Show your Mule

[phillipsted]

Nicely done Ted! I like the smooth holes for the screws and linen micarta. Mine are off getting a boltron sheath. What will be next:-0

Thanks for the complement, Zen! I picked my next project last night - I'm going to do my second Elmax Mule in dark ebony. Never worked with that wood, and it looks even denser and harder than cocobolo. Should be an interesting challenge. I'll see if I can do a WIP series of photos for this set...

I also picked up a Swick2 recently for a good price. I'm planning a set of scales for this thing - but it will take a little work because I want to fit the scales around the large finger hole and choil. It will take a lot of delicate work on the thin sections around the fingerhole. I'm planning to use micarta for this because it is very forgiving and won't chip out or crack. More to follow...



TedP

[jabba359]

That stuff is gorgeous! Just curious - it looks like those pen blanks are 5"x0.75"x0.75". This doesn't seem quite big enough for a Mule Scale. How did you get build a full slab out of these pen blanks?

TedP

I was wondering the same thing.

[Zencowboy]

I was wondering the same thing.

Ditto. That was the only site thus far I found the scales GG used. Will have to see what he says. I would like to know where got them and the durability of them.
Peace

[FeinthundredGS]

My second mule scaled and my preferred zombie knife.

[jtoler_9]

Love the green. Nice work. Great first post also.

[phillipsted]

Welcome to the Forum, FeinthundredGS! Nice looking Mule you have there! I assume those are green G-10 slabs - what kind of liners did you use? They look really good!

TedP

[FeinthundredGS]

Thanks for the warm welcome. Yep, toxic green with black liners. Looking forward to your Swick2 phillipsted and your Elmax! I'm thinking high-ish grade ironwood with brass for mine...

[Mr_Moe]

My second mule scaled and my preferred zombie knife.

That looks very nice, outstanding. Is that the Cobalt Special?

[FeinthundredGS]

Yes it is COS-3 and the sharpest Spyderco I've received out of the box. Gotta love hamon lines.

[phillipsted]

Did my second Elmax Mule this weekend. Tried some African Ebony off of eBay. I ended up not liking this wood very much and finishing it out in a hurry. The wood is very oily and dense, like Cocobolo, but very porous and easy to chip. The porosity combined with the "chippiness" made sanding a real PITA. I chipped the edges of the screw holes while hand sanding the scales. In addition, in my haste to get done, I forgot to seal the wood before polishing it with rouge. I ended up getting green rouge embedded in the pores of the scales. It looks good in hand, but the rouge shows up in close-up photos.

I'm thinking about sanding the handles back down to 150 grit and leaving them on as user-scales. The porosity of the wood sort of makes it feel like canvas micarta - gives you a really good grip.

Happy Easter, everyone!

TedP

[jtoler_9]

Nice work. Love the dark rich color. I can't wait to thump on the Elmax mule also.

[RoBoTech]

"phillipsted: I also picked up a Swick2 recently for a good price. I'm planning a set of scales for this thing - but it will take a little work because I want to fit the scales around the large finger hole and choil. It will take a lot of delicate work on the thin sections around the fingerhole. I'm planning to use micarta for this because it is very forgiving and won't chip out or crack. More to follow..."

I used black cherry for this one







Just a practice piece in a cheap 440c.

[jtoler_9]

Got a few done this weekend.

[phillipsted]

That's some really nice work, jtoler. What a trio!
All three woods look different, but I would guess that all three are cocobolo? Love the pins, as well.

If you are tackling them three at a time now, you really are an addict!

TedP

[jtoler_9]

T but I would guess that all three are cocobolo?
TedP

Thanks. This hobby is very addictive.
The top one is Cocobolo. The bottom 2 are ironwood.

[Brock O Lee]

My first Mule - Elmax in Tambotie (local version of Cocobolo, if I understand correctly). Its a hard and oily wood, but it was easy to work with.





Sheath is from KSF (Clovis pouch).



I even got a friend from work and my father-in-law interested in the Mule project. Their first Mules are also finished (in African Blackwood and Tambotie).

What an addictive hobby - I can see myself making many more...

[wquiles]

Beautiful work Hans

[phillipsted]

Very nice, Hans! I love the way you've emphasized the warm tones of the Tambotie wood by using brass pins.

I also like the thong cutout at the butt of the knife. The arc of the cut looks very clean - what did you use to cut it?

Cheers!
TedP

[Zencowboy]

Well Brock, I just ordered a Clovis Pouch too...thanks. Nice wood work skills.

[Brock O Lee]

Thanks guys...

I used hand tools (figure saw, files etc), except for drilling the holes. Had some mosaic pins, but for my first project I rather went with the brass corby pins for a simple and clean look. Finished with Danish oil.

Im also pleased with the Clovis pouch. I read about it on the forums while searching for a Mule sheath, and it fits perfectly.

Lots of firsts for me with this project, and I've learnt a lot. Looking forward to the 204P - planning to use some stabilised maple burl.