Tension along the base of the triangle forces the two sides closed, and the loops prevent the sharp steel edges from cutting into the paper.The sheet steel portion is customarily black oxide coated, but a variety of decorative painted color schemes are also available.These include holding pieces of quilt together, creating a "beer pyramid" in a refrigerator with wire shelves, serving as a bookmark, a cheap alternative to a money clip or preventing computer cables from slipping behind desks.In 1966, test pilot Joseph F. Cotton used the shiny metal portion of such a clip to short-circuit an electrical circuit panel to force the landing gear of the XB-70 bomber on a flight.The binder clip was invented and patented in 1910 by Washington, D.C. area resident Louis E. Baltzley, to help his father, a writer and inventor, hold his manuscripts together more easily.
Binder clip.
The handles can be folded down once the clip has been attached, and can also be removed for a semi-permanent binding.
An assortment of binder clips, with an
AA battery
for scale
