Clothespins. Your insignificant question for the day ...

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Greetings!

I found a hanfull of old clothespins.  All are solid wood, some have flat sides, the others llook lathe turned.

Any idea what style (perhaps different from these) was used in the (un)Civil War to 1900 timeframe?

Thanks

[Silver Creek Slim]

"Between 1852 and 1887, the Patent Office granted patents to 146 different clothespins."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clothespin

Slim

[St. George]

In answer to this one - both.

You just have machine-made clothespins made by two different manufacturers.

For the Civil War era - you might want to use your most beat-up ones - to replicate wear and abuse over time.

On the other hand - you may just want to do what the soldier did - and drape your wet clothing over a bush, a tent - or a makeshift clothesline - without benefit of the pins.

(Hard to imagine a soldier carrying clothespins in any era - when his load was what it was, and when any and all weight made a difference.)

The simple slotted piece of wood had worked well for years - with folks carving them themselves or purchasing them from traveling peddlers who had crafted them by hand.

Often - these clothespins were given decorative knobs that served well as heads when children turned them into tiny dolls.

These were ecipsed by the ' “spring-clamp for clotheslines,” invented by David M. Smith of Springfield, Vermont, in 1853, and made of two wooden “legs” hinged together by a metal spring - very similar to what's available today.

So - there you have it.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

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[Deadeye Don]

Only in the USA could there be  146 different ways to make a ..............clothespin.  Got to love it.   I still remember my grandmother and my mother hanging out clothes on the clothesline in the back using the simple one piece clothespin.  There was nothing like freshly air dried sheets to sleep on...sans bird crap that is.      Safe shooting.  Deadeye.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Everything I wanted to learn about BDSM!        

Well, since I only have 2 types, I guess my "collection"    has room to expand.  I wonder what I could get thru E-Bay ... "Gen-u-wine antique Pegs!  $10 each: S&H and insurance $9.95 extra"    

They might sell - and I've got dozens!

Whaddaya thimk?       

[Steel Horse Bailey]

" ... you may just want to do what the soldier did - and drape your wet clothing over a bush, a tent - or a makeshift clothesline - without benefit of the pins.

(Hard to imagine a soldier carrying clothespins in any era - when his load was what it was, and when any and all weight made a difference.)"


St. George - you're right.  I didn't carry any clothespins when I  went to war!  A length of parachute cord stretched between 2 of my tanks, then drape the wet clothes on it.  When we actually had enough water to splurge on clothes washing, that is!     

[Four-Eyed Buck]

My Mom always used the one piecer's. Think she was afraid the springs would rust and leave spots. Those one piecer's also worked really good keeping my "motors" clipped to my bike fender struts and thence into the spokes. While Mom was still living here, she had one piecer's that we put some things out on a line with. the spring type do make good music holders for outdoor concerts. Clip the music to the stand.................Buck

[Mick Archer]

  Howdy Pards!

   Ah... nostalgia!

  My grandmother (DOB 1908) used only the round, lathe turned, two pronged clothes pins for the laundry that came out of a wringer washing machine.
  It has been a long, long time since I smelled "line dried" laundry or felt the initial "stiffness" when putting it on.
  Living in and around "Amish Country,"  I see a lot of laundry on the lines on "laundry days."

   Mick Archer
   Who wishes now he did use up all of those baseball and football cards for bike "motors..."  ;-)  :-)

[Will Ketchum]

My wife, who really likes air dried sheets, uses both the single and spring type with no preference.

I must admit I like the smell to.   I remember] my mother hanging clothes out to dry even in the Winter.  They would freeze solid but still dried somehow .  I would help her bring them in and they would have to thaw some before she could fold them.  She must have hung them in the basement for a while.  I do know she did that when it was just too cold to hang out but she rather hang them outside if possible.

I got her a electric dryer in about 66 and I think it is still in use.  She still hung her sheets out just like my wife.

Will Ketchum

[Mick Archer]

 Howdy Pards!

  My grandmother hung the laundry in the basement in winter and when it rained on "Laundry Day."
  MY wife's grandmother (dob 1908) lived in an 1870's salt-box house with no room.  Her wringer washing machine was kept outside on the side stoop, next to the well pump- and the laundry hung from lines on hooks on the four corner posts of the roof.
   Makes me wonder about her winter laundry days...  :-)

   Mick Archer

[Ozark Tracker]

my first memory of washing machines was my grandmothers, she had one out in the shed that was powered by a gas engine.  just wrap the rope around the starter hub and give it a tug. she filled the water with a water hose connected out by the shed. any hot water was boiled on the stove and brought to the washer.  she'd roll out the drain hose into the edge of the field.
when it had washed she'd stop the motor and roll over the ringer mounted on another tube, fill up the tub with water, run the clothes through the ringer, into the clear water, rinse and ring again, then out to the clothes line to hang. 

and Will you know those frozen clothes out on the line, I found out one day, when you shoot them with a BB gun, it pops a tiny little BB size hole right in them.  just like shooting a sheet of ice.   course I paid fer that with a belt on the backside.

[Delmonico]

I carry clothes pins and a clothes line in my gear to hang wet dish towels on.  I have some of the solid ones both some I hand carved years ago and store bought ones.  The store bought ones today are rather bad and split a lot.  My hand carved ones do fine but I don't have enough.  When I need more I will just go to the spring type.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Thanks for all the interesting posts!  Seems we ALL fondly remember Grandmas and the like.