TerryLee Renner-Mosaic pins the easy way

terrylee

terrylee

Joined
Jul 23, 2006
Messages
24
I thought I'd pass along a technique that has worked consistently well for me for making full-length pieces of mosaic pins. Gather all your materials, lay out the mosaic pattern pieces and load them into the outside diameter tube. Mix slow - setting epoxy and load the mixed stuff into a tube one slip-size larger than your diameter tube; one that will telescope over it, in other words. Turn the larger tube on end and either hold it against the glue bench surface, or tape the end over to keep the glue in place temporarily. Then push the assembled mosaic tube into the top of the larger tube and press down, forcing the glue into the mosaic under pressure. It takes about a half full tube full of glue, and ends up a little more than you need, but you can fine-tune the amount you need in a few tries. It does a great job of forcing the air out and subsquent elimination of the voids the air causes.Once the mosaic tube is full, remove the outside tube and tape the ends for curing time, or cap the ends with a little modeling clay. Saw sections of tube as you need pins any particular length. Hope this is helpful. TerryLee Renner/TR Blades
 
TerryLee---thanks---"how come we all didn't think of this quick and easy solution" mike
 
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Hi Terry :) Welcome aboard ! Good tutorial now where are you getting your materials? :confused: I have seen several tuts over the past couple years and I hear guys say they've picked up small pin , tube ,sg. tube etc from the "Hobby Shop" but have never seen a shop that actually carries the stuff. Any pics ? We need pics :D of the finished product and the tubing you're using as the "sheath" ;) Thanks again Terry......we'll be see'in ya around eh ?
 
I agree that it is getting more difficult to locate the hobby tubing. I've been fortunate that as my local hobby shops closed down one by one. I keep running into a hardware store here and there that still has a K&S display. This company has been my source for decades; I don't know where I'll go when they finally disappear. If you haven't seen them, the displays consist of a rack of vertical skinny boxes stocked left to right with increasing sizes of different tube materials;brass, copper, aluminum, and sometimes stainless steel. Also,some sizes of high carbon piano wire and flat sheet stock. I've found these displays indispensible over the years for more projects than I can remember. Right now there are two hardware stores in my area who still stock this, but one is not re-filling sold out bins. Doesn't look good. We'll have to contact K&S directly, although Sheffield Knifemakers supply has some sizes.I have nothing with pins in it to show, as I've been making nothing but folders for the past year. Check out www.trblades.com for my work.
 
Thanks,good stuff! I'll try that.The local True Value hardware has a similar display.Also contains 6" pieces of thin brass flatstock that I use for spacer material.
 
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