MT01 story, ends in tragedy.

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VWTattoo
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MT01 story, ends in tragedy.

#1

Post by VWTattoo »

Some of you may remember me from way back when, I was an early Forumite back when things got started, and have always been more of a lurker than a poster. Over my years as a collector of Spyderco knives of which there are somewhere near 100, I’ve stored most of them, displayed a few really special ones, gifted many, and kept out those ones earmarked as users. I go back through the collection every now and again, which I did a few months ago, looking at and admiring my collection.

Now, one thing I have to bring up at this point is that I am legally blind, though I have a tad of vision left in my right eye, but it’s blurry and painful to use. This has made things very challenging, as my interests haven’t changed, but my ability to be safe or really SEE what I used to- the insides of watches, circuit boards/ electronics, etc.- has taken a toll on me, creating a ton of frustration.

Anyway, my mental state commentary over, in that past perusal of my Spydies, I brought our my MT01, which has been doing nothing for years, and decided that I would try to get scales and even the sheath for it, and start to carry it and use it, mostly in the kitchen as I still do most of the cooking. :cheap-sunglasses

So, I ordered a nice set of G10 scales and hardware from Halpern, and a sheath from the SFO. When the scales arrived, I found that I couldn’t assemble the scales because of the variance in size of the mounting hole. The threaded sleeve would not fin in the handle hole, so I was stuck, and bummed, because now I spent almost $100 on these extras, and couldn’t use them.

A few weeks go by, and my brother-in-law came over to hang out and BS, which hasn’t happened for quite a while. On the table was the knife in parts, looking lonely and unloved. I told him what happened with my attempted assembly, and how bummed I am. Seeing as I don’t get out of the house much, and he knows a machinist, he offered to take it and see what they could do to perhaps widen the holes a bit, or whatever needed to assemble it for me. Yay! I was excited to know that I’d get it back, whole and operational! :smiling-hearts

Since Eric, my BIL, has had the knife, I’ve gotten a few updates. first, the update was that they couldn’t widen the holes, as they couldn’t drill it- too hard Rc 62, which I warned him about. Then, Eric got a carbide tip drill bit, which also failed to cut. But apparently in the process, of which I am super grateful, it broke in half. yes, broke in half….

So, I think he said they were going to Tig weld it back together.

Anyway, now I need another mule to use with my sheath and scales. I’m bummed that it broke, but I’m also not terribly surprised to hear that something catastrophic happened, but I am sad that the one and only Mule Team I had is dead. But, that what a Mule is for, experiences gained, things learned, etc. but I never got to use it though.

Once I get a picture from Eric, I’ll try to upload it somehow. :hot-face

EDIT: I just wanted to add that I am not mad at anyone for it; on the contrary. I appreciate everyone’s help with this, and feel bad that it broke on them. It must have been a “oh Sh__” moment for sure. Lol
yablanowitz
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Re: MT01 story, ends in tragedy.

#2

Post by yablanowitz »

Bummer to hear. I remember the holes were a little smaller on the MT01, i had to pull the core out of the paracord when I wrapped mine. You'd need a carbide reamer or a tapered diamond rod to enlarge those holes, and it would take some time for sure. It would be a lot easier to pick up a different steel to use with that hardware.
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RustyIron
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Re: MT01 story, ends in tragedy.

#3

Post by RustyIron »

VWTattoo wrote:
Wed Nov 17, 2021 6:58 am
I just wanted to add that I am not mad at anyone for it; on the contrary. I appreciate everyone’s help with this, and feel bad that it broke on them. It must have been a “oh Sh__” moment for sure. Lol
Yup. Stuff happens. When people ask me to work on something, I make it clear: "I'll make it better than it ever was, or I'll blow it up completely. 50/50 chance." Of course it would actually be quite unusual for me to wreck something, but if it worked in the first place, they wouldn't be coming to me.

The bummer is when diving into a project that looks like it will be easy, and then having to spend far too much time on it. Your BIL's friend probably thought it was going to be an easy ten minute job, and now it's ballooned into TIG welding and grinding debacle, all for a fifty dollar blade.

Hopefully you can score another Mule the next time they become available, and find some scale that fit a little more nicely.
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Peter1960
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Re: MT01 story, ends in tragedy.

#4

Post by Peter1960 »

The MT01 / 52100 is the ancestor of all mules, so it's a shame to know that one has been destroyed. I'm very sorry for you!

Yes, the MT01 is the first and so far only mule with smaller holes. I also retrofitted halpern scales, but instead of enlarging the holes, I used smaller screws ... that was easier. ;)
Peter - founding member of Spydiewiki.com

"Integrity is being good even if no one is watching"
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VWTattoo
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Re: MT01 story, ends in tragedy.

#5

Post by VWTattoo »

Peter1960,

Trying to find smaller screws and such was not a success on my part, as I did look but probably not in the correct places. The suggestion by Eric, my BIL, to have his machinist friend work on it came before my searching was complete, and I thought that a drill press with a carbide tip could enlarge those holes, but I was incorrect, apparently!
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Re: MT01 story, ends in tragedy.

#6

Post by Rp5 »

Where did it break? If it's down in the handle, I wonder if there's some sort of liner situation you could use to add stability under the handle?
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Bolster
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Re: MT01 story, ends in tragedy.

#7

Post by Bolster »

Sorry to hear it. This reinforces my conviction to only grind, not attempt to cut, hard steels.
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legOFwhat?
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Re: MT01 story, ends in tragedy.

#8

Post by legOFwhat? »

Maybe the MT01's untimely end sparks the birth of new Mule! Hate that happened to you and I hope the welding works out!
-Larry
Hebrews 13:6 So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”
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JonLeBlanc
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Re: MT01 story, ends in tragedy.

#9

Post by JonLeBlanc »

Oh man, hearing about the death of a 52100 Mule makes me sad.
My collection so far: 52100 Military (2); 52100 PM2 (2); 52100 Para3; Stretch2 V-Toku; KnifeWorks M4 PM2; BentoBox M390 PM2; BentoBox S90V Military; Police4 K390; S110V PM2; SS Delica AUS-6; Wayne Goddard Sprint VG-10
Wish list: Hundred Pacer; Sliverax; Mantra; 52100 PM2 SE; Kapara
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defenestrate
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Re: MT01 story, ends in tragedy.

#10

Post by defenestrate »

Sorry to hear about this!

I was thinking that the first mule only had smaller screw holes but that the first few had something different in the way they were aligned? First one I got was the MT-5 and I don't have those at hand (may not have them at all). Been grabbing newer ones if I can this year.

I hopef the welding job is impressive and the resultant has a nice kintsugi type appeal to it.
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Bolster
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Re: MT01 story, ends in tragedy.

#11

Post by Bolster »

defenestrate wrote:
Fri Nov 19, 2021 10:44 am
...the welding job...

Will welding affect the heat treat? Or is the plan to re-heat-treat the knife?
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Re: MT01 story, ends in tragedy.

#12

Post by QUICKSILVER »

Condolences!
The small screw holes on the MT1 is a known problem.

I have two MT1s. One with scales and one without.

Wanted to be able to take the scales on and off so I bought Halpern scales. Tried to widen the hole with a regular HHS drill bit and took more off the bit than the hole. So I bought the Drill Hog USA 13 Pc COBALT Drill Bit Set Index M42 Drill Bits from the big river. Still really hard to drill the 52100 steel hardened to about 62. But, using cutting oil and cooling after brief periods at the drill press the bit went through. So it worked. Took about half hour.

I would advise you get the knife back and try to make it functional. Welding is a really bad idea. As already said it could take out the temper and destroy the knife.

Bill Maier
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AlexRus
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Re: MT01 story, ends in tragedy.

#13

Post by AlexRus »

Bolster wrote:
Sat Nov 20, 2021 12:46 am
defenestrate wrote:
Fri Nov 19, 2021 10:44 am
...the welding job...

Will welding affect the heat treat? Or is the plan to re-heat-treat the knife?
Wouldn't the re-heattreat damage the welding?
Anyways, welding a broken knife isn't a good idea. IMHO
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RustyIron
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Re: MT01 story, ends in tragedy.

#14

Post by RustyIron »

Bolster wrote:
Sat Nov 20, 2021 12:46 am

Will welding affect the heat treat? Or is the plan to re-heat-treat the knife?
Non necessarily. If the break is down in the handle area, TIG it quickly, use a series of shorter welds to minimize distortion, don't linger, and carefully grind the repair by hand to match the surrounding material. In the region of the weld, the tempering won't matter. Cover up the repaired area with new scales, and the knife will look perfect.
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Tucson Tom
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Re: MT01 story, ends in tragedy.

#15

Post by Tucson Tom »

RustyIron wrote:
Sun Nov 21, 2021 12:35 pm
Bolster wrote:
Sat Nov 20, 2021 12:46 am

Will welding affect the heat treat? Or is the plan to re-heat-treat the knife?
Non necessarily. If the break is down in the handle area, TIG it quickly, use a series of shorter welds to minimize distortion, don't linger, and carefully grind the repair by hand to match the surrounding material. In the region of the weld, the tempering won't matter. Cover up the repaired area with new scales, and the knife will look perfect.
That was my thought as well, welding down in the handle area shouldn't heat up the edge area if done properly.

It would be interesting to see a photo of the broken blade. Depending on where it broke and how much material
for a tang is left, all kinds of things are possible. Someone who was itching for a 52100 mule might even swap an
extra blade in some other steel with a proper hole pattern if they thought they could do something with it. I might even
know such a person.
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Manixguy@1994
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Re: MT01 story, ends in tragedy.

#16

Post by Manixguy@1994 »

Sorry to hear of your misfortune. Yes the MT01 holes were different and unfortunately some people are not aware of it. Hope you can resolve this problem or find another. MG2
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