NEEDLE MANUFACTURE 



407 



in which repeated subdivision is effected, and especially the distribution of veins 

 scarcely visible to the naked eye, play the most important part. To express such 

 facts with the necessary accuracy, the art of photography would have been insufficient, 

 until nature-printing was brought to its present state of perfection. 



The beautiful productions which have been given to the public by Mr. Henry 

 Bradbury sufficiently prove the applicability of the processes which we have described. 

 The colouring of the plates has been greatly improved by practice ; and by the de- 

 position of nickel on the surface of the electrotype plate the printer has been enabled 

 to print off thousands of impressions without any evidence of deterioration. 



NE.ai.liVG-. See ANNEAMNQ. 



NEB-NEB is the East Indian name of Bablah. See BABLAH. 



NEEDXiE MAIJUFACTURE. When we consider the simplicity, smallness, 

 and moderate price of a needle, wo should be naturally led to suppose that this little 

 instrument requires neither much labour nor complicated manipulations in its con- 

 struction ; but when we learn that every sewing needle, however inconsiderable its 

 size, passes through the hands of 120 different operatives before it is ready for sale, 

 we cannot fail to be surprised. 



The best steel, reduced by a wire-drawing machine to the suitable diameter, is the 

 material of which needles are formed. It is brought in bundles to the needle fac- 

 tory, and carefully examined. For this purpose, the ends of a few wires in each 

 bundle are cut off, ignited, and hardened by plunging them into cold water. They 

 are now snapped between the fingers, in order to judge of their quality; the bundles 

 belonging to the most brittle wires are put aside, to be employed in making a peculiar 

 kind of needle. 



After the quality of the steel wire has been properly ascertained, it is calibred by 

 means of a gauge, to see if it be equally thick and round throughout, for which pur- 

 pose merely some of the coils of the bundle of wires are tried. Those that are too 

 thick are returned to the wire-drawer, or set apart for another size of needles. 



The first operation, properly speaking, of the needle factory, is unwinding the 

 bundles of wires. With this view the operative places the coil upon a somewhat 

 conical reel, fig. 1548, whereon he may fix it at a height proportioned to its diameter. 

 The wire is wound off upon a wheel B, formed of eight equal arms, placed at equal 

 distances round a nave, which is supported by a polished round axle of iron, made 

 fast to a strong upright c, fixed to the floor of the workshop. Each of the arms is 54 

 inches long ; and one of them D, consists of two parts : of an upper part, which bears 

 the cross bar E, to which the wire is applied ; and of an under part, connected with 

 the nave. The part E slides in a slot in the fixed part F, and is made fast to it by a 

 peg at a proper height for placing the ends of all the spokes in the circumference of a 



1549 



1648 



1552 



circle. This arrangement is necessary, to permit the wire to be readily taken off the 

 reel, after being wound tight round its eight branches. The peg is then removed, the 



