about sheep horn

[coboy2000]

hi, i'm starting to make my first knife (as hobby) and want a sheep horn as my handle material.
so i buy a horn from local farmer. not the best specimen though and just buy it for a learning purpose.
I wanna ask:
1. can this type of horn can be used or good as knife handle
2. can i used and flatten this horn as knife scale

this horn feel stiff. any input will be much appreciated

best regards hendra

cut

example of the live animal

 

[JasonSCarter]

Yes those will make several sets of scales. You can boil them for several minutes and then straighten them in a vice. You may need to do that more than once to get them straight. Great Score Though!

Jason

 

[Dixieblade57]

Yes those will make several sets of scales. You can boil them for several minutes and then straighten them in a vice. You may need to do that more than once to get them straight. Great Score Though!

Jason

You will need everything ready to clamp in vice. Wear gloves and go straight from pot to clamping!
A word of advice this is best done outside and not in Mamma's best pot! It stinks to high heaven when you are boiling!

 

[SBuzek]

It stinks to high heaven when boiling,it stinks when cutting,it stinks when grinding,it stinks when sanding,but sure makes a pretty handle.
Stan

 

[JasonSCarter]

Just noticed the bullet hole in the skull :thumbup: .357/9mm?

Jason

 

[tattooedfreak]

If it is a small handle or just inlays, you dont need to boil and straighten, just find a flattish spot and sand down what you need. Doesn't look right for 9mm.. maybe 30-06 or 308.

 

[coboy2000]

@ all thank you for the input and very much appreciated
i will try the method , hopefully i can straight it cos it's very hard more than water buffalo.

i think the hole is not a bullet, it's a nail. coz here civilian cannot have gun. and the sheep is domestic animal mainly use to fight.

just buy 2 pair but this time a young sheep. i will update

best regard, hendra

 

[Bill Burke]

Don't boil the horn unless you want to let the horn dry for 2-3 years. you need to use dry heat like an oven to straighten horn.

 

[lonepine]

They seem like a very impressive set of horns. How much does an entire sheep head cost? Can you tell us where you are located please?

What is the design of your blade?

- LonePine
AKA Paul Meske, Wisconsin

 

[PARKERKNIVES]

You can boil the sheep horne but use vegetable oil instead of water as the horne will need to be dried for a while as stated above. I cut the horne first with a band saw. The top face will be the thickest and usually has the best pattern so I cut around where the corners are. This gives me a thick strip which gets boiled in vege oil and clamped between two pieces of wood untill it's cool. I pad the wood with two strips of leather on the inside so the pattern of the horne isn't squashed flat.

 

[Bill Burke]

You can boil the sheep horne but use vegetable oil instead of water as the horne will need to be dried for a while as stated above. I cut the horne first with a band saw. The top face will be the thickest and usually has the best pattern so I cut around where the corners are. This gives me a thick strip which gets boiled in vege oil and clamped between two pieces of wood untill it's cool. I pad the wood with two strips of leather on the inside so the pattern of the horne isn't squashed flat.

How do you get glue to stick to it after you have boiled it and fully saterated it with oil? the dry heat of a toaster oven allows the horn to be manipulated and dosen't soak the horn with anyhting that will give you problems later.

 

[PARKERKNIVES]

Hit it with some asertate on the inside and glue as per mormal. The oils help to stabilize it so it doesn't move. Dry heat would be good but im'e sure you would need coat it in something like Water seal by Sealwell to stop the bone dry horne from soaking up moisture later on. There is probably a few ways to process horne but they all need heat applied in one way or another. cheers.

 

[coboy2000]

Don't boil the horn unless you want to let the horn dry for 2-3 years. you need to use dry heat like an oven to straighten horn.

i think this one is old and dry. just cut a small piece and boil it and flatten in 2 piece of wood. hope it works.

You can boil the sheep horne but use vegetable oil instead of water as the horne will need to be dried for a while as stated above. I cut the horne first with a band saw. The top face will be the thickest and usually has the best pattern so I cut around where the corners are. This gives me a thick strip which gets boiled in vege oil and clamped between two pieces of wood untill it's cool. I pad the wood with two strips of leather on the inside so the pattern of the horne isn't squashed flat.

thank's i will try it. i don't have band saw. cut it with hand saw and wrong. oh well i will use this horn as learning.

They seem like a very impressive set of horns. How much does an entire sheep head cost? Can you tell us where you are located please?

What is the design of your blade?

- LonePine
AKA Paul Meske, Wisconsin

thank you sir, this one is not the best. i missed 2 pair bigger than this one
this pair cost me around 22 US$ at front of my door. i hope this price is not too expensive.
i live in the south east

i have the design but this horn will only for learning.

best regards, hendra

 

[Dixieblade57]

Not trying to horn in on somebody else's thread. However I have a question about polishing up the sheep horn to a useable finish. I now about cutting and how to boil it to straighten. But how do you treat the outside once you have it shaped out?

How do you go about talking the horn from a rough dirty finish to a finished (polished) product?

You can't sand it without loosing the character that is inherent to the sheep’s horn. Do you do it with a buffer and if so would some one care to explain the process?