Show your Mule

[farnorthdan]

Very nice Train, you do good work.

[Train]

Very nice Train, you do good work.

That's a beautiful Mule, Train. I like the contrast between the two woods you used on the PSF27. That single mosaic pin looks classy as well.

Thank you for your kind words guys!

[Wrall]

My beautiful Mule CPM 4V with black blue G10

[jabba359]

My beautiful Mule CPM 4V with black blue G10

Nice job! That Anso style texturing looks comfortable.

[Train]

So here is another 19P with PSF27 blade and a handle of ebony and maple burl.





The ebony was a pain to work with this time. Obviously not all ebony are born equal.

[Train]

So I continue going through my stock of PSF27 Mule blades.
That would be the last one with that steel. It has a combination of king wood and snake bean wood on the handle with brass studs.







I hope I do not come across as imposing myself on you guys. Just have got some time on my hands. Will have to start selling them though if I want to continue making these knives: my stock of blanks is pretty extensive but not endless.

[JonesE]

Train, I don't think you are imposing. I am truly enjoying your work. I think you have done a magnificent job. Keep up the good work and feel free to share. Again, awesome work!

[Train]

Train, I don't think you are imposing. I am truly enjoying your work. I think you have done a magnificent job. Keep up the good work and feel free to share. Again, awesome work!

Thanks! Glad you like it!

[Xplorer]

Train, I don't think you are imposing. I am truly enjoying your work. I think you have done a magnificent job. Keep up the good work and feel free to share. Again, awesome work!

+1 Those are great looking handles! I think you're doing really nice work and I'd like to see any others you do in the future.

[Train]

So here is one more. It is the last of SPF 27 I've got in stock. Will use something else next. This time it is ebony and curly bubinga with brass studs. I like curly bubinga nearly as much as I like kingwood. Soaked it in oil for longer than usual, so it came out a bit darker than I expected. Ebony is OK, it went a bit easier this time as I knew what to expect from this particular piece. So here is the knife:

[JonesE]

Train, the bubigna and ebony scales are amazing. I really like the color contrast between the two. Thanks for sharing!

[Train]

Thanks JonesE!

[PiterM]

M4 Mule, micarta handle, cool pin and my Kryptek kydex... my personal 'Forest Frog' :D







P

[Train]

It looks very cool! I like the micarta finish. But it would not as nice without that pin accent. Well done!

[Xplorer]

Warning...long post...sorry... :o

Now that Surfingringo had a chance to post some pics of his new Mule I'd like to show how it came together...

Lance sent me his Mule Team 1. Since I only had 10 days before I had to ship it back and I would be out of town for 4 of those days, I needed to try to make this using materials I already had on hand. We talked a little about materials and I had to commit to a design concept within the first day. I started with a rough drawing and began assembling a CF/brass pin and some brass/CF lanyard tubes.


Next, cut the materials and make sure both sides match perfectly and the edges are flat and smooth.



I learned from past experience that if you are going to add metal liners they will be too heavy if you don't skeletonize them. Since the Thunderstorm Kevlar has a brass thread woven through it I thought brass liners would provide a good accent but I only wanted the look, not the weight.


Once I had all of the pieces successfully dry-fit and the I was satisfied that there would be no gaps, it was time to glue it up.



While I waited for the epoxy to cure, I started outlining and cutting out the sheath..



Once the Epoxy cured it was time to rough-shape and profile the handle.






The brass lanyard tubes are lined with CF, but I found that the exposed edge of the CF tubing is weak and very susceptible to impact damage. I had planned to flute these tubes anyway but I ultimately decided to take the CF down to a thin, polished surface with no edge to impact.




With the handle shaping complete I could finish the sheath..








This was a fun project that I was glad to get a chance to work on.



Thank you to Paul (The Deacon) for making this project happen, and thank you Lance (Surfingringo) for letting me play with your new Mule Team 1! It was a lot of fun! :D :spyder:

Chad

[Train]

Wow! That is very impressive! I like your decision on tubes: they have this unique look now! And the sheath colors match the handle combination: nice touch!

[Xplorer]

Thank you Train! I appreciate the kind words. :)

[JonesE]

Wow! Another amazing mule project Chad. Really digging the micarta and carbon fiber. I hope Lance is having fun using his knife.

[Xplorer]

Wow! Another amazing mule project Chad. Really digging the micarta and carbon fiber. I hope Lance is having fun using his knife.

Thank you JonesE! I hope Lance is enjoying it as well.
I was happy to see a picture of it recently covered in fish blood after doing some fillet work. :D

Best regards,
Chad

[remnar]

Chad, Thanks for sharing your process. I love to see how things are done and you do some beautiful work. I look forward to seeing some more from you, Train, Piter and all the other contributors. :spyder: :)