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Making more, cheaper, quicker |
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DESCRIPTION Button Shank Making Machine
MANUFACTURER Possibly Ralph Heaton, 1755-1832, British
INVENTOR/DESIGNER Ralph Heaton, 1755-1832, British
DATE c.1800
MATERIAL Copper alloy, wood
DIMENSIONS 380x100x75
PROVENANCE Gift from Copper Alloys Ltd in 1958
LOCATION Thinktank
CAT. NO 1958.S.00999 | |
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Button shank making machine | © Thinktank Trust | Come and see it in the Making Things gallery at Thinktank
Until about 1800, Birmingham manufacturers made products using simple hand tools and hand-powered machines. In 1794, Ralph Heaton patented this machine for making button shanks - small pieces of metal used to attach fashionable metal gilt buttons onto clothes. Heaton used steam to power his machine, producing more shanks cheaply and quickly.
In 1851, a visitor to Birmingham wrote that Heaton’s machine made nearly 750,000 button shanks per day. Some button manufacturers purchased a machine, but most bought shanks from Heaton’s company. Mass production was taking off... MORE |
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