A couple of new Mules this weekend

[phillipsted]

I finished a couple of Mules this weekend! The first is an interesting new material I decided to try out. It is called M3 Metal Composite. Has anyone else used it? There are a number of different varieties you can try - but they are all composed of finely powdered metal embedded in a resin binder. The finished material is approximately 80% metal. It works like paper micarta, but you finish it like you would a metal. Interesting and fun, but I'm not sure I'll use much of it in the future. First off, it is very brittle material. It is fairly hard stuff and finishes beautifully, but the lack of a substrate (like the fiberglass in G10) makes it subject to chipping if you drop it. Second - the stuff is expensive. I laminated two sheets together for these scales - a 1/8" solid copper liner with a 1/4" copper mokume gano slab. Together, the raw materials for this set of scales was about the same price as the steel itself...

And I have to tell you - the pictures DO NOT do this stuff justice! In these pictures, it looks 2 dimensional. But up close, it looks like a lustrous metal with a cool 3 dimensional "starfield" effect when you move it in the light - it glitters and glows. Gorgeous material.

TedP

 

[phillipsted]

My second Mule this weekend is fashioned from stabilized Hawaiian Mango wood. I'd never used this before, and when I saw some on Burl Source, I decided to give it a try. Even though it was stabilized and fairly dense, it was extremely porous when I got it. It worked beautifully, though. It didn't splinter or chip and even though it felt soft when you were working it with tools, it is actually a very hard, durable wood. I liked it a lot. I added a 1/16" red G10 liner to the scales using West epoxy.

My challenge came when it was time to finish the scales. How to fill the huge pores without clouding the grain and luster of the wood? I decided to try using CA glue - which I had resisted using for a lot of years because of the mess and smell. The first coat, I used an extra thin glue and basically just saturated the wood. I let it cure then hit it with 800 grit sandpaper and took most of this coat off - leaving just the filler in the pores. I then used a thicker CA for a second coat, which floated over the thinner coat and sealed the wood very nicely. I hit it again with 800 grit paper and topped it off with about six thin coats of Tru Oil, sanding between coats with 0000 synthetic steel wool.

TedP

 

[phillipsted]

...And just for good measure... A couple of shots of the two Mules side-by-side...

TedP

 

[BigBill5953]

Really love the second one! Great job Ted! :thumbup: :thumbup:

 

[psychophipps]

As someone that used to work in a custom yacht shop, you can use any clear-drying marine-grade epoxy mixed with thinner for the base coat. It turns a ghostly white just before you "burn through" and any good top coat makes the wood below really pop out. 100% sealed this way as well. We used to joke that if a ship went down, the owner could still salvage all the cabinetry if they wanted to.

 

[Cursum Perficio]

Wow, really admire your skills and your work.

 

[phillipsted]

As someone that used to work in a custom yacht shop, you can use any clear-drying marine-grade epoxy mixed with thinner for the base coat. It turns a ghostly white just before you "burn through" and any good top coat makes the wood below really pop out. 100% sealed this way as well. We used to joke that if a ship went down, the owner could still salvage all the cabinetry if they wanted to.

Thanks for the tip, psychophipps. I normally use West Epoxy with the 107 clear hardener. I've been meaning to try this as a base coat - but need to try it on a piece of scrap before committing it to a set of scales. You are right - it will probably work great!

TedP

 

[noseoil]

Another tip for finishing with pores which are too large. When stock making with American Walnut, we used an oil finish (Flecto Varathane oil finish) and started with 220 w/d paper, then worked up a "slurry" of oil & wood fibers, but didn't wipe it off. It looked butt-ugly after it dried and you had to work your a$$ off after this on the next pass (320 wet again). Once the first coat was knocked down, the pores were filled with the parent material & pretty much sealed up forever. As the grits went down, a very nice finish emerged, but it took a lot of time to finish a stock, compared to Fullerplast or another catalyzed resin sprayed finish.

 

[noseoil]

Just curious, would you say that the composite material you used in the above images is too brittle for a daily user? Just wondering because I have 2 new mules headed my way and want to try a set from something I have. Also thinking of getting some G10 to work up as well. Thanks in advance.

 

[Cisco Kid]

Great work. I like the way liners are used: they add a touch of subtle interest.