Actually, Our Traditional-Style ClothespinsAre Better Than Just Good!

By: Herrick Kimball

Updated: February 2021

That, right there, is better than just good.

There was once a time when you could purchase strong, reliable, wood-and-spring clothespins in any hardware or department store in the land. Such clothespins were made in America, and they were made to last!

However, that all changed as every clothespin manufacturer in America was eventually forced out of business by a flood of cheap, unreliable, imported clothespins. 

If you use clothespins to hang laundry, and you have used the cheap imported pins, you know full well that they do not hold clothes dependably on the line. You know they break easily. You know how discouraging it is to use such clothespins. And you have probably wished that you could find good quality clothespins like they used to sell. 

Well, if that describes you, I have good news....

Strong, reliable, traditional-style clothespins are once again available. They aren’t made in China. They aren’t made in a big clothespin factory. They are made by a dedicated network of small-scale artisan clothespin-makers. 

The renaissance of artisan clothespin makers was inspired by the Classic American Clothespins that I started making and selling back in 2013.  Eleven years after the last clothespin maker in America went out of business, I brought the manufacture of dependable wood-and-spring clothespins back.

My intention from the start was to make my Classic American clothespin specifications available to any woodworker who wanted to follow my example, and to supply the entrepreneurial among them with the same high-quality, made in America, stainless steel springs that I used. 

Several enterprising woodworkers have followed my lead and established their own home business making their own version of my Classic American clothespins.

 

This web site is all about putting you in touch with these special woodworkers and the high-quality clothespins they make.

For now, there are very few artisan clothespin-makers. That's because making high-quality, traditional-style clothespins is not a simple woodworking project. It is a tedious, time-consuming process, requiring a degree of skill and experience that the average woodworker does not have.

To learn more about the different clothespin-makers, simply click on this web site’s Directory of Artisan Clothespin Makers.

Also, please be sure to check out the Disclaimer and Advice For Purchasing Artisan Clothespins.

Here’s to the revival of dependable, traditional-style clothespins!

Herrick Kimball

Herrick@PlanetWhizbang.com

The Directory ofArtisan Clothespin-Makers

Updated: March 2021

These handcrafted clothespins are made to last a lifetime.

There are currently only a few artisan clothespin makers in the United States. Other makers are in the process of developing their manufacturing process, their finished product, and their web presence. New clothespin craftsmen will be added to this directory when their businesses are up and running.

The one thing that each of the American artisans have in common is that they all use the same spring to join their clothespins. The springs are American-made, with tight coils, using heavy-gauge, stainless steel spring-wire. They are, without any doubt, the best quality springs that can possibly be used to make a clothespin.

The matter of springs aside, you should know that the following artisans do not all make the exact same clothespin. They may use different kinds of wood. There may be differences in the profile. And there may be differences in the fit and finished appearance of each craftsman’s clothespins. 

The clothespins of each maker may also feel differently in your hands. Were you to use and compare the different clothespins, you might well find you develop a preference for one artisan’s clothespins over another.

It is with these differences in mind that I recommend you carefully study the descriptions and pictures of the different clothespins at each of the web sites below. I also strongly recommend that, before making a large purchase, you first buy a couple clothespin samples from a few different makers. And here they are....

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All American Clothespins
Maker: Albert Crooks & Son

Location: Harrison Township, Michigan

AllAmericanClothespins.com

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Mefford Endeavors

Maker: Thomas Mefford

Location: Morris, Connecticut

MeffordEndeavors.com
Mefford Endeavors Etsy Store

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Heritage Clothespins

Maker: Casey Schillinger

Location: Pinehurst, Texas

HeritageClothespins.com

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TerraPins
Maker: David & Daniel Shelton
Location: North Dakota
TerraPins

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Classic American Clothespins

Maker: Herrick Kimball

Location: Moravia, New York

ClassicAmericanClothespins.com

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The Clothespin Corner
Maker: Taylor Kottwitz & Brandt Lemke
Location: Waukesha, Wisconsin
The Clothespin Corner

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Adams Craft

Maker: Gene Adams

Location: Wahoo, Nebraska

Adams Craft Page Link

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Canadian Crafters

Canada Clothespin Company

Maker: Doug Blackwell

Location: Port Alberini, B.C.
CanadaClothespin.com

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If you would like to learn how to make your own clothespins, and perhaps develop a small business as an artisan clothespin maker, check out this web site: MakeYourOwnClothespins.com

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Disclainer & AdviceFor Purchasing Clothespins

By: Herrick Kimball

Strong. Dependable. Beautiful.

This web site has been developed by Herrick Kimball to promote the craft of making high-quality, traditional-style, fulcrum-spring clothespins, and to promote the products of artisan clothespin makers.

Each clothespin-maker featured in this web site’s directory uses high-quality  “Classic American,” stainless steel clothespin springs, which they have purchased from me.

None of the people or businesses listed in the directory on this web site have paid me a fee to be listed in the directory. They are here because they purchase their clothespin springs from me.

The listing of a clothespin maker in this web site’s directory does not imply a recommendation by me of any clothespin-maker’s clothespins. Nor does it imply a recommendation of any clothespin-maker’s clothespins over another clothespin-maker’s clothespins (i.e., the chronological listing of the directory does not imply a recommendation).

Furthermore, I do not in any way warranty or guarantee your satisfaction with any clothespins that you purchase from someone listed in this web site’s directory. The one exception being the clothespins that I myself make and sell (I am listed in the directory).

I strongly recommend that you purchase two sample clothespins from more than one clothespin maker so you can use them, evaluate them, and make a better-informed larger purchase of the clothespins you like best.

In the event that you purchase artisan clothespins from a maker listed in this web site’s directory, and you are not pleased with your purchase, and you do not receive satisfactory resolution of any problem, feel free to contact me by e-mail to explain the situation. Herrick@PlanetWhizbang.com

As the developer of this web site, I reserve the right to add to and remove from the directory any clothespin-maker, at any time, for any reason.

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