Dirty Mudd???

ryan9977

ryan9977

Joined
Feb 16, 2006
Messages
1,962
ok so what's the deal with the mudd?.....i know the whole thing about it is the pivot is sealed.....so it can go into dirt and sand and what not without fear.....does that mean it is waterproof?.....can u hose it off when it gets real dirty or submerge it in water?.....also-with that pivot-is it hard to take the knife apart....i am not good with taking things like that apart....but i'd like to take it apart to sand the coating off the blade....i will leave it coated for a while though to test it out...i have never had a coated knife that was any good...i suspect the coating is more durable than i imagine.....thanks for any help guys.....ryan:thumbup:
 
From my experience with it it's a "hell yeah!" for every one of your questions and a definite confirmation to your suspicions about coating's durability. This knife looks a tank and it built like one, at the same time it handles like a sports car.
 
i wonder how stainless the steel is without the coaing...if it's gonna be wet and dirty....anyone have an opinion on it....how can the pivot be waterproof though....doesn't there need to be some room between the pivot and handle for it to move....i would think junk and water would get in there.....maybe mr. hawk has a comment...i've seen the video he posted on youtube...very impressive....ryan
 
it has a seal of some kind around the pivot someone took one apart right when they first came out and posted pictures. Maybe they will chime in and re-post those pictures.
 
Actually, Gavin had a vid he put up here that shows what it's all about.
Lemme find it.

mike
 
thanks mike....i've seen that video....my question was more directed at water....if there is any problems with it getting wet by the pivot or submerged in water.....and also if it was extremly difficult tsking it apart because of the pivot....ryan
 
ryan9977 said:
thanks mike....i've seen that video....my question was more directed at water....if there is any problems with it getting wet by the pivot or submerged in water.....and also if it was extremly difficult tsking it apart because of the pivot....ryan
Click to expand...

I realized that after viewing the video.
I (kinda remember) seeing a video of it in actual mud and water.
If I see it again, I'll let you know.

I'm sure when Gavin swings by, he'll chime in on the water issue.

mike
 
that's what i figured...i'll wait for the man himself to see if he can shed some light on it....i'm gonna go look for that thread with it dis-assembled....ryan
 
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=530415


i can tell u after seeing these pics ....i ain't takin it apart!:eek:....that's alot of little pieces...i'd never get it back together right...how do u guys take these things apart....anyway i found the roiginal thread where thomas said it was impervious to sand mudd and water....so i guess that means it can take the water too if need be....ryan
 
My favorite ZT! The coating is a DLC (Diamond Like Coating) coating that rockwells somewhere in the upper 70"s to lower 80"s, if I remember correctly. This coating does not wear off, rather things you are cutting tend to wear off onto the blade itself. A few people have mistaken this for it being a poor quality coating that would wear at the slightest cut. To remove the "scratch" you just need to use something like Windex, 409, or some type of cleaner like that. I have taken mine apart and it is not really that hard, but pay close attention to how the pivot seals are placed as I had them upside down on my first try to reassemble, and they did not fit correctly.
 
thanks fo rthe info cutter....i will definately leave the coating on and see how it wears....i have not had too many knives with coating that lasted long....so it'll be nice if it was a superior coating....ryan
 
Ryan, i think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the DLC coating. It's more than just black 'paint', it's a baked on diamond coating. I have to admit, i didn't know much about it until the mudd knife came out. . .and even now i had to refresh myself on it. . .according to wikipedia. . ."For example a coating of only 2μm thickness of ta-C increases the resistance of common (i.e. type 304) stainless steel against abrasive wear; changing its lifetime in such service from one week to 85 years." I use my mudd knife for just about everything in the shop, and have yet to scratch it. . .you can barely tell i've used the thing. I'm glad to see that in your last post you've decided to leave it on. . .i think it would be tough to get off.

The seal on the mudd knife has a cross section similar to a windshield wiper. Just imagine a windshield wiper being bent around into a circle. . .the thick part of the wiper is set into a groove cut in the blade, and the thin edge is slightly loaded against the handle frame, which seals the pivot. The seal is made out of polyurethane, which is a thermal set plastic, that is extremely tough. (just a little note, 'thermal set' is a plastic that is made up of two components, like an epoxy, which creates an irreversible bond. And a 'thermal form' is when you take plastic pellets and heat them up and force them into a mold to make a part) An example that i often use to show how durable urethane is are skate board wheels. No other material would hold up. . .urethane is also used to line gravel pumps because it will outlast hardened steel!

I think of the mudd knife as being water resistant, but not necessarily water proof. so rinsing it off wont hurt it a bit. . .but taking it diving with you. . . i'm not so sure.
doesn't there need to be some room between the pivot and handle for it to move
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nope. . .the seals are touching the handles. . .you can hold it up to a light, and you wont be able to see a gap.

phew. . .the mudd knife sure is complicated to explain, i didn't even get into the lock or the bellows! Hope this answers everything. . let me know if i missed anything, or if you are curious about anything else.

Gavin
 
this is why i love forums....where else could u get an answer from the man himself:thumbup:.....thanks for explaining the coating....i'll definately post how it holds up after i start to use it.....it sounds really complicated.....i definately won't be taking it apart

one more question.....it sounds like a really complicated folder to make....was there an original purpose for the knife when u designed it.....i'd be interested in hearing any story behind the concept.....how does it compare in strength to a liner or framelock.....i guess what i am asking is what holds it open?....thanks for any answers.....it's great that you post here....i had a chance to buy one of your custom's but missed out....didn't have the cash at the right time....i'll get one one day though:thumbup:.....ryan
 
Ryan,
Well, the original purpose for the knife was. .well to make a sealed knife that wouldn't foul in sand. . .which at the time seemed simple, silly us. The first step was to design a lock system that could be hidden in the handle frame and could lock the blade without being exposed. We built a very crude prototype of the 'hawk lock', which didn't really have a formal name until the Ram. . . that was the easy part. I've never tried to destroy the lock, but it's a hardened plate engaging 1/8 douls. . .should be pretty strong.
things got a lot tougher when we started on the seals. . .you can't just order a seal that will work, so we designed the profile, built the molds, tested materials, and made our own. The bellows were a little more involved. . .because we didn't even know where to start. It took a long time to figure out what material would work, what kind of shape the bellows had to be. . .there weren't any books on bellows shapes. not knowing that the shape needed to be an oval, or how the shape and number of ripples should be. . . it was all just trial and error.. .emphasis on error. .lol. ..sure looks simple now though. the material was a big stumbling block, although that was finally solved when, for some strange reason, we got a number of the head guy of GMs R&D department for rubber. we told him what we were doing, and he formulated a compound just for us! Then again as with the seals, we built molds and started making parts. . .it sure is a simple looking knife, but it has a ton of technology in it.
it sounds really complicated.....i definately won't be taking it apart
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eh. . it's not too bad really. . .it's the toad that i would advise against taking apart . ..

Gavin
 
Thanks for the info Gavin. It's nice to know what happens before we get our hands on these knives!
 
thanks alot gavin...i appreciate all the info....it's cool to hear about everyting that went into a knife like this....ryan:thumbup:
 
wow! that's a lot of info that i didn't know! :) always great when the maker can come on and give you answers to your questions! :)
 
good god almighty....the mudd has arrived....i think u should rename it T.A.N.K.....for anyone who hasn't held one...it is huuge...it opens fast...locks up rock solid....closes smooth too....it is one nice knife....deep in the pocket...not much room fo ranything else in there though....if you are looking for some little girls toy-turn around and walk away from the mudd folder...ryan:D
 
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