Mosaic Pins

[indian george]

I got to make up 1/4" pins (running low). Now instead of pulling the the piece's in and out of the 1/4" tube and slopping the epoxy on them, I was planning on using my vacuum pump with plastic tubing on the 1/4" tube. Now I got these large 2oz. syringes that I could push the epoxy thru. I would still do the small 1/16" tubing with the .020 wire by hand a day before and the others small pieces ( octagon and etc.) by hand. Has anyone tried this method?????

[Dan Gray]

Originally Posted by indian george

I got to make up 1/4" pins (running low). Now instead of pulling the the piece's in and out of the 1/4" tube and slopping the epoxy on them, I was planning on using my vacuum pump with plastic tubing on the 1/4" tube. Now I got these large 2oz. syringes that I could push the epoxy thru. I would still do the small 1/16" tubing with the .020 wire by hand a day before and the others small pieces ( octagon and etc.) by hand. Has anyone tried this method?????

.

IG the vacuum should work if you control the tube with a valve.
The hard part will be keeping air bubbles out while mixing it. you can use the vacume to help remove the bubbles too.
, making the guts stay put could be a thing to watch for.
if I were doing it I'd only make short pins , that epoxy is going to draw real hard depending on how busy the pattern is , you can heat the epoxy up but you'll have to do the operation fast..the heat will hasten the cure,,
air bubbles I think will be the key problem

[Rob!]

Originally Posted by indian george

Now I got these large 2oz. syringes that I could push the epoxy thru. Has anyone tried this method?????

Suck IG. Blow is just an expression.

Rob!

[Whit]

Exactly! You should have plenty of suction IG. Go down to the bar and practice, again!

[Bowiemaker]

I havent tried it that way but heres a way that works well for me.After I've figured out the pattern I want I take a bamboo skewer, you know like you make shiskabobs with.I wrap the end with cotton from a cotton ball (it looks like a big Q-tip) just enough so that its a snug fit in the tube.What your making is a syringe to suck epoxy.Then I mix enough epoxy and color in a small Dixie cup.Then I put one end of tube in the epoxy and pull on the bamboo skewer and suck up epoxy.Now you may have to wet the cotton a little with the epoxy to get a seal,but once you get a good seal it works great.Then once I've pulled the epoxy to the top and before I remove the skewer you need to plug the bottom,a small taperd dowel works fine.Then you need a way to hold the tube up-right while you put in your pattern pieces.I drop them in real slow and mostly let them settle of their own weight to avoid trapping air.Then just wipe up excess epoxy as it over flows and then let the whole thing set up...........John

[Bowiemaker]

Since were on the subject of pins heres another thing I do with bamboo skewers.Now first of all this stuff is pretty strong so why not use it for pins?Well sometimes I do just that.Heres what I do.First I cut the sharp point off the end then cut them in half.Then put them in a jar with dye (I use oil dye) any color you want.Let them soak over night,take them out and let them dry they gotta be totally dry.Then before I use them I run them through a draw plate. All this is is a piece of 1/8" plate with a 1/8" hole drilled in it.What this does is make the pin uniform and gives it a nice finish. Also when your finishing your handles they buff real nice too...................John

[David Schott]

Where do you guys get the materals to make the inteior structurs? Some kind of craft supply place?

[fitzo]

George, I watched aardvark (Mike Alexander) make them at a demo at Bowie's. He had a bit of a hard time getting it to work with the syringe. What kind of epoxy are you using? West Systems is quite thin and may be worth testing for this application....

Tiktock, hobbby shops have them, and Sears stores have a small rack in the hardware aisles that has a not-too-bad selection.

[indian george]

I got most of my supplies from MSC. Also Grizzly offered small tubing at one time.

[indian george]

Originally Posted by Whit

Exactly! You should have plenty of suction IG. Go down to the bar and practice, again!

Ryan: You are lucky that the Army has the practice of Don't ask and Don't tell or you wouldn't of lasted this long or even made it to the rank Captain or is Colonel? HEHEHEHEHEHE!!!

[tmickley]

I've used West System along with a couple others. West system was the thinnest and easiest to draw up. I used a food seal a meal to draw the epoxy up from a cup and had a piece of playdough in the bottom to plug the tube when it was full to stop it from leaking back out. You might want to use a piece of poly tubing at the top and leave some extra in this top tube for settling. Pulling epoxy through 12" of tube is a bit tough, 6" works much easier.

[kricket]

I have found the small tube and rods at Ace hardware and Howards hardware.
I usually have to ask where they keep them because they seem to put them in out of the way places. Hope this helps

[indian george]

Originally Posted by kricket

I have found the small tube and rods at Ace hardware and Howards hardware.
I usually have to ask where they keep them because they seem to put them in out of the way places. Hope this helps

I seen some at the Sear's Hardware Store too.

[indian george]

Originally Posted by tmickley

I've used West System along with a couple others. West system was the thinnest and easiest to draw up. I used a food seal a meal to draw the epoxy up from a cup and had a piece of playdough in the bottom to plug the tube when it was full to stop it from leaking back out. You might want to use a piece of poly tubing at the top and leave some extra in this top tube for settling. Pulling epoxy through 12" of tube is a bit tough, 6" works much easier.

Tracy, I am going to be trying the West Systems. I have a industrial vacuum pump. I have these prescription jars with the snap on lids. I was plan to drill a under-size hole in the lid and seal it like you do with the Playdough. I am planning to have quick connects attached to barb fittings with different size ploy tubing on them and plug them in directly to the vacuum pump. I wouldn't put the tubing into the epoxy first, I would leave it a little above to get all the air out then put it in the epoxy. Sounds good on paper what do you think??????
PS: Do you make knvives????? HEHEHEHE!!1

[howiesatwork]

I.G.,you could use one of those brake bleeding kits to catch the overflow, as it comes with all those fittings already, and as Tracey mentioned, something to keep the epoxy from running back out the bottom of the pins. I used little plastic/rubber caps.

[indian george]

Originally Posted by howiesatwork

I.G.,you could use one of those brake bleeding kits to catch the overflow, as it comes with all those fittings already, and as Tracey mentioned, something to keep the epoxy from running back out the bottom of the pins. I used little plastic/rubber caps.

I have made a brake bleeder for my HD that I could use. The vacuum pump that I have, has as 10 gallon tank under the pump so the epoxy wouldn't reach the pump. Now the plastic rubber caps I am confuse on if you are planning to do it with vacuum, unless you are doing it by hand. (guys I am being nice here)

[fitzo]

Originally Posted by indian george

.....(guys I am being nice here)......

I admire you for that, IG! I know how very difficult that kind of restraint must be!

[Del Raso Knives]

Something I do that may help. Once the epoxy is in the main tube I ram it into a hole of the same diameter I have drilled into a piece of hardwood ( 1/2" deep) The wood is already clamped in the vice. I then use a piece of scrap timber in my palm to drive all the other components home. The hardwood can the be taken out of the vice and will act as a stand/base while the glue cures. I also believe all the components should be degreased. I know it's anal but I actually key all the surfaces with 400gt. paper...... Peter.

[tmickley]

Originally Posted by indian george

Tracy, I am going to be trying the West Systems. I have a industrial vacuum pump. I have these prescription jars with the snap on lids. I was plan to drill a under-size hole in the lid and seal it like you do with the Playdough. I am planning to have quick connects attached to barb fittings with different size ploy tubing on them and plug them in directly to the vacuum pump. I wouldn't put the tubing into the epoxy first, I would leave it a little above to get all the air out then put it in the epoxy. Sounds good on paper what do you think??????
PS: Do you make knvives????? HEHEHEHE!!1

Too complicated I think.
I never found air bubbles suspended in the epoxy to be much of a problem so I never bothered to rig up a vacuum chamber to draw them out. I trial fitted the mosaic pins until I found a pattern that was tight and then just sucked the epoxy up through the whole mess. If there are any voids that you might have exposed (slim chance), a touch of thick super glue takes care of it. Suck up the epoxy, jam the playdough in the end (a small chunk of it is sitting at the botom of the cup - in the epoxy), pull it out of the goop, wipe it off and stand it upright until it cures. Leave an inch or two of poly tube at the top (reusable, the epoxy won't stick to it) full of epoxy. You won't pull any epoxy into your pump unless you drop over dead during the process. West system doesn't like to be mixed up more than a half dixie cup at a time or it gets damn hot in just a few minutes from exothermic runaway. I scorched the top of my work bench one time from mixing a bit too much up one time - doing mosaic pins.

[Robert Hankins]

KISS
Keep it simple
Try using an 3cc Irrigation syringe! Like the dentist gives you when you get a wisdom tooth pulled.
Monoject md20 I believe, very small opening that can be jammed into the tube to fill.
Hold so the syringe is at the bottom, fill up and plug quickly.
No air bubbles
Drop in your pins. Let them settle on there own weight, 6" at a time has worked best for me.