Show your Mule

A place to share your experience with our Mule Team knives.
User avatar
standy99
Member
Posts: 2205
Joined: Sat Jul 22, 2017 11:07 am
Location: Between Broome and Cairns somewhere

Re: Show your Mule

#1221

Post by standy99 »

I’m up for a set of 100% infill NylonX with bolts.
Whatever the cost + shipping. Send me a PM when you want.

Happy to test them out and give feedback

Black would be easy to spruce up with a 1mm G-10 liner in lime green or orange.....

Can you start a thread with 3D printing scales :cool:
Im a vegetarian as technically cows are made of grass and water.
izzoyournizzo
Member
Posts: 64
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2021 8:55 pm

Re: Show your Mule

#1222

Post by izzoyournizzo »

I'll reach out once I've perfected the prototypes. There is still some fitting that I am still working through.

We have been discussing in the thread "Mule Scale CAD files?".

Thanks for your interest.
TomAiello
Member
Posts: 6655
Joined: Tue Jun 11, 2013 10:34 pm
Location: Twin Falls, ID

Re: Show your Mule

#1223

Post by TomAiello »

Standy, if you grab the file from the thread, you can probably get them printed locally.

In the USA there are on-line services that do it, but the best place I've found is my local public library. They have a reasonable quality 3d printer and just charge you for the filament (and will let you bring your own filament in if you want to print in something they don't have).
The Meat man
Member
Posts: 5856
Joined: Wed Jan 03, 2018 8:01 pm
Location: Missouri, USA

Re: Show your Mule

#1224

Post by The Meat man »

Finally finished the handles for my PD#1 Mule. Ebony wood scales with brass corby bolts, epoxied. It's my first attempt and I'm really pleased how it turned out!
Image
Image

Sanded to 400 grit and finished with boiled linseed oil and paste wax.
- Connor

"What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"
TomAiello
Member
Posts: 6655
Joined: Tue Jun 11, 2013 10:34 pm
Location: Twin Falls, ID

Re: Show your Mule

#1225

Post by TomAiello »

That looks great, Connor!

How did you find working with the ebony? That stuff always gums up my sandpaper something fierce.
The Meat man
Member
Posts: 5856
Joined: Wed Jan 03, 2018 8:01 pm
Location: Missouri, USA

Re: Show your Mule

#1226

Post by The Meat man »

TomAiello wrote:
Sat Feb 27, 2021 3:02 pm
That looks great, Connor!

How did you find working with the ebony? That stuff always gums up my sandpaper something fierce.
Thanks! I had to clean off the spindle sander drum fairly frequently with a rubber sanding eraser, but other than that it worked fine. I used the spindle sander for a lot of the rough shaping, along with a hand-sanding block of 36 grit. The finer grits (120, 220, and 400) I sanded by hand as well.
- Connor

"What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"
User avatar
RustyIron
Member
Posts: 2375
Joined: Mon Mar 18, 2019 9:01 pm
Location: La Habra, CA
Contact:

Re: Show your Mule

#1227

Post by RustyIron »

The Meat man wrote:
Sat Feb 27, 2021 2:46 pm
Finally finished the handles for my PD#1 Mule.
Hey... that's pretty nice. Lovely work.
TomAiello
Member
Posts: 6655
Joined: Tue Jun 11, 2013 10:34 pm
Location: Twin Falls, ID

Re: Show your Mule

#1228

Post by TomAiello »

The spindle sander is definitely one of my most used tools for handles. And the sanding erasers are really useful, especially with woods like ebony (or ironwood!).
User avatar
TkoK83Spy
Member
Posts: 12446
Joined: Mon Sep 17, 2018 5:32 pm
Location: Syracuse, NY

Re: Show your Mule

#1229

Post by TkoK83Spy »

Both Rusty and Connor have made some very nice wood scales recently, great work fella's!
15 :bug-red 's in 10 different steels
1 - Bradford Guardian 3 / Vanadis 4E Wharnie
1 - Monterey Bay Knives Slayback Flipper / ZDP 189
1 - CRK Small Sebenza 31/Macassar Ebony Inlays
1 - CRK Large Inkosi Insingo/ Black Micarta Inlays
1 - CRK Small Sebenza 31 Insingo/Magnacut

-Rick
User avatar
Xplorer
Member
Posts: 1344
Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2015 11:41 pm

Re: Show your Mule

#1230

Post by Xplorer »

The Meat man wrote:
Sat Feb 27, 2021 2:46 pm
Finally finished the handles for my PD#1 Mule. Ebony wood scales with brass corby bolts, epoxied. It's my first attempt and I'm really pleased how it turned out!
Sanded to 400 grit and finished with boiled linseed oil and paste wax.
:eek: Wow that ebony looks great! You did a really nice job on this handle :) . Ebony is one of the few species that is naturally oily enough while also dense enough to make a great knife handle without any stabilizing. Such a great choice IMO.

Well done Sir!!
:spyder: Spyderco fan and collector since 1991. :spyder:
Father of 2, nature explorer, custom knife maker.
@ckc_knifemaker on Instagram.
The Meat man
Member
Posts: 5856
Joined: Wed Jan 03, 2018 8:01 pm
Location: Missouri, USA

Re: Show your Mule

#1231

Post by The Meat man »

RustyIron wrote:
Sat Feb 27, 2021 4:49 pm
The Meat man wrote:
Sat Feb 27, 2021 2:46 pm
Finally finished the handles for my PD#1 Mule.
Hey... that's pretty nice. Lovely work.
Thanks! It was a lot of fun and simpler and easier than I thought. Of course, it helped I was able to use my dad's vast array of woodworking tools. :)
TkoK83Spy wrote:
Sat Feb 27, 2021 6:19 pm
Both Rusty and Connor have made some very nice wood scales recently, great work fella's!
Thanks Rick! Now I need to think of sheaths. I have a leather one for this Mule but nothing for the SPY-27. Hoping maybe I can either make or get a Kydex sheath made.
Xplorer wrote:
Sat Feb 27, 2021 7:53 pm
:eek: Wow that ebony looks great! You did a really nice job on this handle :) . Ebony is one of the few species that is naturally oily enough while also dense enough to make a great knife handle without any stabilizing. Such a great choice IMO.

Well done Sir!!
High praise! :o Thank you! It's not perfect but I was surprised how well it turned out. I like dark woods and ebony is one of my favorites. I'm going to try some canvas Micarta for the SPY-27. I think I will use removable bolts for that one, though.
- Connor

"What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"
izzoyournizzo
Member
Posts: 64
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2021 8:55 pm

Re: Show your Mule

#1232

Post by izzoyournizzo »

Beautiful Ebony handle Connor. Something to be proud of. Is it common to epoxy the bolts? Is it that epoxy is put in between the bolts or are the bolts epoxied to the wood?
TomAiello
Member
Posts: 6655
Joined: Tue Jun 11, 2013 10:34 pm
Location: Twin Falls, ID

Re: Show your Mule

#1233

Post by TomAiello »

Corby bolts and epoxy are usually used together. You grind (sand, really) the bolts off, so there is no way to get them out anyway. You basically epoxy the scales to the knife, and then dip the bolts themselves in epoxy and screw them into place. The bolts are great for holding everything in place while the epoxy sets, and the combination makes the handle extremely secure for the long term (basically forever, if you've done it well).
User avatar
Xplorer
Member
Posts: 1344
Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2015 11:41 pm

Re: Show your Mule

#1234

Post by Xplorer »

The Meat man wrote:
Sat Feb 27, 2021 8:33 pm
... Now I need to think of sheaths. I have a leather one for this Mule but nothing for the SPY-27. Hoping maybe I can either make or get a Kydex sheath made.
Both leather and kydex sheaths are projects you can handle yourself if you want to. I can walk you through either one if you'd like. If you decide to make one, PM me and I'd be happy to discuss the tools and supplies you'll need for whichever one you prefer.
:spyder: Spyderco fan and collector since 1991. :spyder:
Father of 2, nature explorer, custom knife maker.
@ckc_knifemaker on Instagram.
TomAiello
Member
Posts: 6655
Joined: Tue Jun 11, 2013 10:34 pm
Location: Twin Falls, ID

Re: Show your Mule

#1235

Post by TomAiello »

The Meat man wrote:
Sat Feb 27, 2021 8:33 pm
Thanks! It was a lot of fun and simpler and easier than I thought. Of course, it helped I was able to use my dad's vast array of woodworking tools. :)
Be careful. That's how I started this journey, and now I'm on my way to collecting my own vast array of tools... :)
User avatar
standy99
Member
Posts: 2205
Joined: Sat Jul 22, 2017 11:07 am
Location: Between Broome and Cairns somewhere

Re: Show your Mule

#1236

Post by standy99 »

The Meat man wrote:
Sat Feb 27, 2021 2:46 pm
Finally finished the handles for my PD#1 Mule. Ebony wood scales with brass corby bolts, epoxied. It's my first attempt and I'm really pleased how it turned out!
Image
Image

Sanded to 400 grit and finished with boiled linseed oil and paste wax.
Great job, looks tidy.
Im a vegetarian as technically cows are made of grass and water.
User avatar
Henry_P
Member
Posts: 275
Joined: Mon Dec 07, 2020 11:54 am
Location: California

Re: Show your Mule

#1237

Post by Henry_P »

The Meat man wrote:
Sat Feb 27, 2021 2:46 pm
Finally finished the handles for my PD#1 Mule. Ebony wood scales with brass corby bolts, epoxied. It's my first attempt and I'm really pleased how it turned out!

Sanded to 400 grit and finished with boiled linseed oil and paste wax.

Very nice! Great job.
Para 3 Maxamet | Para 3 CruWear DLC | Smock M4 Jade G-10 | Shaman Z-Wear Micarta | Salt 2 LC200N Wharnie | Chaparral Birdseye Maple | Lil’ Native S90V CF | Dragonfly 2 20CV | Ladybug K390 | CRK Small Sebenza 31 S45VN PJ
The Meat man
Member
Posts: 5856
Joined: Wed Jan 03, 2018 8:01 pm
Location: Missouri, USA

Re: Show your Mule

#1238

Post by The Meat man »

standy99 wrote:
Sun Feb 28, 2021 1:29 am
Great job, looks tidy.
Henry_P wrote:
Sun Feb 28, 2021 11:28 am
Very nice! Great job.
Thank you everyone for the kind words! :)
izzoyournizzo wrote:
Sat Feb 27, 2021 9:53 pm
Beautiful Ebony handle Connor. Something to be proud of. Is it common to epoxy the bolts? Is it that epoxy is put in between the bolts or are the bolts epoxied to the wood?
Thanks! The way I did it was, I spread the epoxy on the flat side of the scales and on both sides of the actual steel tang of the blade. The corby bolts got thoroughly coated with epoxy as I pushed them through the holes and tightened them up. That way every mating surface got coated, plus the bolts got sealed with epoxy in the threads.

I should add that before coating with epoxy I first roughed up the wood and steel surfaces with some 80 grit sandpaper, as instructed on the epoxy package. (Although the steel did not scratch very easily.)
- Connor

"What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"
The Meat man
Member
Posts: 5856
Joined: Wed Jan 03, 2018 8:01 pm
Location: Missouri, USA

Re: Show your Mule

#1239

Post by The Meat man »

Xplorer wrote:
Sat Feb 27, 2021 11:36 pm
The Meat man wrote:
Sat Feb 27, 2021 8:33 pm
... Now I need to think of sheaths. I have a leather one for this Mule but nothing for the SPY-27. Hoping maybe I can either make or get a Kydex sheath made.
Both leather and kydex sheaths are projects you can handle yourself if you want to. I can walk you through either one if you'd like. If you decide to make one, PM me and I'd be happy to discuss the tools and supplies you'll need for whichever one you prefer.
Thanks for the offer! I will definitely keep it in mind. :)
- Connor

"What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"
Bemo
Member
Posts: 1298
Joined: Sat Jul 27, 2019 6:00 pm
Location: Boise Idaho

Re: Show your Mule

#1240

Post by Bemo »

Awesome job! I was told by a wood worker that with really oily woods that wiping down with acetone first to cut some of that oil creates a better bond with the epoxy. Is that something any of you really knowledgeable handle makers have heard as well?
Post Reply