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In Memoriam

Mosaic pins

Mosaic pins can add SO0o very much to a knife.

Such as .. expense !!!

Note: The outermost "ring" is simply masking tape to facilitate securing the piece in the vise for pics.

And .. as pictured .. there is no adhesive.

Everything is assembled "loose" strictly for the purpose of demonstration.

Further ..something not readily evident.. is the copper tube inside the centermost square piece.

This pic being slightly out of focus doesn't help any.

For the purpose of this discussion .. I limited myself to material on hand.

I would have preferred copper pins between the outside round tube & the larger square tube.

And perhaps .. copper pins between the 2 square tubes.

But again,, I needed to limit myself to "stock on hand".

What I've pictured in this intro is just enough to provide an idea of where I'm going with this.

It is intended to simply provide a facsimile of the final appearance.

There are a number of things one NEEDS to do to facilitate a desirable outcome.

There are also a number of things that one can do to make it far simpler than it can be.

Those are the items / concepts / ideas I hope to present in this discussion

such that

anyone interested can do this themselves.

Understand .. your very first attempt will likely not be perfect. Nor will this one.

BUT

with a couple of mistakes ..and.. a fair amount of patience.

You will be able to do this.

It's commonly known as "the learning curve".

I'll do the "step by step" in the comment section below.

Enjoy

D ale.

Tags: mosaic-pin

4 members like this

Replies to This Discussion

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by D ale on April 1, 2017 at 19:21

This one's for you, Jan.
;)

D ale

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on April 1, 2017 at 19:41

wooohooo!! Thank you Dale!!

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by D ale on April 1, 2017 at 20:59

Tools

I've already shown the little wooden vise I find so handy for Schtuff like this.

And .. they'll be more to come. But .. this is what I start with.

The pin vises (extreme left) are optional ..but.. they sure are handy. They allow one to securely grasp a round tube or rod w/o deforming it. Sweet !!

A sturdy knife with good blade steel (top). It is what I use to cut the round tubing & rod material. Since brass & copper are quite soft in comparison to good cutlery steel .. it doesn't even effect the edge of the pictured knife. An A.G. Russell medium barlow lockback in this case.

A needle file with a sharp narrow edge. I use this to cut the square tubing.

I diamond whetstone. I use that to debur the outside of the tubing & rod after cutting. i.e. any existing burr will inhibit it from sliding into place ..as.. clearances are pretty tight in spots.

A ruler ..obviously.. measure twice, cut once. I actually use a vernier caliper ..but.. not everyone has one. Most do have a simple ruler.

An appropriately sized "dish" to contain all the cut pieces of tubing & rod I'll be generating. Organization is a good thing !! Picking pieces up off the floor after they've rolled of the work surface is not so good. Sometimes .. just trying to find them is no fun !!

A set of wire cutters. I use these to cut the small diameter rod material.

A couple sharp pointy thingies. I use those to deburr / reform the ID of the tubing I cut. One is a re-purposed dental tool with the unused end removed. I forget what the other one originally was ..but.. re-purposed for the task at hand. I've found that chucking them up in a portable drill and then rotating them while applying them at a low angle to a diamond whetstone will bring them to a nicely centered sharp point.

As I mentioned .. they'll be more to come ..but.. this will get one started.

Permalink Reply by Don Schriver on April 2, 2017 at 2:16

Interesting. Most pins are rather plain. I can't wait to see the next step.

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by D ale on April 2, 2017 at 9:41

There are a few decisions that need to be made before one begins even assembling the component parts. For instance ...

LENGTH

When sourcing premanufactured mosaic pins .. one typically purchases them in 6”, 10” or 12’ lengths. I believe .. whatever is typical for a stock length of the pins & rods involved in the specific mosaic pin being fabricated. And .. my personal kudos to those folks that do that. I strongly suspect that they have the specialized tools required ..AND.. the experience necessary to simplify the process. However .. my personal experience is that that GREATLY increases the difficulty. SO0o .. I, by design, do not make then any longer than I require for my immediate needs.

Typically speaking .. a 1” length will suffice for my personal projects. Now, one does need to have the foresight to make them a bit longer than the project at hand actually requires ..BUT.. just by a comfortable safety margin. Obviously .. if the project at hand will require 2 pins .. I’ll do an initial overall length of just over 2”. Three pins ..OK.. something just over 3”. But again .. no longer than I really need.

And let me stress .. when one is just starting out .. one’s experience level is not that great. So hey .. don’t make it any harder on yourself than necessary. I know there are few things that will discourage one quicker from ever further attempting something “NEW” than absolute abject failure. SO0o .. do yourself a favor & start out small. Further .. when you do mess up ..and we all do.. you haven’t spent 7 hours gluing oneself to the bench (literally) & wasting 14 dollars & 38 cents worth of material. So .. start small.

Oh .. did I mention .. this can be a messy process. Know that going into it & lay down some wax paper, newspaper, something to protect your work surface from the adhesive that WILL get on things you had not intended. And .. I know rubber / latex / vinyl gloves are not the easiest to work in. But, it’s either that or accept up front that you’ll be using known carcinogens with which to clean your hands later. I suggest .. protective gloves of some flavor.

For this project .. I’ve chosen a length of 3”. It’s long enough to easily display the process involved Yet short enough to still be manageable. And, I will easily be able to obtain 3 pins that are 15/16” of an inch long. Consider .. there will be some waste in the cutting procedure to obtain the smaller lengths. Again, plenty long enough for the vast majority of my personal projects.

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by D ale on April 2, 2017 at 9:42

DESIGN

You’ll need to give some forethought to just how you wish the mosaic pin to appear in its finished state. And please consider .. there is such a state as simply appearing too busy. I caution against trying to “squeeze” soooo much schtuff into a pin that it loses its aesthetic appeal. AND .. that is a real possibility personally find that using a variety of material can add more than squeezing in a gazillion small little pins into every space available. A nice combination of brass, aluminum, stainless steel, & copper can form some interesting contrasts w/o the frustration of a gazillion small pieces.

Cruising the net a bit can provide a wealth of possible designs. A simple inventory of “parts on hand” can place a realistic limit of what you may wish to do. The bottom line being .. some initial planning will need to be involved. Also .. some pin material can be a bit pricey. So again .. do a bit of planning up front and save yourself some headaches in the long run.

Personally, I make it a habit of just picking up some pin material each time I’m in the local hardware store. Purchased a bit at a time .. won’t break you. Then .. when the time comes to actually sit down & make a mosaic pin .. you’ve already a decent variety of pin material on hand.

In the introduction for this discussion .. I posted pics of the design I’ve decided upon. It was primarily driven by what I had in house. Another consideration was just enough complexity such that my audience would find it interesting enough to become engaged.

Once a design is decided upon .. a test fit is required. It might look just wonderful on paper ..but.. if it doesn’t all fit into the limited space available .. all is for naught !!! I’ve accumulated enough small “scraps” that I can usually perform a test set-up with-out having to actually start cutting into much of my “good schtuff”. Which .. brings up a good point. I suggest hanging onto those small scraps that are bound to result from these projects for just this purpose. I’ve a small Altoids tin with quite a selection of small pieces of various pin & solid rod material for this very purpose.

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by D ale on April 2, 2017 at 9:43

LENGTH

Once you’ve proofed your chosen design .. it’s time to decide on a length. If you just need a single 3/4” pin ..please.. don’t make a 6” length of your chosen design. Now .. do build in some safety margin, i.e. make it a bit over the minimum required length. But REALLY .. resist overdoing it.

Again .. for the purposes of this discussion .. I chose a length of 3”. Which now prepared me to bring together all the required material & begin cutting the required individual pieces to length.

… … … measure twice .. cut once … … …

I’m sure one could use a tube cutter .. I’ve not had much luck with that approach. That could very well be .. just me !!! The method I use is pretty simple. A wood cutting board & a sharp knife. A set of side cutters for solid rod material. The material I generally use ..brass, copper, & aluminum.. is all considerably softer than well tempered good cutlery steel. In fact .. it doesn’t even dull the 8Cr13MoV that’s tempered to a 58 +/- 1 HRC of the A.G. Russell Medum barlow lockback that I use for this purpose.

NOTE: I’ve not used any stainless steel material to date. That might require a different approach. Although, tubing material is generally not hardened. However .. not having personally used any .. I am unable to speak to what method may best suited to cutting it.

You’ll want to mark all the individual components to the same length. I use a vernier caliper because I can butt the material up against one of the measuring edges of the caliper & use the other edge to scribe a mark on the material to be cut. However .. not everyone has a set of calipers. A ruler will work just fine !!! I do NOT suggest using a broad tipped permanent marker “Sharpie” for marking the required length. I find it leaves too broad of a mark. I’ve found a knife edge or a metal scribe provides a finer mark. And .. there is an advantage to having all the individual components the same length. Further .. when I go to make the cut .. the knife edge is able to “find” the scribed line far easier than eye-balling it into position on the relatively broad “Sharpie” mark.

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by D ale on April 2, 2017 at 9:46

CUTTING

If I’m cutting round tube .. I’ll place the tube on the cutting board & slide the knife edge along the area of the mark until it “finds” the scribed line. I then try to maintain the knife blade perpendicular to the tubing & roll the tubing back & forth on the cutting board. You’ll need to apply some pressure of the knife blade onto the tubing ..but.. not a bunch.

ATTN: Do be careful that you cut a continuous circle in the tubing ..as opposed to.. a thread like series of cuts that do not line up with one another as the tubing makes a complete rotation. Another reason to NOT apply too much pressure of the blade onto the tubing. With a bit of practice .. it becomes easy to insure the knife mark on the tube lines up with itself as the tubing makes a complete revolution.

Once you’ve established a continuous circle around the perimeter of the tubing .. you can apply a bit more pressure of the blade onto the tubing. But again .. much pressure really isn’t necessary .. as the tubing will cut fairly easily. Now, this process will form a burr on both the outside & the inside of the tubing. We’ll remove that later.

For square tubing .. I use a sharp edged needle file. I tend to use either the triangle one ..or.. the slightly oval one that has sharp edges on either side. And .. like the knife edge .. the file edge can “find” the scribe mark fairly readily. This greatly aids in cutting to the correct length ..as opposed to.. eye-balling the alignment to a broad “Sharpie” mark.

For solid pin material .. I use a pair of diagonal cutters / wire cutters / side cutters / whatever terminology you may know them by. These definitely cause deformation of the material that must be removed before that individual component can be incorporated into the overall mosaic pin arrangement.

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by D ale on April 2, 2017 at 18:35

DE-BURRING

For everything to slide together easily ..or, at all.. all component parts need to be de-burred. This is where the pin vises come in real handy. Pin vises allow one to very firmly grasp the round stock ..pins, solid rod, & tubing components.. w/o deforming them. In the absence of pin vises .. one simply holds the piece in hand. De-burring the outside of the tube or rod by applying the end of it at a low angle to an abrasive surface and rotating it ..until.. the burr is gone.

De-burring the inside of the tubes is performed with the dedicated sharp pointy little thingies. The pointed tool is inserted into the open end of the tube & rotated .. numerous times .. until the ID is opened up to it’s original size.

NOTE: Please exercise enough caution that one avoids sticking oneself. This operation will often cause some deformation of the OD profile of the tube ..SO0o.. a repeat of the de-burring of the outside of the tube is suggested. Continue this process until the pertinent component will not only slide into its mating larger component ..but.. also facilitate the insertion of it mating smaller component.

De-burring of the square tube involves the use of a needle file for the interior surface & a larger abrasive surface for its outer edges. The methodology should be self explanatory.

You'll know you've achieved the proper level of de-burring when all the component parts will slide together to form the composite Mosaic pin.

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on April 2, 2017 at 21:06

ok, got this part :)

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by D ale on April 3, 2017 at 11:38

For the purpose of simplifying the next procedure .. I need to identify the component parts.

A). 0.250” (1/4”) OD brass tube , 1 pc.

B).0.156” (5/32”) square brass tube , 1 pc.

C). 0.093” (3/32”) square brass tube , 1 pc.

D). 0.062” (1/16”) OD copper tube , 1 pc.

E). 0.031” (1/32”) solid brass pin , 9 pcs.

Ideally …... they will all be 3” in length.

DRY ASSEMBLE –- RE-ASSEMBLE –- PRACTICE ASSEMBLE –- ASSEMBLE AGAIN

I cannot over emphasize practicing dry assembly.

!!!! .. SERIOUSLY .. !!!!

One of the last things you’ll want to have happen is for the adhesive to be setting up while you are struggling to get the last few components in place. Especially … when it is so easily avoided .. by simply practicing the assembly of the overall mosaic pin from its components. SO0o .. I very highly suggest practicing dry assembly of the overall mosaic pin until you can do so with out the slightest difficulty.

During this process .. you need to identify the most difficult steps ..&.. methods of minimizing the associated difficulty. It is very important that you be able to perform the assembly easily, efficiently, and with out difficulty.

There is an order to the assembly that is most important. This order will vary slightly with the specific design of the mosaic pin. However .. there will always be an important order to which the components are assembled to form the final result. I will lay-out the order which I have found most efficient for me relative to the specific design being used in this example.

NOTE: During the final assembly .. the 1/4” OD brass tube will be filled with adhesive. I will explain why later. I make the statement now so that you might better understand why I’ve chosen the order of assembly that I am about to specify ..&.. the extreme importance in attaining proficiency in the assembly process prior to the final assembly when the adhesive is involved.

I suggest that the 1/4” OD brass tube be fixtured such that it is rigidly held (hands free) in a vertical position. I will be using my little wooden vise for this purpose. You will need to identify some means of doing so with the resources you have at your disposal. Further .. for the purpose of these practice dry assembly runs .. I have closed the end of the 1/4” OD brass tube by placing a piece of masking or painter’s tape over the bottom end of this tube. The purpose being .. to stop the remaining components from just falling straight through & out the other end.

Step 1: I place component “B” ..the 5/32” sq brass tube.. into component “A” ..the 1/4” OD brass tube.

Step 2: I then identify 4 pcs of component “E” ..the 1/32” brass rod.. and place them between the flat sides of component “B” ..the 5/32” square brass tube.. & the ID of component ”A” ..the 1/4” OD brass tube.

Step 3: I then place component “C” ..the 3/32” square brass tube.. inside component “B" ..the 5/32” square brass tube.

Step 4: I then identify 4 pcs of component “E” ..the 1/32” brass rod.. and place them between the flat sides of component “C” ..the 3/32” square brass tube.. and the corners of component “B” ..the 5/32” square brass tube.

Note: I personally found this to be the most difficult portion of the dry run assembly process. The method I identified to minimize this difficulty was to use one of the tools I describe as “sharp pointy thingie” that was slightly larger in OD than the ID of component “C” ..the 3/32” square brass tube. This allowed me to “gently” tap the sharp pointy thingie into the center of component ”C” just enough to 'grasp" component”C” and hold it in place while inserting the 4 pcs of component “E” ..the 1/32” brass rod.

Step 5: I inserted component “D” ..the (1/16”) OD copper tube.. into the center of component “C” ..the 3/32” square brass tube.