"buffing" horn handle

J

Jon

Joined
Nov 8, 1998
Messages
276
The 600 grit that Will recommended worked fine for removing the epoxy, is there a recommended method of now buffing the horn handle for uniform appearence? Is there a "repair" FAQ I should refer to?

TIA
 
Jon.

I don't have buffing machine! What normally I do is
  • I sand paper the whole horn handle with grit 600, followed by grit 800, then 1000, 1200 and 1500.
  • The next one is I apply KIWI shoe polish to the whole surface and let it dry.
  • After that I sand paper the whole horn handle with grit 2000.
  • Finally I apply 1 or 2 drop of olive oil to it.[/list=a]Insyaa-Allaah! you'll get a shining horn handle.

    NEPAL HO!
 
Thanks much for the advice with the polish. Any thoughts on using "rotten stone" (pumice)? That was the advice from a couple of the guys in the model shop - wealth of knowledge there although not necessarily on horn handles <grin>.
 
I have had good luck using progressively finer sandpapers and the finishing afterwards with brasso and FMV paper towels.

It takes a LOT of elbow grease with the brasso and paper towels, but it'll shine up like new.

-Dave
 
600 grit silicon carbide powder; sprinkle a little on a piece of untanned leather and add elbow grease... it makes horn shine like glass. It's like jeweler' rouge, but less aggressive. I've used it extensively on the horn nocks of longbows.

Jewelers' supply houses should carry it; I scrounged my supply from a friend who makes false teeth, dental plates etc.
 
Rottenstone is not pumice. Rottenstone is also called tripoli and diatomaceous earth. It's what I use on my strop and it'll work great for polishing horn, too. Hardware stores are most likely to understand you if you ask for tripoli compound. Use it on a scrap of leather, or if you don't have any leather use an old rag -- felt or flannel will work nicely, or anything that happens to be handy.

By the way, rottenstone is also used to make dynamite. Just soak it in nitroglycerin and you've got dynamite.
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-Cougar Allen :{)
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This post is not merely the author's opinions; it is the trrrrrruth. This post is intended to cause dissension and unrest and upset people, and ultimately drive them mad. Please do not misinterpret my intentions in posting this.
 
Thanks for the advice guys, but I think I'll pass on the dynamite part of it <grin>.
 
Wow! Shine up your khuk horn handle the wrong way and you might have a whole different weapon---a khuk that explodes on impact with target!
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I find that 000 steel wool does a good job of restoring the finish of the horn handle after it has been "scratched" with 600 grit wet/dry sand paper. Gentle pressure only.

Will
 
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