Bison horn

[tryppyr]

On my way back from Yellowstone I stopped at an antique store in Boise and picked up a bison horn for $9. I was more curious than hopeful, but I figured I'd add it to my horn collection and maybe make a handle out of it.

Today I did some cutting on the horn to remove the hollow part and was a little surprised to see that the horn is almost uniformly black throughout. The part near the hollow shows some voids, but no light spots. I should be able to find some use for this.

I'm guessing, based on a previous post about the water buffalo horn, that this will tend to shrink over time. I have no way of knowing how old and dry it is now, so how long should I leave it on the shelf before I try doing something with it? I have a particular project in mind (based on a native American knife I saw in Ennis) that the horn might work out for...

- Greg

 

[CUTS LIKE A KRIS]

I'm nowhere near an expert, but any time I get new antler/horn I like to mark the date on it and try not to use it prior to a year in my basement. That way it can acclimate to the new location (stabilized wood moves within a day of me getting new knives here), as well as go through some controlled fluctuations as climate changes through the year. Kind of like a stress relief cycle for handles.

 

[Frank Niro]

Greg,
I used a lot of that seuff on primitive knives and for powder horns. I've never tried this but it sounds good coming from someone in the mammoth ivory business. Take one or two of those expandable clamps used for hose to pipe connections and place them around two places on the horn in a snugg manner. once they become loose , retighten. If they don't, they should be dry. Even pull ties should work. Frank