- Joined
- Oct 4, 2010
- Messages
- 1,315
My s110v Mule was a pleasure to work on. One thing the Taiwanese producer did was improve the finish of the tang and edges of the Mule. They were smooth and polished - and didn't show the irregular grind marks that were left on many of the Golden Mules. Nice touch - it saved me some work polishing them myself!
The wood I chose for this one is stabilized Hawaiian Silky Oak from Mark at Burl Source - with a 1/16" dark green linen micarta liner. Silky oak is actually related to the sycamore, and was brought to the islands from Australia in the 1880s. It is prized in the islands as an ornamental tree with fern-like foliage and colorful flowers. The wood is often called "lacewood" by islanders and is used for inlays and furniture. The wood works and finishes well, but needs to be stabilized to be good for knife scales. Personally, i just love the multiple colors, patterns and grain weaving throughout the wood - extremely interesting to look at.
I attached the micarta with West Systems epoxy, then cut and shaped the scales by hand using coping saw, files, rasps, and a variety of sandpaper. I finished the scales to 1200 grit and topped the wood with four thin coats of TruOil and a polish with Ren Wax.
TedP
The wood I chose for this one is stabilized Hawaiian Silky Oak from Mark at Burl Source - with a 1/16" dark green linen micarta liner. Silky oak is actually related to the sycamore, and was brought to the islands from Australia in the 1880s. It is prized in the islands as an ornamental tree with fern-like foliage and colorful flowers. The wood is often called "lacewood" by islanders and is used for inlays and furniture. The wood works and finishes well, but needs to be stabilized to be good for knife scales. Personally, i just love the multiple colors, patterns and grain weaving throughout the wood - extremely interesting to look at.
I attached the micarta with West Systems epoxy, then cut and shaped the scales by hand using coping saw, files, rasps, and a variety of sandpaper. I finished the scales to 1200 grit and topped the wood with four thin coats of TruOil and a polish with Ren Wax.
TedP
