Mule tutorial part 2

[toomzz]

Hi guys, the glue has dried and I was able to do some BDR on my camera. That means I can finish this tutorial with the 52100.

Here we are; we have a blade with two (very) rough chunks of micarta attached to it. It is time to shape it. Before I show you how, let me tell you a little about the tools I use. The main apparatus is my belt grinder for the large removal of the micarta and shaping the handle roughly. Next I use round files to remove material from the deeper areas that I can not reach with the grinder. Finally I use a dremel tool and plain old, handheld, sandpaper and water.

The very first thing I do is grind the corbies even with micarta. I use a coarse belt on the grinder. In this case that is fine, since there is lots of micarta to be removed. However watch your step with a coarse belt. It eats a hole through tang and handle before you can say the word 'mule-pro-ject'

[toomzz]

Check, note that the grinder already ate away a piece of micarta.

[toomzz]

Next step is to expose the tang removing all the excess micarta.
I use the grinder on the rounded area. Becareful that the grinder does not pull the blade out of your hand destroying the guard or the blade a the top.
For the hollow parts and these (mentioned) 'risk-areas' I clamp the knife in a vise and use the files to remove stuff.
Despite the fact that the blade might be protected with tape I use copper (softer metal) holders to prevent denting and scratching. That shown oldschool-vise is bad clamping news, even on Rc 65 :D

[toomzz]

Yahooo! Bottom reached. No worries about scratching the tang with the files. That will be removed later the Dremel-tool.

[toomzz]

The knife looks like this. The micarta slabs are fully even with the full tang of the mule.

[toomzz]

Now we can continue with two things;
1. Making the handle thinner
2. Shaping the handle already

I started with two, because I did not know at that moment how thick the customer wanted the handle on his mule. You can start shaping with the grinder. It is wise to use a finer belt for this. Remember the word 'mule-pro-ject'
Here I clamped the blade in a vertical vise. After the grinder I use both files and the Dremel-tool to remove stock. Note that dust extractor is still there, Safety first! I start with the dents in the handle, the frontchoil where you can choke the blade with indexfinger and thumb. Similar dents are made at the back.

[toomzz]

Using the Dremel tool above the dust extractor. Same story on the Dremel-tool; start using a coarse grinder at start (and continue with finer). I again will repeat my caution; too coarse and too fast WILL EAT AND DESTROY YOUR KNIFE! Be careful. Another important warning is not to hold the grindingmachine too long on one spot. There is always a chance that the heat-buildup alters the temper of the steel. Besides that a dull belt can start burning on the micarta, blackening it. Those are things we do not want.

Since the chosen material is built up out of different colored layers, you can play with the pattern. The layers guide you while grinding, sanding and filing.

[toomzz]

Roughly shaped. Note the layers in the micarta.

[toomzz]

Developing the shape further and further. Check the 'eyes' that come out of the material. A big one between the corbies and two small at the front and the end of the handle.

[toomzz]

When the shaping is good I finish the exposed tang sandwiched in the micarta. I use a 'dull' finer grinder on the dremel tool. This to finish the steel as smooth as possible and avoid removing too much material at once. Check if the steel and micarta is flat on the tang and correct this with dremel. Protect your eyes for the sparks

[toomzz]

Next step is handwork. We sandpaper the micarta starting with 180 dry, followed by 280, 400 and 600 grit wet.
Check carefully at the start (using the 180) to remove all the marks and small dents made by the dremel-tool. Then works your way up with finer paper. You can make the handle as shiny as you want.

[toomzz]

Wetsanding the micarta. When changing sandpaper make sure you remove all the debris and grit of the paper used before. This step also smoothens the exposed tangsides

[toomzz]

Almost there. Now I let the mule rest for a day or so before I will finish. The final result will be judged first by the customer before publishing. I am becoming a slight feeling of a very familiar Spyderco FB.... :p

Cheers, feel free to jump in....
Tomas

[Senate]

great tutorial, thanks for the pics!

[angusW]

Thanks for the tut Tomas. Looks like it's going to turn out to be a beaut.

[Buckles]

awesome tutorial. Ill be tackling this with some g-10 in a few weeks.

[Jijoel]

Mooi hoor, ziet er goed uit.


Thanks for the tutorial.
Want to try it myself.

[toomzz]

awesome tutorial. Ill be tackling this with some g-10 in a few weeks.

Looking forward to see yours! What G10 will you use?
May I recommend tigerstripe....

[toomzz]

Mooi hoor, ziet er goed uit.

Dank je We kunnen nog wel wat in Europa... :rolleyes:

T.

[ChapmanPreferred]

Brilliant tutorial. Great looking scales you created and I will be excited to see the finished product after you get the approval of the lucky owner.