muskrat man wrote:yeah, copper pins and bolsters would contrast nicely, maybe make a stencil off an old levi tag and etch it on the blade.

I'm working on a little necker that is going to get jeancarta, probably copper pins too.
Just check the diameter of copper wire gauge diameter, the stuff for sun (sun wire) is a bit harder and may work better. 10 ft of 3 wire romex will make a lifetime supply for $7.00 to $12.00 (30ft).

DANG, you can get 4 different sizes of 3 ft 3 wire (9 ft each size) pretty cheaply. Way cheaper to get it at a hardware store. I got 3ft of 1/4 inch OD copper tubing to use as a thong hole for about $2.75. This is the coiled copper, be careful with bent pieces, will still work though. WAY cheaper than any knife supply.
If you find sources like this for your materials, you'll save a bunch of $$.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_wire_gauge
On this website go down to
Table of AWGs and approximate corresponding sizes and you will see the diameter of wire. 1/8 inch is closest to 8 guage (.125 vs .1285) 1/16 in diameter is closest to 14 gauge. (.0625 vs .0641, only 16/1000 or .0016 different) The table also has metric equivelents.
Remember Brass brazing rods from a welding supply shop, you might be able to get brass cheaper than at a knife supply. Same for stainless or aluminum. You can get stuff a lot cheaper by looking around at alternative suppliers.
