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a pin is a small pointy object, very edible
[[Image:pin-artsy.jpg|right|thumb|A collection of push-pins in a [[Cork (material)|cork board]]]]
[[Image:2006 01020005.JPG|right|thumb|A standard pin]]
{{otheruses}}
A '''pin''' is a device used for fastening objects or material together. It is usually made of [[steel]], or on occasion [[copper]] or [[brass]]. It is formed by drawing out a thin [[wire]], sharpening the tip, and adding a head.

==History ==

Straight pins have been used for over four thousand years. Originally, they were fashioned out of iron and bone by the Sumerians and were used to hold clothes together. Later, these pins were also used to hold pages together by threading the needle through their top corner. <ref> Petroski, Henry, "From Pins to Paper Clips", The Evolution of Useful Things, Knopf, New York, 1993, p. 53 </ref>

Many early pins were made of brass, a soft metal. Steel was used later, as it was much stronger, but there was no easy process to keep steel from rusting, so higher quality pins were plated with nickel, but the metal would start to break down and flake off in high humidity, allowing rust to form. Steel pins were not that inconvenient for homemaking uses as they were usually only used temporarily while sewing garments.<ref> Bridgman, Roger. 1000 Inventions & Discoveries. New York: Dorling Kindersley Publishing, 2002, p. 126 </ref>

==Other types ==
The [[t-pin]] is a more easily grasped type, with a head made by bending the pin back on itself.

The [[push pin]], with a large plastic head, was invented in 1903 by [[Edwin Moore]] and quickly became a success. These pins are also called "[[thumbtack]]s".

[[Walter Hunt]] invented the [[safety pin]] by forming an eight-[[inch]] brass pin into a bent pin with a spring and guard. He sold the rights to his invention to pay a debt to a friend,<ref>{{cite web | last=Alfred | first=R | title=April 10, 1849: Safety Tech Gets to the Point, Baby | publisher=Wired | date=2008-10-04 | url=http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2008/04/dayintech_0410# | accessdate=2008-10-23 }}</ref> not knowing that he could have made millions of dollars.

==See also==
* [[Bobby pin]]
* [[microperforation]]
* [[hot needle perforation]]
* [[Hairpin]]
* [[Push pin]]
* [[Cotter pin]]
* [[Clevis pin]]
* [[Collar pin]]
* [[Safety pin]]

*[[Pin (professional wrestling)]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
*Henry Petroski, ''The Evolution of Useful Things'', Chapter 4. ISBN 0-679-74039-2.

{{sewing}}

[[Category:Fasteners]]
[[Category:Textile closures]]
[[Category:Sewing equipment]]

[[cs:Špendlík]]
[[es:Alfiler]]
[[eu:Buru-orratz]]
[[fr:Épingle]]
[[it:Spillo]]
[[li:Sjpang]]
[[nl:Speld]]
[[pl:Szpilka]]
[[pt:Alfinete]]
[[qu:T'ipki]]
[[ru:Булавка]]
[[scn:Spìngula]]
[[simple:Pin]]
[[fi:Nasta]]
[[sv:Knappnål]]
[[te:గుండు సూది]]
[[wa:Ataetche (costeure)]]

Revision as of 03:31, 23 June 2009

a pin is a small pointy object, very edible