Home crafted Mule handle options for the unskilled?

[gbelleh]

My first Mule is quickly making its way to me, and I'm realizing I have no idea what to do about scales. :confused:

I don't like the look of paracord wraps, and I lack the skills or tools to make beautiful wood handles like the amazing ones I've seen posted on here.

Are there any simple options that don't require special tools or much skill, but can produce nice looking functional scales? I'd like to try to make something myself, but something a little better than wrapping it with duct tape. Any suggestions?

[tonydahose]

what tools do you have?

[Slash]

Penci, jigsaw, drill and drill bits, a carving instrument (knife), sandpaper, handware and a piece of wood or other material.

[gbelleh]

I have a Dremel, a drill press, a power miter saw, and jig saw. That's pretty much it. But I'm not very skilled at using them.

[gbelleh]

I'd be open to less traditional materials too. Anyone ever work with moldable plastic or anything like that?? Has anyone made 3D printed scales??

[Skidoosh]

I did mine with a jigsaw, drill, and lots of sandpaper backed with masking tape in a vise. It just takes some elbow grease

[tonydahose]

here ya go. You will need to get a coping saw, usually around $5-10 and a drum sander attachment for your drill press. link has a step by step process. Take lots of pics and then be prepared to get the modding bug :D

http://www.britishblades.com/forums/sho ... g-Tutorial

[Evil D]

If you're any good at rough carving with another knife you could carve out the basic shapes for each side. I bet that would look cool in a way.

[phillipsted]

I make a lot of Mule scales and don't use much power equipment at all. My only essential piece of power equipment is a drill press, but you could use other power drills with adequate attention to detail.

I would take Tony's suggestion and get a coping saw for roughing out the blank. I would also invest in a few of good woodworking files and rasps - you'll want a rasp for roughing out the contours and some finer files for shaping prior to the sandpaper. Having a half-round file as well as a flat one helps a lot too.

You'll need some pin stock - or if you want to make them removable, you can buy some 3/16" pivot bolts from one of the knife-making supply companies. If you use pin stock, you'll need some epoxy to fit the scales to the tang. I'd advise staying away from the 5-minute epoxy from the hardware store - and look for something better quality that won't fail (e.g., West systems, G-flex, Acraglas, and T-88).

Another useful piece of equipment is a bench vise of some sort. You can get one that clamps to a table so you don't have to permanently mount it - but it makes holding the blade while you are working on it much easier.

Sandpaper - I use a drum sander like Tony mentions infrequently. Most of the time, I rely on plain old 1" shop rolls of cloth-backed sandpaper (I get mine from Klingspor). I usually start at about 100 grit and advance up the scale. For hard oily woods, I usually stop at 1000 grit automotive paper. For rougher, grainier woods, I stop at 600 or 100 grit. It really depends on your preference and intended use.

I would also plan on finishing your Mule with a top coat for protection. My favorite is Tru Oil, but there are lot of other choices out there depending on the material. After finishing the scales, a coat of furniture wax gives everything a nice gloss.

The most important thing is to enjoy the process. Don't rush it, don't stress out with small mistakes - most small slips can be easily corrected. Take your time and pay attention to the fine details. Have fun with it!

Cheers!
TedP

[ABX2011]

When I make scales, I glue them on as rectangles and then remove the excess material with a coping saw, rasp, files, dremel and sandpaper. Works for me.

[jtoler_9]

Mule handles can be a great Saturday afternoon project. I made my first set out of Ironwood with a hand saw and an electric hand drill. Lots of sandpaper. It really can be done without fancy equipment. It just takes longer. I also use a sandpaper bit on the end of my hand drill to contor the finger choil, which can be a tricky part to sand by hand. The drill bit makes short work of it.
All of my handles are wood. Use a mask to avoid any allergies. I can't speak for the synthetic handles. I may try something like a G10 this time around just to try something different. Good luck with your project and don't forget to post pics.

[Minibear453]

I'd be open to less traditional materials too. Anyone ever work with moldable plastic or anything like that?? Has anyone made 3D printed scales??

I'm not too sure about this. But I've heard of people using polymer clay to make knife handles. Supposedly Kato is a good brand, and all you'd have to do is mold it onto the knife and bake it in the oven. I believe, but you REALLY need to check this, that you wouldn't affect the temper of your knife at around the 300 degrees F needed to harden the polyclay. I'm not too sure about the mule steel. A safer option would be to cover the mule handle with wax paper, mold your scales, and then take them off. Later, you'd have to glue them back on, maybe pin it. Not my picture.

[gbelleh]

Thanks for the replies. Thats a great tutorial on the wood scales, but that would be really pushing my skills. :eek:
I'll keep researching. I like the idea of doing something kind of bizarre. We'll see what happens.

[phillipsted]

I'm not too sure about this. But I've heard of people using polymer clay to make knife handles. Supposedly Kato is a good brand, and all you'd have to do is mold it onto the knife and bake it in the oven. I believe, but you REALLY need to check this, that you wouldn't affect the temper of your knife at around the 300 degrees F needed to harden the polyclay. I'm not too sure about the mule steel. A safer option would be to cover the mule handle with wax paper, mold your scales, and then take them off. Later, you'd have to glue them back on, maybe pin it. Not my picture.

I talked with a friend of mine who is experienced with polymer clay for making jewelry and other decorative arts. Her remarks were two-fold:

1. Not all polymer clays are created equal. Some are substantially more durable than others. She mentioned cernit, fimo classic, premo or kato as probably the strongest.

2. No polymer clays will withstand repeated hard impacts, especially against sharp edges. The clay will chip and shatter eventually.

Caveat emptor.

TedP

[ricechrispy]

I will second Ted's suggestion of files and rasps. You can get a really cheap set at Harbor Freight if there's one near you. It was daunting for me the first time, but the satisfaction of a finished handle is amazing. Using minimal power tools is in some ways easier because you're moving too slow to make a big mistake quickly. I would suggest micarta over wood for your first handle as it's more forgiving and less likely to crack or shrink. That British Blades tutorial is a good one and is what I have used as guidance. The epoxy I've used is G/Flex.

[endgame]

Shrink wrap rubber they use to insulate pipes.