Kilt Pin or Not

[MACKAY]

In light of Splash_4 recently posting about his unfortunate accident where his kilt pin created a tear in his kilt, I was wondering the consensus on kilt pins.

I personally do not own a single kilt pin. I have on occasion used a my Clan crest badge (an antique hallmarked silver Mackay crest) as a kilt pin on a few occasions, but I generally never saw the necessity of putting holes in a $400 piece of clothing.

I know that there are reasons to wear a kilt pin, such as if you have a light fabric kilt and need the weight to keep the apron down in 'windy' conditions, but I have honestly never had a problem with that situation happening to me. And I do have a question about that logic. I noticed that the 'traditional military' kilt pins were basically oversize safety pins that did not seem to have much weight to them. So what was the use?

So, my questions are, 1) Do you see a need for a kilt pin, 2) What is the origin of the kilt pin as we know it today?, and 3) If you use a kilt pin, do you take it off and on, or leave it where it is so as to not damage the fabric?

[Barclay]

You hit the nail on the head for my "rules" of pinning - if it's a light weight kilt I pin it, on my heavy kilts, except one, I don't. I put a complementary pin on the kilt and leave it there, though, and don't take them on and off to avoid adding to the risk of damage.

[ccga3359]

Until someone with more knowledge pipes let me say that you don't need a pin as generally they are ornimental. With the weight of your kilt it shouldn't lift even in very strong winds. I do use a kilt pin, and I leave it on, fortunatly I have only one kilt so that isn't a problem. Some suggestions were raised to Splash_4's post to reduce the chance of damage to the fabric. I'll add another that has been suggested before using rare-earth magnets to secure the pin. This would make no holes and would be easily removable and very secure. I have yet to try this but would require a kilt pin made of a ferrous metal or the addition of such epoxied to a traditional pin. I'll let someone else recall the origin of the kilt pin.

[Barclay]

I'll add another that has been suggested before using rare-earth magnets to secure the pin. This would make no holes and would be easily removable and very secure. I have yet to try this but would require a kilt pin made of a ferrous metal or the addition of such epoxied to a traditional pin.

I like this idea as I really am a fan of the look of the kilt pin...I'm just terrified of damaging them. (Why, once in place, I don't move them unless I have to.) That would answer both issues. Alas, it would require crafting skills, for which I am at a great deficit.

[ccga3359]

I like this idea as I really am a fan of the look of the kilt pin...I'm just terrified of damaging them. (Why, once in place, I don't move them unless I have to.) That would answer both issues. Alas, it would require crafting skills, for which I am at a great deficit.

Just epoxying a small steel disk on the back of the pin. Alas this would not lok good with the open design of our maple leaf pins but would/should work well with clan crests and such. I'm hoping for a pin to break on my XMarks pin so that I can try it.

[jordanjm]

From what I know, the origin of the Kilt pin is that Queen Victoria was inspecting some of the highland troops, and one fellows kilt was being a little to revealing, so she took her hat/hair pin, and pinned it to his kilt to keep him modest.

[Mr. Kilt]

I have a separate kilt pin for each of my tartan kilts. I don't remove them except when the kilt gets cleaned. Never had any problem with them tearing the fabric so far.

[RockyR]

I OCCASIONALLY wear one. Deciding factors:

1. How windy it is and
2. The weight of my kilt and
3. What I'm going to be doing (a crowded situation where it can get snagged or walking around in an open field)

I put them on and take them off after each wearing... my theory is that since my kilt pins is moderately heavy (at least for a pin), I don't want the weight of it to pull the fabric weave apart over time on my good wool kilts. I'd rather CAREFULLY work the in thru the material each time I wear it.

[McMurdo]

I have two kilt pins one Clan crest pin for my Graham of Manteith, and a grouse foot pin for a kilt I have on order, I have not put a kilt pin on my Gunn Modern, but it needs some alterations and I might put a pin on it when they are done.
Once a pin goes on I dont take it off except as Al has said for cleaning. I like the way they look, much in the same way I like the look of a sgian dubh, or a kilt belt, they just look right with a kilt.
I am not sure of the origins of the kilt pin, but I think they help to complete an outfit.

[Nick]

I don't really have a purpose-made kilt pin, I just have a few pins that I think look good and do the job (whatever that job is). I do normally have a pin in my traditionals.