Mule Team Tutorial

[Quickbeam]

During the summer I put a handle on a friend's Mule Team blade and took some pictures to document the process. With the release of the second run of Mule Team blades in M4 I thought you might like to see them. Apologies to anyone who has seen them already over on British Blades.

First a picture of the raw materials, a Mule blade in 52100 steel and some Desert Ironwood.





This pic shows that the scales need to be flattened.



To do this I have secured some 40 grit paper to a piece of laminate flooring. The laminate is useful stuff as it is flat.



Once the scales are flat I changed to a finer grit...



and checked them by holding them up to the light. There is a slight gap at one corner but I'm not going to use this part of the scales.



The next step is to use double sided tape to hold the two scales together. This means I can treat the two scales as one block.



and mark out the rough outline of the handle. I spent a bit of time looking at the figure in the wood to make sure I get the best out of the block.



There a lots of different holes in the blade for different pin configurations. we're going to use to 6mm brass pins and a 6mm brass lanyard hole.

Now to rough out the outline of the handle with a coping saw.

[Quickbeam]

I like to leave plenty of wood on at this stage



At this point i'm going to work on the edge of the scales that will be next to the ricasso of the knife. Its difficult to work this part of the scale once its glued to the blade so I need to get it done now.

First use a rasp to get down to the line...



Then use the pillar drill with a drum sander to tidy up.



Now it looks like this...



A few minutes on the buffer



and it looks even better



I'm using brass rod and tube from the DIY store, it needs cutting to length...



I drilled a test hole in some oak to check the fit



Centre punch the lanyard hole



Drill

[Quickbeam]

Check the position of the other holes





drill the other two holes for the pins



OK, we're just about ready to glue it all up. First I've got to separate the scales. I'm using my trusty Victorinox pairing knife! I've also roughed up the Mule Team handle, taking care to keep the scratches away from the ricasso area.



Everything is to hand, ready for the epoxy. I'm using 24 hour Araldite. I've wiped all of the pieces over with some meths and have given them all plenty of time to dry.



Make sure the scales are well covered



With one scale in place I make sure the holes in the Mule Team handle are all filled with epoxy



Then it all gets pressed up tight in the vice



After half an hour I clean up the top edge of the scales next to the ricasso. wipe away any excess epoxy.



I'll leave it overnight before I do any more work but I'll keep checking the top edge of the scales and wipe away any more epoxy that appears.

[Quickbeam]

Here are the next series of photographs.....

A pic of the blocks I'd used to clamp up the scales. Note the holes where the pins are, this makes sure the pressure from the clamps is applied to the scales, not the pins.



The glue line looks good



The first job is to use a rasp to get rid of some of the excess wood...









Once I've got down to the metal I tidy things up on the drum sander



And then its a case of filing, sanding, filing, sanding until things take shape.

[Quickbeam]

Once I'm happy with the basic shape I use the buffer to show up the scratches and work between the buffer and some 240 grit paper









The next step is to apply a few coates of Danish oil.





Clean out the lanyard hole



And now the knife is looking like this





I'll give it a good look over for any scratches or parts that I'm not happy with and then go back to applying Danish oil.

[shabbasuraj]

very nice. nice write up.

[afulte]

Very nice, thank you for the pictures and the tutorial. Great looking knife!

[quattrokid73]

Wow!

I was planning on going through the same process for my Mule when it comes. This was perfect timing and such a thorough guide.

Thanks a million!

Now who's making a kydex sheath any time soon and wants to post a demo?
:D

[Fred Sanford]

That is very very nice. That is just beautiful.

I love the fact that you use a coping saw and rasps. I like doing things all by hand rather than using electric stuff.

Thanks for taking the time to post. I think I will actually be getting a Mule Team knife this time around and I will want to follow this to make my handles.

Good job man. Very pretty.

[dogrunner]

Wow!

...

Now who's making a kydex sheath any time soon and wants to post a demo?
:D

Great looking handle, and I second the request for a kydex tutorial :D

[kankryb]

Very nicely done A+ and then some VERY :spyder:

[Quickbeam]

Thanks for all the positive comments!

I haven't made a Kydex sheath but here's a leather crossdraw sheath that I made, along with a green micarta Mule.

[araneae]

Very nice work and great tutorial!
Thanks

[Fred Sanford]

Where can we get brass pins like that for the handle and also the lanyard pipe?

:)

[tonydahose]

very nice write up!

[Mr.Sparkitle]

^ I would also like to know where you got the lanyard tubing. Also great write up and your work is very nice, wish my mule came out half that nice.

[urbnspyd]

Just wanted to say great looking blade! Nice photos too. My Dad does the same sort of thing, but he normally buys unfinished blanks, If i can get my hands on one of the mules, I think I've got the perfect X-mas present.

[Quickbeam]

^ I would also like to know where you got the lanyard tubing. Also great write up and your work is very nice, wish my mule came out half that nice.

The brass pins and lanyard tubing came from B&Q, a national chain of DIY stores in the UK. I'm sure you could pick up a length in most decent hardware stores.

Nick

[thefly01]

Seriously, this is one helpful post! Amazing job of taking us all through the project. The Mule looks amazing and I love the choice of wood. Excellent work :)

[Doc Pyres]

Holy smokes! That is amazing! What a great tutorial and a beautiful piece of workmanship. Plus, the leather sheath looks fantastic. I prefer leather sheaths on all but my tactical blades. Nice work. One of the nicest Mules I've seen.