Clothes Pins

This week for Tools of the Trade Tuesday I am talking about another item I have “borrowed” another use to use in my workroom. The clothes pin is one of the best cheap tools for clamping that you can find. They are available almost everywhere (grocery store, dollar store, hardware store as well as places like Walmart and Kmart. They usually come in a package with many of them for very little money. I know that Dollar Tree carries them in packages of 36 for a dollar!

I have a container of them that I have been collecting for many years and because of that I have some different varieties on this basic item. It is important to keep in mind we are talking about the type with the spring on them. I have both plastic and wooden ones. I do recommend you keep your eyes open and buy some different ones.

Here is what I have discovered over the years.

The wooden ones tend to have stronger springs, at least the ones I have purchased. They do however tend to get stuck to items when they are used to clamp for gluing.

The spring tension seems to vary by manufacturer so another reason for buying a variety of them.

I like to have some that have really strong springs for most things. However, I also make sure to have some that have weaker springs for clamping things that are delicate. In the picture at the end of this post the yellow ones have a pretty strong spring (almost as strong as the wooden ones) I use either those or the wooden ones for most clamping jobs. The blue ones don't hold nearly as tight and because of the wider clamping area they are perfect when I need a lighter touch.

So if you don't have at least a handful of clothespins in your toolbox I recommend you go pick up at least a few. I am sure you will find them handy to have around.