Tack Manufacturing: The Later Years

The manufacturing process had now been perfected and no further changes to the  machines were necessary. A girl could now feed 15 machines and a fitter could look after 15 machines. After bluing, the tacks were put into pans and transported up an elevator to the floor above, where they went around a gravity fed roller conveyor to cool. After cooling they were weighed and put into the appropriate packaging as requested by the customer. The company’s brands were “Lion Brand” and “Bugle Brand”.

The tacks were noted for their quality, clean finish and sharp points. Tacks were also available in a zinc-plated finish or made from copper or aluminium, for use in boats and roofing. Most of the tacks were exported to many countries including: America, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Germany, Switzerland, West Indies, Panama and Malta. Requirements varied from country to country. Some wanted lighter tacks or smaller heads and these differences had to be catered for.
In the 1970s the Crown Nail Company broke into the American Market and between 10 to 15 tons of tacks at a time were sent to one customer alone. At this time the Chinese tack manufacturers started supplying cheap tacks to North America and the Americans started buying them in preference to the more expensive British variety. This was a blow to the Crown Nail Company and as a result the factory went on short time for a while. About 18 months later the Americans once again started buying the superior Wolverhampton product in preference to the cheap Chinese tacks, because of a large number of complaints from customers. One of the Crown Nail Company’s last production runs was for an American customer. It was for 13 tons of special stake tacks with a dimple in the head, and tip nails to hold steel shoes on foundry boots.
In later years it became difficult to attract young people into the industry, which was perceived as being dirty, with a lot of heavy manual labour. In the mid 1980s there was a price war.

The company’s main competitor drastically reduced the price of its tacks and everyone else followed. A little while later production ceased at the competitor’s works. The Crown Nail Company’s efficient production techniques had paid off yet again.

The tacks were produced in a size range of 6mm to 32mm and were packed in 500gm, 2.5kilo and 10kilo boxes. Most tacks are now sold in bubble packs and small cartons in D.I.Y. stores. In later years about 99 per cent of the Crown Nail Company’s tacks ended up this way. This resulted in a three fold increase in the price of the tacks after they were sold to the distributor who could purchase them in bulk 25 kilo and 10 kilo cartons.


Gimp Pins.

One of the Crown Nail Company’s products was gimp pins, which are used by upholsters. They have a thin head and are coloured to match the furniture. The colouring is done by placing 25 kilos of the tacks in a rotating barrel with internal metal vanes. Paint is poured in and the tacks are coloured. It is essential that the paint is lead-free, because many upholsterers put the tacks in their mouths and so cellulose paint is used. Gimp pins are rapidly disappearing because of the introduction of staple guns and today they are only used on hand-made furniture. A similar tack was also produced for shoemakers.
Next door to the works, in the front room of one of the old houses was Crown Stores. The shop was owned by one of the company's employees and run by his wife. They sold sandwiches, bread, sweets, cigarettes and tobacco.

Photograph courtesy of Mary Ashleigh.


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