Tutorials
Hints and Tips Page 4 
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Mosaic Pins
I always thought that Mosaic pins have always added a beautiful custom look to hand made knives, but I'm so cheap, I hated their cost. I found out why they're not cheap: they are labor intensive to make. But if you have more time than money on your hands, or if you want to try something creative, they're actually not hard to make. And you have to admit, they do look nice, don't they?

A trip to the hobby shop will reveal several sizes of telescopic tubing, square or round,  usually available in aluminum or brass. Start with tuning 1/4' outside diameter, and try several sizes that will slip into it. Not expensive, $3 will give you enough tubing to make 5-6 pair of mosaic pins.
Assemble bits of solid copper electrical wiring, this brass rod, paperclips, etc. Any small diameter wire will do. Choose different materials for contrast.
Cut the larger tubing in  2" lengths. You'll cut this in half when complete for a pair pf mosaic pins. Use a small round file to clean p the inside edges. Slip them together and use a very  small drop of water thin super glue to hold them together.
Use your wire bits to populate the open areas of the mosiac pin making sure to keep it symmetrical. Different types of wire ( copper, brass, aluminum and steel) to add contrast. Push the wire in far enough to make sure it goes all the way. Lot of combinations available--use your imagination.
My close up photography really sucks so I used the computer to enhance this view. You get the idea.  I used a fiberglass disk to cut off the wires evenly. The two inch piece will be cut in half for two 1" pins. 
Cut he 2" pin in two, in a length that will extend about 1/16" above the scales. Should be a very snug fit in the 1'4" hole you drilled through the scales
Normally you really whack the pins to get them to compress and hold the scales tight. The idea is the same here, but do it gently so you don't distort the mosaic pins. Rotate the sides often  and check for symmetry. Sand and finish like normal when complete.  
Again, not a great photo, but I think you get the idea about how mosaic pins can really dress up a handle and add a truly custom look.


Update

I've been experimenting with ways to colorfully  fill some of the voids and have had pretty good luck using  epoxy, colored with india inks and injected with a hypodermic needle. The inks ( black seems to work best) mix with the epoxy well and thin it enough to get through a hypo.  
Knife Vise
Courtesy of French knifemaker Thierry Perrier, comes this clever idea for an easy to make knife vise. Just about any hidden tang blade design when  epoxied into the handle of your choice, needs to be held firmly in place until the epoxy cures. I've relied on gravity but found that when a blade comes out crooked that gravity is not always your friend. I've also devised some clumsy jigs that usually  worked but sometimes didn't. This elegant little solution will solve all of your problems. 
Designed to go into the forward jaw of a woodworker's vice, this simple U shaped piece of metal is welded to a short length of threaded rod. No reason this couldn't be made out of wood.
In action: the attachment slips into the jaw of the vise and  presses the tang into the handle and holds it firmly until the epoxy cures. Only moderate pressure needed.
Another action shot of the knife vise in action.

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