Antlers, horn, tusk, bone, and more...

[Maximumbob54]

The thread on buffalo horn got me to thinking.

Does all horn by its nature tend to shrink? Is there anything that can be done ahead of time or during its life to mitigate this? Does leaving it a thicker cut help any? Asking that one because I've seen older rifle butts that had buffalo horn caps that curled right off the wood. Does ram horn fair any better?

If I understand it right, antlers are more like a bone structure with different species having varying density. Sambar stag was the one to have but now I think is highly regulated. I have some elk antler grips that the maker said had to be stabilized with epoxy and they've been great with no shrinkage or warping.

Case is probably the largest user of bone covers and while I'm sure they can be broken it seems uncommon. Pretty sure during processing the bones are dried so no size or shape change should be expected. Are there any negatives to working with bone scales, covers, or grips?

The only elephant tusk I have is an old set of grips for a Ruger Blackhawk that belonged to my father. I've been warned ivory can dry out and that you should use a good lotion the same as you would use on your hands to keep it up. So it can definitely shrink and crack. I'll have to dig them out the safe later for a pic.

Any thoughts or input?

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Antler is bone. t does shrink a bit when new, but is pretty stable once fully dried.
Horn is hair. It will shrink and swell to some degree, sometimes a large degree. Warping is more of a problem, as it has to be straightened to use and wants to resume its natural state.
Ivory is sort of stable once fully dried. It is a tooth, and the dentin and core have moisture. Once properly cut and cured it isn't too much concern. However, it is hygroscopic and anisotropic, so some swelling and shrinking in length will occur with large changes in humidity and if it gets wet or hot.