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made Left Arrow How Pins Were Made


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How Pins Were Made

  

 


Pins were made from brass wire which, after the formation of the Bristol Wire Company in 1702, was usually shipped from Bristol. The coiled wire was straightened and cut into short lengths to form the pin shanks, which were then sharpened at one end. Fine wire was coiled like a spring and then cut so that each piece consisted of two turns of the coil.

 

Sample of Pin Manufacturing

These pieces were then annealed to make them more malleable before they were attached to the shanks. This was done in a furnace such as the one in the Gloucester Folk Museum. The heads were placed in an iron ladle or box heated by charcoal (blown by a pair of hand bellows) and made red-hot for at least half an hour. They were then plunged into cold water.

The heads were attached to the shanks by being struck with a heavy ram which could be raised by a pedal lever and cord, and was usually operated by a woman or child. The pins were then cleaned or yellowed by boiling them for half an hour in wine lees, or a solution of tartar. They were then tin plated, polished and stuck into papers before being offered for sale.
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