Can horn be carved?

navihawk

navihawk

Joined
Feb 21, 2006
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I'm debating putting my initials into my Mooremaker. I carved them into the bone on my Case stockman years ago near the bolster. Thinking of doing the same to this one.Horn looks like it could be stringy, but the rear scale looks like a decent canvas.
 
It can be carved, but as you said it is very stringy.
 
A "Dremel" tool with a carbide tip works well, as it burns the horn a bit. But, be fore-warned, it stinks!! Try to practice first, so you get used to the Dremel & are aware of the speed to best run it at.
 
oldfogey said:
A "Dremel" tool with a carbide tip works well, as it burns the horn a bit. But, be fore-warned, it stinks!! Try to practice first, so you get used to the Dremel & are aware of the speed to best run it at.
Click to expand...

Probably smells like burning hair?
 
You can make a knife-tip engraving in antler and in bone, wood and most other soft materials.

Draw with a pencil what you like to have.

You shall cut a V in the antler. You put the tip down in the material just 1-2 tens of a mm and then you move the tip forwards with the help of your thumb, mm by mm. You can turn, make curves and son on without any bigger problems. When you have cut out one direction, turn the material 180 degrees and cut out the line again from the other side = you cut out a V-form.

Fill the engraving with some color you like to have.

Look at Sami patterns on knifes: http://www.helgesunna.se/showExtraImages.do?articleId=samekniv-01

The pattern on this knife is made by knife-tip engraving.

Thomas
 
Thanks for the pic. Exacto knife maybe? I carved my initials into the bione on my old stockman. I can't remember what I used to do it.
 
navihawk said:
Probably smells like burning hair?
Click to expand...

Exactly! Not terrible, but enough to "stench out" other family members if you do it in a shared living space. This is probably the most effective way to "carve" horn, as depending on what type, it can be hard.
 
If you like to try knife-tip engraving here is a picture of the knife I use for that technique. This knife is only 90 mm long. The blade is made of a regular metal saw and it has two edges in different angles as you can se.

The engraving knife must be extreme sharp.

egkniferh7.jpg

Shot at 2007-08-23

With some training you can perform very nice and also very advanced patterns in this technique. It takes a time to learn but it worth it!

Thomas
 
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