Show your Mule

[Bladekeeper]

Great company indeed , and you know it struck me you could fill the crack with GITD powder etc then it'll look intentional .
I am a nightmare with my collection pieces if one gets scratched out comes the kit to clean it up OCD is not fun it wasn't as bad.
But since I started collecting remember a vallatton here is $319 its got out of control" but its all relative to wealth "some folk say nope if I had billions it'd still bug the **** out of me.

[JV3]

triplets.

[phillipsted]

Well, here is my latest Mule project. I've been looking for the *right* piece of Amboyna burl for a while now. I finally found the one I was looking for from Mark at BurlSource - nice two-toned coloring, not too many inclusions or cracks, lots of figure... Good stuff. I paired the Amboyna with a B75P Mule and some thin red liners. The Amboyna was a little bit of a challenge, like a lot of burls. The grain is all over the place and I kept getting tearouts and popped eyes that needed to be mended with CA glue. It all came together in the end though. I sanded down to 1000 grit and finished with Olie's Oil, which I've never used before. It is a proprietary mixture, but it appears to be a combination of polymerized oils and wax. You apply it thin, let it set for a day, wipe off the excess and let it cure for three days. I topped it with some Ren wax and a good buffing.

TedP

[Bladekeeper]

That is top drawer Ted and liners too much more refined IMO .
Is the separate tone new burl growth ?.
Really nice I have one amboyna knife and it has voids although they don't show on pics.
Loving that one :) .

Edit: why does predictive text always put if instead of Of and living instead of loving grr predicted wrong .

[mattman]

That's a nice one Ted! Loving that piece of burl!

[OldSarSwmr]

Great looking scales, Ted. That Amboyna has great character.

[GnifeGnut]

Looks great Ted! I like the red liners. Your fit and finish is improving.

[Ferris Wheels]

We have to be getting close to the release of the next mule team!

[Kohbanang]

Hey Ted thanks alot for sharing your knives.Awesome pics and scales!!!

[Skidoosh]

http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag7 ... 0050c6.jpg
CTS-XHP Mule, first try worked pretty well

[phillipsted]

Nicely done, Skidoosh! It looks like you've got a red liner on there - very classy. And what kind of wood is that? Box Elder? Buckeye? How is it finished?

Could you show us a couple more shots? :)

TedP

[Skidoosh]

Ted, You've given me plenty of inspiration. I'll try to get a few more shots up tomorrow, I had a problem getting them to post. I can get the link but not the full pic. The wood is spalted maple burl. I sanded it down to about 800 and then finished with danish oil, about six coats and wax. I've got another in green micarta that isn't quite finished yet.

[JAYJAY]

Man i want a Mule Team so bad and cant seem to find one if anyone knows where i can get one please message me

[jabba359]

Man i want a Mule Team so bad and cant seem to find one if anyone knows where i can get one please message me

Spyderco makes runs of about 400-1000 at a time (different steel every time). They are currently between runs, so keep an eye on the forum and usually we get a two week notice when the next one in due. If you need one right now, eBay is probably your best bet (though at inflated prices).

[phillipsted]

Hey, Jayjay! Welcome to the Forum!

I just sent you a PM - one of our favorite internet retailers has one available on their web site. If you can't wait for the new K390 to hit the street, this would be your best bet.

TedP

[Bladekeeper]

Man i want a Mule Team so bad and cant seem to find one if anyone knows where i can get one please message me

Where are you if your in Europe I can help if your stateside I can help but uk prices are very expensive .

[JAYJAY]

I am in the US thanks tho

[JLS]

I finally finished up a couple of handles and thought I'd show my stable of Mules. This has been an amazing project from Spyderco that I really appreciate; it was the Mules that revitalized my interest in Spyderco.

The whole gang is here (less the "Woodcraft Mule" that's just not the same) and some are even here multiple times. There is one hole in the group and that spot is reserved for the CTS-204P Mule. Each one is unique and it's been a lot of fun working with the different materials and tweaking each handle for different characteristics. Most I would do over the same as they are and a few I would change if I could do them over again...but I'm quite happy to leave them and learn and grow as a result. The sharp eyed among the group will notice that the XHP Mule is wearing modified Halpern Titanium scales. They're not permanent, but I just haven't seen the "right" set of ironwood scales for it yet. All are EDC users, with the exception of the ZDP-189 Mule. That one gets used for cutting, but never really leaves the workshop and gets babied. All started with .250"-.270" thick material for scales, except as noted below. I tried some .375" at one point and didn't care for it personally; it's just a bit too round for my taste. The thinner ones have their place, but 1/4" just strikes a nice balance for EDC convenience and comfort when cutting.

I really hope everyone enjoys these fine knives as they were intended and thank you to Sal, Eric and everyone at Spyderco for all their hard work and dedication to this project.

Please forgive the lousy pictures. Photography is not one of my strengths.

From left to right:
MT01 - Black G-10 and brown canvas Micarta w/ tan Micarta pins
MT02 - Tan G-10, .125" thick, w/ SS blind pins
MT03 - Blue G-10 w/ SS tube fittings
MT04 - Yellow G-10 and Carbon Fiber w/ SS pins
MT05 - Blue stabilized wood w/ brass pins
MT05 - White G-7 w/ SS pins
MT05 - Spalted Hackberry w/ nickel silver pins
MT06 - Green canvas Micarta w/SS pins
MT07 - Lacewood w/ SS blind pins (couldn't bring myself to interrupt the pattern of the wood
MT08 - Crosscut Koa w/ SS blind pins (see note above)
MT08 - Brown canvas Micarta, .188" thick w/ brass pins (the kitchen Mule)
MT09 - Black walnut w/ brass pins
MT10 - Black paper Micarta w/ SS pins
MT10 - Spalted Alder, .200" thick w/ brass pins,
MT11 - Tan/Cream G-10 w/ SS blind pins
MT12 - Brown linen Micarta w/ Brass pins
MT13 - Bocote w/ brass pins
MT14 - Patience is a virture, right?
MT15 - Olive G-10 w/ nickel silver pins
MT16 - Modified Halpern Titanium Grey G-10 scales



Mules 1-5 closeup


Mules 6-10 closeup


Mules 11-16 closeup


Mules 1-5 topview


Mules 6-10 topview


Mules 11-16 topview

[polyhexamethyl]

sorry JLS, i hate you now :D

serious, i'm really jealous! you got a beautiful collection there!

[Pockets]

I like the yellow/carbon fiber one with the holes in it the best. Great collection!