15V Mule Team scale bolt holes

A place to share your experience with our Mule Team knives.
WirelessBrain
Member
Posts: 5
Joined: Wed Apr 07, 2021 11:38 am

Re: 15V Mule Team scale bolt holes

#21

Post by WirelessBrain »

fanglekai wrote:
Sat May 27, 2023 1:34 pm
Mine was just delivered. I ordered the handle kit from Spyderco and I cannot get the spacers to fit into the handle.
I ordered 2, couldn't get the first one to fit.
2nd one fit after doing everything possible to make it fit without grinding. (I was seconds away from gettin' serious on 'er)
Tapered ream for metal should work.
blueblur
Member
Posts: 500
Joined: Wed May 10, 2017 3:09 pm
Location: The Keystone State

Re: 15V Mule Team scale bolt holes

#22

Post by blueblur »

fanglekai wrote:
Sun May 28, 2023 9:25 am
I tried my second 15V mule and the holes were clearly the right size because I had no trouble getting the scales attached. So I’m 1 for 2 on correct sizing.
This has been my experience as well.

I may look into the Hazy scales for my second blade, which appear to use different holes but I’m not sure if anything other than he Halpern scales fit the kydex sheath sold by Spyderco.
User avatar
squirrel
Member
Posts: 11
Joined: Sun May 28, 2023 12:55 pm

Re: 15V Mule Team scale bolt holes

#23

Post by squirrel »

Ordered two 15V mules along with one set of scales and a plastic sheath. Of the six mounting holes, between the two mules, the threaded barrel would go through only one hole. On that mule, the two remaining holes had a tiny bit of a lip, stopping the barrel from going completely through(I was able to remove the lips with a Dremel and diamond bit). On the second mule, the holes probably are beyond my ability to make usable. I have a microscope with which I’m able to view the holes in detail.
FYI Long time Spyderco user, my old account is Roguesoul
User avatar
sal
Member
Posts: 17194
Joined: Fri Sep 24, 2004 12:00 pm
Location: Golden, Colorado USA

Re: 15V Mule Team scale bolt holes

#24

Post by sal »

Hi WirelessBrain, Squirrel,

Welcome to our forum.

sal
User avatar
Cl1ff
Member
Posts: 1129
Joined: Fri Sep 13, 2019 4:35 pm
Location: Florida

Re: 15V Mule Team scale bolt holes

#25

Post by Cl1ff »

No issues with mine.
I only had to lightly chamfer the holes in my micarta scales from Halpern so that all three barrels could fit properly.
The actual knife was perfectly fine, though.
rex121 is the king of steel, but nature’s teeth have been cutting for hundreds of millions of years and counting :cool:
WirelessBrain
Member
Posts: 5
Joined: Wed Apr 07, 2021 11:38 am

Re: 15V Mule Team scale bolt holes

#26

Post by WirelessBrain »

fanglekai wrote:
Sat May 27, 2023 1:34 pm
Mine was just delivered. I ordered the handle kit from Spyderco and I cannot get the spacers to fit into the handle.
User avatar
Toker
Member
Posts: 42
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2022 1:08 am

Re: 15V Mule Team scale bolt holes

#27

Post by Toker »

kennbr34 wrote:
Wed May 24, 2023 2:18 pm
Sanding the barrels down with the poor-man's lathe is not a bad idea either, but 30 mins with the dremel and you'll have it back to a standard diameter and will never have to fiddle with it again if you wanted to try other scales, replace them for some reason, etc.
Look around, can you form some sort of rudimentary lathe?
Mr_Whiskerz
Member
Posts: 110
Joined: Fri Dec 02, 2005 4:30 pm

Re: 15V Mule Team scale bolt holes

#28

Post by Mr_Whiskerz »

blueblur wrote:
Sun May 28, 2023 12:56 pm
fanglekai wrote:
Sun May 28, 2023 9:25 am
I tried my second 15V mule and the holes were clearly the right size because I had no trouble getting the scales attached. So I’m 1 for 2 on correct sizing.
This has been my experience as well.

I may look into the Hazy scales for my second blade, which appear to use different holes but I’m not sure if anything other than he Halpern scales fit the kydex sheath sold by Spyderco.
I have Hazy scales with the Spyderco sheath. The retention is good enough for me, but the fit is probably sub-optimal. I have knife/sheath combos that have better retention and some that have lighter retention than this combo.
knaf1.jpg
knaf2.jpg
blueblur
Member
Posts: 500
Joined: Wed May 10, 2017 3:09 pm
Location: The Keystone State

Re: 15V Mule Team scale bolt holes

#29

Post by blueblur »

Mr_Whiskerz wrote:
Sun May 28, 2023 10:38 pm
blueblur wrote:
Sun May 28, 2023 12:56 pm
fanglekai wrote:
Sun May 28, 2023 9:25 am
I tried my second 15V mule and the holes were clearly the right size because I had no trouble getting the scales attached. So I’m 1 for 2 on correct sizing.
This has been my experience as well.

I may look into the Hazy scales for my second blade, which appear to use different holes but I’m not sure if anything other than he Halpern scales fit the kydex sheath sold by Spyderco.
I have Hazy scales with the Spyderco sheath. The retention is good enough for me, but the fit is probably sub-optimal. I have knife/sheath combos that have better retention and some that have lighter retention than this combo.
knaf1.jpg knaf2.jpg
Thanks for posting. Good to know. I’ll look to give their scales a try and keep the kydex sheath.
Coastal
Member
Posts: 1311
Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2021 7:14 pm
Location: Galveston Island

Re: 15V Mule Team scale bolt holes

#30

Post by Coastal »

Of my ten or so Mules, only one required chamfering to make the barrels fit. It took maybe 2 minutes with the RCBS cartridge case chamfering tool. The others range from a loose fit to a fit that requires light tapping to seat the barrels.

I prefer the leather sheath to the Kydex, and my guess is that it'll hold any scales that are reasonably close to Halpern's. For example, it holds the Enuff 2 just fine.
Last edited by Coastal on Mon May 29, 2023 5:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
jmj3esq
Member
Posts: 367
Joined: Thu Jan 19, 2023 8:58 am
Location: Indiana
Contact:

Re: 15V Mule Team scale bolt holes

#31

Post by jmj3esq »

The holes on one of my Mules was also drilled short like the blade in the OP. It quite easy simply drilling the holes out. There wasnt much steel left to drill. Something I wish I would not have had to done, but it was a simple fix.
User avatar
Bolster
Member
Posts: 5780
Joined: Sat Mar 03, 2007 1:27 pm
Location: CalyFRNia Desert

Re: 15V Mule Team scale bolt holes

#32

Post by Bolster »

Toker wrote:
Sun May 28, 2023 9:42 pm
Look around, can you form some sort of rudimentary lathe?

LOL, the perfect quote in the perfect thread!
Attachments
hqdefault-3546492045.jpeg
hqdefault-3546492045.jpeg (10.42 KiB) Viewed 1605 times
Steel novice who self-identifies as a steel expert. Proud M.N.O.S.D. member 0003. Spydie Steels: 4V, 15V, 20CV, AEB-L, AUS6, Cru-Wear, HAP40, K294, K390, M4, Magnacut, S110V, S30V, S35VN, S45VN, SPY27, SRS13, T15, VG10, XHP, ZWear, ZDP189
User avatar
dull&blunt
Member
Posts: 123
Joined: Thu Mar 02, 2023 8:37 am
Location: not too sharp nor pointy

Re: 15V Mule Team scale bolt holes

#33

Post by dull&blunt »

I ordered two Mules. One of them accepted the threaded posts after some effort, but the second one is pretty darn bad. The post will not even begin to seat into each handle hole. Kinda a bummer but I'll get it to work.
User avatar
Evil D
Member
Posts: 27375
Joined: Sat Jun 26, 2010 9:48 pm
Location: Northern KY

Re: 15V Mule Team scale bolt holes

#34

Post by Evil D »

I didn't have to hammer mine but I did use the butt end of my bit driver to push them all the way through. I actually thought it was the Halpern scales and not the knife but I couldn't tell. The bottom hole went through smooth, it was the middle and front hole that were tight.
~David
User avatar
RustyIron
Member
Posts: 2630
Joined: Mon Mar 18, 2019 9:01 pm
Location: La Habra, CA
Contact:

Re: 15V Mule Team scale bolt holes

#35

Post by RustyIron »

troutinCO wrote:
Tue May 23, 2023 7:18 pm
Holes on my Z-max(only one not in scales) are 0.187" consistently.
That's 3/16, so it makes sense.
The varying dimensions on your Mule seem odd. I've used precision ground dowel pins on my Mules, and the fit is about as perfect as one could hope. Maybe the Spydie Laser got dull and needs to be sharpened.
User avatar
Bolster
Member
Posts: 5780
Joined: Sat Mar 03, 2007 1:27 pm
Location: CalyFRNia Desert

Re: 15V Mule Team scale bolt holes

#36

Post by Bolster »

RustyIron wrote:
Wed May 31, 2023 3:16 pm
That's 3/16, so it makes sense.
The varying dimensions on your Mule seem odd. I've used precision ground dowel pins on my Mules, and the fit is about as perfect as one could hope. Maybe the Spydie Laser got dull and needs to be sharpened.

The problem was, that the Spyderco laser was attached to a frickin shark's head for awhile.
Steel novice who self-identifies as a steel expert. Proud M.N.O.S.D. member 0003. Spydie Steels: 4V, 15V, 20CV, AEB-L, AUS6, Cru-Wear, HAP40, K294, K390, M4, Magnacut, S110V, S30V, S35VN, S45VN, SPY27, SRS13, T15, VG10, XHP, ZWear, ZDP189
User avatar
troutinCO
Member
Posts: 813
Joined: Sun Apr 04, 2021 8:13 am
Location: Lakewood, CO

Re: 15V Mule Team scale bolt holes

#37

Post by troutinCO »

Lol at comments above!
So I finally got back over to the SFO to deal with the small holes this morning. They wound up just exchanging it for a new one. New one works just fine, so it is ready to go now with scales. Thanks Spyderco Crew!!
User avatar
bbturbodad
Member
Posts: 1180
Joined: Sun Mar 24, 2019 9:18 am

Re: 15V Mule Team scale bolt holes

#38

Post by bbturbodad »

A few of the holes on mine were tight too, but it just took a couple of light taps with the handle of the driver I was using to install the scales to get them in.
-Turbo
razorburn
Member
Posts: 94
Joined: Tue Aug 15, 2017 2:21 am

Re: 15V Mule Team scale bolt holes

#39

Post by razorburn »

Just got my two mules in last week.On the first one the handles and hardware fit effortlessly and the other the first two barrel fasteners fit really easily while the third needed a light tap.

My only complain on my two were the large wire edge.Not sure how these were allowed to leave Spyderco .
Post Reply