to twenty pounds), the more con veniently to divest it of its heterogenous particles, and to purify it from its earthy or sulphureous qualities. When the iron has attained a proper heat, I take charcoal-dust, mixed with lime or common salt, which I throw into the pot of melted iron ; and, by frequently stirring it with an iron' rod, I bring to the surface of the iron a scoria, which I frequently skim off, and thus bring my iron into a refined state ; I then pour it into the mould before described. The articles being thus formed, are capable of being softened, hardened, or tempered, in the usual way, by which needles, bodkins, fish-hooks, knitting•pins, netting needles, and sail-needles, have, heretofore, been manufactured; therefore, the principal merit of my invention is in casting them instead of making them in the usual way."