229. 2.  Straightening the wire.  The coil of wire now passes into the hands of a woman, assisted by a boy or girl.  A few nails, or iron pins, not quite in a line, are fixed into one end of a wooden table about twenty feet in length; the end of the wire is passed alternately between these nails, and is then pulled to the other end of the table.  The object of this process is to straighten the wire, which had acquired a considerable curvature in the small coils in which it had been wound.  The length thus straightened is cut off, and the remainder of the coil is drawn into similar lengths.  About seven nails or pins are employed in straightening the wire, and their adjustment is a matter of some nicety.  It seems, that by passing the wire between the first three nails or pins, a bend is produced in an opposite direction to that which the wire had in the coil; this bend, by passing the next two nails, is reduced to another less curved in the first direction, and so on till the curve of the wire may at last be confounded with a straight line.

230. 3.  Pointing. (a) A man next takes about three hundred of these straightened pieces in a parcel, and putting them into a gauge, cuts off from one end, by means of a pair of shears, moved by his foot, a portion equal in length to rather more than six pins.  He continues this operation until the entire parcel is reduced into similar pieces. (b) The next step is to sharpen the ends:  for this purpose the operator sits before a steel mill, which is kept rapidly revolving:  it consists of a cylinder about six inches in diameter, and two and a half inches broad, faced with steel, which is cut in the manner of a file.  Another cylinder is fixed on the same axis at a few inches distant; the file on the edge of which is of a finer kind, and is used for finishing off the points.  The workman now takes up a parcel of the wires between the finger and thumb of each hand, and presses the ends obliquely on the mill, taking care with his fingers and thumbs to make each wire slowly revolve upon its axis.  Having thus pointed all the pieces at one end, he reverses them, and performs the same operation on the other.  This process requires considerable skill, but it is not unhealthy; whilst the similar process in needlemaking is remarkably destructive of health. (c) The pieces now pointed at both ends, are next placed in gauges, and the pointed ends are cut off, by means of shears, to the proper length of which the pins are to be made.  The remaining portions of the wire are now equal to about four pins in length, and are again pointed at each end, and their lengths again cut off.  This process is repeated a third time, and the small portion of wire left in the middle is thrown amongst the waste, to be melted along with the dust arising from the sharpening.  It is usual for a man, his wife, and a child, to join in performing these processes; and they are paid at the rate of five farthings per pound.  They can point from thirty-four to thirty-six and a half pounds per day, and gain from 6s. 6d. to 7s., which may be apportioned thus; 5s. 6d. the man. 1s. the woman, 6d. to the boy or girl.