Spyderco Forums

There's some beautiful work in this thread! Compliments to the crafters of all the fine looking Mules in here!
This was one of my first custom scale and file work projects ... M4 steel ... I gave it to my brother for Christmas.

NICE filework

Another "In Between Mules" project for me this week. I found a really nice feather damascus blade from Grand Leavitt at Snake River Knives. This is some seriously beautiful stuff. I paired it with some old-growth red koa scales. You can't really see in the photo, but the koa is iridescent and has a lot of depth. I'm very happy with this one. The one thing that bugs me is the counterbore for the bolt heads. I didn't have the appropriate size counterbore bit for the 0.25" bolts, so the holes are a bit too big for the bolt heads. Oh well...

TedP

Dietz wrote:Thanks. I did it all with hand tools.

Here's the sheath I made this weekend, my first one too. Blade got scratched up from leftover kydex residue in the sheath but that's to be expected.

Nice. You might want to make sure somehow that the knots don't come undone if that's how you plan to secure the sheath to yourself.

Pockets wrote:Nice. You might want to make sure somehow that the knots don't come undone if that's how you plan to secure the sheath to yourself.

I've worn it quite a bit, walking/running in the woods and as an EDC, I purposely tried to get branches snagged on it and the knots didn't move. I got them super tight before cutting the extra paracord and melting the ends flat. I'm confident they won't come undone.

Nice damasteel philipstead i think that false edge really works .

Spyderco Mule Team 4 (ZDP-189), G10 jade green, glow in the dark.


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Here's my Mule in CTS B75P. The scales are butterscotch paper micarta, yellow fiber liners, and micarta pins, held together with two-ton epoxy.

The micarta was a totally different color on the outside than on the inside once ground and polished, which the website mentioned. Not thrilled with the color, but I used what I had.

There were some "halos" around the holes. The micarta was 3/8" thick, and I ground some away. The halos mostly went away and smoothed out well.

I used the yellow fiber liners because this Mule and my M390 didn't seem to be quite flat. The scales on the M390 had a gap at the front, so I took it apart to try again sometime. I epoxied the liners and scales and clamped them on tightly once the pins were through. It's held nicely for a few weeks.

^^ I like the idea of micarta pins.

Dietz wrote:^^ I like the idea of micarta pins.

This is the third time I've used micarta pins or tube. The large holes are roughly 3/8", they seem to vary in size depending on the Mule. Micarta pins are easier to work than the stainless corby bolts I like to use and they bring a different look. I think I need to do more work with them.

phillipsted wrote:Another "In Between Mules" project for me this week. I found a really nice feather damascus blade from Grand Leavitt at Snake River Knives. This is some seriously beautiful stuff. I paired it with some old-growth red koa scales. You can't really see in the photo, but the koa is iridescent and has a lot of depth. I'm very happy with this one. The one thing that bugs me is the counterbore for the bolt heads. I didn't have the appropriate size counterbore bit for the 0.25" bolts, so the holes are a bit too big for the bolt heads. Oh well...

TedP

Grand really has a great eye for beautiful patterns. I have a few examples of his work. Your handles are a really classy touch.

Syderco Mule Team 4, ZDP-189, custom hand made scales G10 jade green, glow in the dark.


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Here is one of my two mules, with green and black paracord handles and a sheath I made last night. Hopefully my other mule will soon be adorned with its carbon fiber handles.

Nice!

Getting ready for a Cruwear mule. Handle is going to be pure black Ebony up front and Yellow Mallee Burl behind.

Probably a red spacer between, although undecided right now.



I just love the fine eyes on Yellow Mallee. :D

I"m continuing to explore new woods and materials with my Mule handles. I've made it my unofficial objective to not repeat a wood or handle material for as long as I can - I'm amazed by the variety of natural and stabilized woods out there. I started collecting handle materials recently from Down Under - Australia has a ton of very interesting species that make great knife scales. Many of them are related to the very large family of trees known as eucalyptus - and the great thing is that eucalyptus trees are known for developing burls around their trunks. Stew is working on one in the post right above this one - Yellow Mallee. I can't wait to see how that one turns out, Stew!

Today, I'm posting my latest Mule, the B75P with Red Coolibah scales (just like in the lyrics to the song "Waltzing Matilda"). I love the bright red color and veining in the Coolibah. It is relatively hard and takes a very nice finish. On the downside, the wood is relatively chippy (you might see a few places around the screw holes that are bit rough). In addition, Coolibah often hides some gum pockets in between the grain, which makes finishing difficult. I sanded this set out to 1000 grit and let it sit for a few days to see if any gum seeped out. Then I finished it with two very thin coats of Tru-Oil and some gum did seep out at this point. I buffed it down with 0000 steel wool and finally topped it off with two coats of Renaissance Wax.

TedP

Hi Ted,
Nice finish. I like the yellow streaks in that wood.

Well, I am terrible at computers and can't figure out how to embed so here are links to my CTS B75P Mule in Carbon Fiber Scales, done for me by Donald Smith of Gator Scales. I am not sure if I'm allowed to post links to his work, so PM me if you want his information, he does really great work in carbon fiber and is overall a stand-up guy. He let me design the scale and he built it and mounted it and I could not be happier with what he was able to do. Now on to the Mule.

http://imageshack.us/f/197/photo31n.jpg/

http://imageshack.us/f/201/photo32k.jpg/

http://imageshack.us/f/824/photo33gd.jpg/

http://imageshack.us/f/593/photo34j.jpg/

http://imageshack.us/f/28/photo35z.jpg/

http://imageshack.us/f/26/photo36fy.jpg/

I tried to model the front near the blade after the handle of the Techno as well, if you couldn't tell. I'll put up comparison pics later once my email decides it wants to work again.

Very nice scales ted, as usual. Those cf scales are beauties as well, i always like it when the back part of the handle is exposed

My latest project uses some really beautiful Claro Walnut mounted on a B75P Mule. I've been wanting to work with walnut for a while now. I remember working on some walnut rifle stocks when I was much younger - and the wood always seemed tough and handsome.

Well, these Claro Walnut scales certainly are tough and they are really pretty to look at. Overall, though, I didn't like working with it that much. The slabs I used were full of voids and pockets and occasionally they would just "pop" out and leave holes in the scale. The wood has a very pronounced and open grain, which required a lot of sealant to get polished. The results look nice, I think, but it wasn't that enjoyable to work with.

Also, sorry for the low quality of the pics - I got stuck without my camera today and was forced to rely on my webcam. The lighting doesn't really show the depth of the Walnut - it really is beautiful. I'll try and supplement a few better shots later.

TedP