The Safety Pin 10th April 1849

For those who follow the museum on Twitter (@dartmoorlife) you will see today’s tweet about the invention of the safety pin in 1849. More information on the invention of the safety pin see below.

Walter Hunt (1796-1859) is credited with patenting the safety pin. His other inventions include a forerunner of the Winchester repeating rifle, a successful flax spinner, knife sharpener, streetcar bell, hard-coal-burning stove, artificial stone, road sweeping machinery, velocipedes, ice ploughs and mail making machinery.[1] Alongside this, he is also known for creating a commercially unsuccessful sewing machine.[2]

The design and patent for the safety pin (No 6281) can be seen below and was obtained on the 10^th April 1849.[3] It can be read in the document that the distinguishing feature of this pin lies in the construction of the pin. Made from one piece of wire and a catch, in which the pin can be safely retained, it was the first pin to have a clasp and spring action.[4] Hunt claimed that it was designed to keep fingers safe from injury - hence the name.

Image 1- Figures showing different parts of the pin.[5]

The invention of the safety pin came about when Hunt was twisting a piece of wire whilst trying to think of something that would help him pay off a fifteen dollar debt.[6] The safety pin proved a way to do so after he sold the patent for $100.

Hunt also made improvements to the sewing machine which was patented on 17^th June 1854 (No 11,161).[7]  This machine was America’s first eye pointed sewing machine.

Sewing machine.[8]

---

[1] Inventors, 'Walter Hunt', 2012. [Online] Available from : www.inventors.about.com/od/hstartinventors/a/safety_pin.htm. (Accessed 7/04/2012).

[2] Inventors, 'Walter Hunt', 2012. [Online] Available from: www.inventors.about.com/od/hstartinventors/a/safety_pin.htm. (Accessed 7/04/2012).

[3] Google Patents, 'No 6281', 2011. [Online] Available from: www.google.com/patents?. id=4vBEAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA1&dq=6281&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=1#v=onepage&q=6281&f=false. (Accessed 7/04/2012).

[4] Google Patents, 'No 6281', 2011' [Online] Available from: www.google.com/patents?id=4vBEAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA1&dq=6281&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=1#v=onepage&q=6281&f=false. (Accessed 7/04/2012).
[5] Google Patents, 'No 6281', 2011' [Online] Available from: www.google.com/patents?id=4vBEAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA1&dq=6281&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=1#v=onepage&q=6281&f=false. (Accessed 7/04/2012).

[6] Inventors 'Walter Hunt', 2002. [Online] Available from: www.invent.org/hall_of_fame/279.html. (Accessed 7/04/2012).

[7] Google Patents, 'No 11,161', 2011. [Online] Available from: www.google.com/patents?id=lyVNAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA1&dq=11,161&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=1#v=onepage&q=11%2C161&f=false. (Accessed 7/04/2012).
[8] Google Patents, 'No 11,161', 2011. [Online] Available from: www.google.com/patents?id=lyVNAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA1&dq=11,161&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=1#v=onepage&q=11%2C161&f=false. (Accessed 7/04/2012).

The safety pin is also mentioned in Wulffson, Don L, (1981) The Invention of Ordinary Things, New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books.

Mystery Item

So the new mystery item is up. It can been seen below and on Twitter. Get guessing and good luck!

Education at the Museum

Mystery Item No 2

Well done to all the people who correctly guessed that this month’s mystery item was in fact... sugar cutters. 
 

Now a day’s sugar comes in various forms, granulated, powder in packets etc, but it wasn't always that simple. Sugar used to be made into conical loaves which were produced by pouring liquid sugar into molds. (1) The desired amount of sugar would then be cut off using a pair of sugar cutters like our mystery item or this set here

 

Image from http://www.bbc.co.uk/ (2)

The importance of sugar cutters was talked about in Miss Leslie’s Lady’s House-Book in 1850.

A pair of sugar-nippers are indispensable, for breaking small the loaf-sugar, after it has been cracked with a stout knife and a mallet or hammer. It should then be kept in a closely covered tin or wooden box, There should be a box also for brown sugar. (3)

(1) Object Lessons, 'Suggar Cutters', 2012. [Online] Available from: www.objectlessons.org/houses-and-homes-tudors/sugar-scissors--sugar-cone-medieval-victorian/s58/a300/. (Accessed 19/03/2012).

(2) BBC, 'Sugar Cutters- A History of the World’, 2012. [Online] Available from: www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/3KrYjJGHRzGsidNnCgK97g. (Accessed 19/03/2012). 
(3) Old and Interesting, ‘Sugar Nippers’, 2012. [Online] Available from: www.oldandinteresting.com/sugar-nippers.aspx. (Accessed 19/03/2012).

---

New Mystery Item and Museum Updates

So the new mystery object is up on our Twitter page waiting for your guesses!!


At the moment the Museum is closed for the winter but the work still continues. As always the documentation work continues, as does the advertising for new volunteers. Recently a meeting has taken place to work out some of the details for our Olympic Exhibition this summer, as well as for other educational activities. The Olympic Exhibition is shaping up to be quite good. Look out for our version of Tom Daley on your way into the museum.


It would be great to see you all this summer at our exhibition, hopefully we can celebrate some British wins this year!!!!

Mystery Item No 1

So for the past month people have been guessing the museum's mystery object via Twitter. Thanks for all your guesses. I can now reveal that the item was in fact a pair of hair curling tongs. Congratulations to all those who got it right and thanks for guessing.
I thought I would provide a brief history of each of our mystery items. 
The history of hair curling is a long one. There is evidence to suggest that curlers were used on wigs in the items of Ancient Egypt. Two bronze examples can be seen on the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago’s website (http://oi.uchicago.edu/museum/virtual/eg/e_objects.html). Item number 18176 is a 72mml curling iron with the handle in the shape of an outstretched horse. The second item, number 9912, dates from the New Kingdom and is a curling iron and knife.

So who invented the modern hair curling iron?! Well there is much discussion over this In 1866 Hiram Maxim applied for and obtained the patents for a hair curling iron.[1] Four years after this Maurice Lentheric and Marcel Grateau used hot air drying and heated curling tongs to create the Marcel Wave.[2]  The Marcel Wave was a popular hair style, changing women’s hairstyles for years to come.

Tongs were heated over a fire, however if the tongs were too cold the hair wouldn’t set, but if they were too hot the hair would burn. The Marcel irons came in various sizes A, B, C and D, however it was not until 1933 that an adjustable iron was invented, similar to those used today.[3] The various sized tongs created different sized waves.

The first electric hairdryer was invented in 1890 by Alexandre Godefoy  and the first hair straightner was invented in 1906 by Simon Monroe.[4] This straightner was more of a comb in design and can be seen here www.google.com/patents?id=T89RAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA1&dq=hair+straightener&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=2#v=onepage&q=hair%20straightener&f=false.

There are many other great websites and blogs about hair curlers and hair, so be sure to check them out for more detail. This is only a very brief overview of the hair curler.

---

[1] ‘My Hair Styling Tools’, 2012. [Online] Available from: www.blog.myhairstylingtools.com/blog/who-invented-the-curling-iron. (Accessed 12/02/2012).

[2] ‘My Hair Styling Tools’, 2012. [Online] Available from: www.blog.myhairstylingtools.com/blog/who-invented-the-curling-iron. (Accessed 12/02/2012).

[3] 1920-1930, ‘Marcel Wave’, 2007. [Online] Available from: www.1920-30.com/fashion/hairstyles/marcel-wave.html. (Accessed 12/02/2012).

[4] Google Patents, 'No US819444', 2011. [Online] Available from: www.google.com/patents?hl=en&lr=&vid=USPAT819444&id=T89RAAAAEBAJ&oi=fnd&dq=hair+straightener. (Accessed 12/02/2012).

Guess the item

So, I plan to upload an image of part of an item of our wonderful museum. The aim of this is to not only provide you with some fun guessing the item (hopefully) and to give an insight into the wide range of items which we have at the Dartmoor Life museum. About once a month I will post an image onto our twitter account (@dartmoorlife) and let the guessing commence!! At the end of the month I will reveal the item and a brief history of it. Only part of the item will be shown to make it a bit more interesting. No prizes for correct guesses but hopefully a bit of fun will be had :)