Ultem® Mule

A place to share your experience with our Mule Team knives.
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standy99
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Re: Ultem® Mule

#21

Post by standy99 »

PBWilson wrote:
Sun Jan 09, 2022 11:46 am
Cool use of a very cool plastic!

It's my favorite material for guitar picks. It doesn't wear like nearly all other materials I've tried (nylon, celluloid, delrin) and has a hardness that allows for thinner picks without the flex.

I'd bet it would take some checkering or texture really nicely, but I think I'm going to like the looks of it when smoothed and shaped. Nice!

Picture borrowed from Google
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PBWilson
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Re: Ultem® Mule

#22

Post by PBWilson »

That's what I'm talkin' about! Very cool material.
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standy99
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Re: Ultem® Mule

#23

Post by standy99 »

Update….glued up and shaped a little bit

Terrible photographs…..it looks a lot better than photos. Too much light :lightbulb

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Im a vegetarian as technically cows are made of grass and water.
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Buddafucco
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Re: Ultem® Mule

#24

Post by Buddafucco »

Lookin good!
Which grade did you go with? I started doing a little googling and got overwhelmed when I saw there was 132 different variations.
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standy99
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Re: Ultem® Mule

#25

Post by standy99 »

Buddafucco wrote:
Tue Mar 29, 2022 10:00 am
Lookin good!
Which grade did you go with? I started doing a little googling and got overwhelmed when I saw there was 132 different variations.
ULTEM® 1000, AMBER, UNFILLED POLYMER

Now there is a big difference from who you buy it from. Buy by the sheet of 12” x12”
I buy from the :usflag As it is a lot better than the cheap stuff and harder to work with but a lot better.

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The China made stuff is more a burnt opaque colour. Though cheaper by a big margin
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Two points I will make
One - it wasn’t the easiest to buy without a few emails and a US address.
Two - you better love sanding as this is a hell of a lot of sanding to get smooth ( for a bead it comes of the CNC machine looking pretty but a flat surface it looks rough without going through the sandpaper)

Also It is supper grippy when wet which is the best thing about it

PM me if you want the company I use…
Im a vegetarian as technically cows are made of grass and water.
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standy99
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Re: Ultem® Mule

#26

Post by standy99 »

Got a bit further… so it’s all shaped to tang…now the contouring begins….

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JRinFL
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Re: Ultem® Mule

#27

Post by JRinFL »

That going to look awesome. Thanks for the update.
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standy99
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Re: Ultem® Mule

#28

Post by standy99 »

Nearly finished, a few more grits to go.

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Im a vegetarian as technically cows are made of grass and water.
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JoviAl
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Re: Ultem® Mule

#29

Post by JoviAl »

Very very nice 👌🏻
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mule man
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Re: Ultem® Mule

#30

Post by mule man »

Looks great! Love the translucent amber hue.
Great grip when wet is a huge plus.
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Re: Ultem® Mule

#31

Post by JRinFL »

Thanks for the update. I wonder if Ultem can be flame polished like some other materials?
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standy99
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Re: Ultem® Mule

#32

Post by standy99 »

JRinFL wrote:
Wed Mar 29, 2023 11:43 am
Thanks for the update. I wonder if Ultem can be flame polished like some other materials?
Probably a not that ideal due to the heat resistant properties of said material...but unshore.
Is a great material that can sustain repeated autoclave cycles and continued operation at 340F so probably not one for flame polishing
Im a vegetarian as technically cows are made of grass and water.
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Re: Ultem® Mule

#33

Post by JRinFL »

standy99 wrote:
Wed Mar 29, 2023 5:40 pm
JRinFL wrote:
Wed Mar 29, 2023 11:43 am
Thanks for the update. I wonder if Ultem can be flame polished like some other materials?
Probably a not that ideal due to the heat resistant properties of said material...but unshore.
Is a great material that can sustain repeated autoclave cycles and continued operation at 340F so probably not one for flame polishing
Apply enough heat and anything can be flame polished! :') Err, no.
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SaltyCaribbeanDfly
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Re: Ultem® Mule

#34

Post by SaltyCaribbeanDfly »

Wow…very impressive work !!! 👊
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Ramonade
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Re: Ultem® Mule

#35

Post by Ramonade »

Nice end result standy!!
I dont know if I like this material yet. But it looks peetty cool on the Mule :open-grin.

My first REX76 handle is still in the end of shaping phase. Has been for months because of work and other projects (my own fixed blades and recently folder scales). You are getting ahead in number of mules "handled" this year !🤣
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Buddafucco
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Re: Ultem® Mule

#36

Post by Buddafucco »

That's a good looking Mule!
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Buddafucco
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Re: Ultem® Mule

#37

Post by Buddafucco »

JRinFL wrote:
Wed Mar 29, 2023 11:43 am
Thanks for the update. I wonder if Ultem can be flame polished like some other materials?

It's been a while since I looked it up but, it looked like vapor polishing was the way to go with Ultem. Gives it a nice glassy finish. However, the chemical to use is no longer available for consumer purchase in the US (or possibly banned completely).
That is me regurgitating info from the Internet though. 🧂
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Re: Ultem® Mule

#38

Post by JRinFL »

Nice little primer on vapor polishing. https://www.arrowcryogenics.com/finishi ... polishing/

Apologies for the thread hijack.
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“Maybe the cheese in the mousetrap is an artificially created cheaper price?” -Sal
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standy99
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Re: Ultem® Mule

#39

Post by standy99 »

JRinFL wrote:
Thu Apr 06, 2023 1:51 pm
Nice little primer on vapor polishing. https://www.arrowcryogenics.com/finishi ... polishing/

Apologies for the thread hijack.
Good read, looks and sounds expensive…..

I just sand, sand, and then sand again….probably why it’s taken so long :winking-tongue
Im a vegetarian as technically cows are made of grass and water.
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Re: Ultem® Mule

#40

Post by JRinFL »

Seems like you need a sanding apprentice. :grin-smiling-eyes
"...it costs nothing to be polite." - Winston Churchill
“Maybe the cheese in the mousetrap is an artificially created cheaper price?” -Sal
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