Carved horn handle cracks

You know, I don't think that anyone has asked that before. Probably wrong.

I have limited 'carved horn' experience: 1 Kumar Karda that gets only occasional cooking use, mainly as a butcher knife. No cracks there.

The other horn handles that I have doesn't crack either, though.
 
You don't see many offered though I have seen some swords with carved horn like the one today and a karda a few months back.
 
I have carved horn handles on an Everest Katana and a Kumar Karda, I've had no cracking issues with either of them. But I do keep an industrial-sized container of Hooflex handy and use it regularly.
 
I gotta look into this Hooflex. I've never gone shopping in an equestrian store, but I guess that's the place to get it, huh?
 
Or just go into a pharmacy and ask for lanolin. I have that and hooflex.

It seems to me carved horn presents more area space than a plain handle and therefore might be more vulnerable to drying out.



munk
 
Proposed bumper sticker for khuk lovers; :( CRACKS HAPPEN:)

Wood, horn, bone, all fibrous, organic, materials, that can, under certain conditions, manifest longtitudinal cracks. A little TLC, a simple fix here or there, and they'll be around long after we're gone. To new folks grown squeamish by all this talk of cracking, trust me, it ain't that big a deal. I've had several cracked handles, most were a simple super glue (Bondini is brand of choice) fix, and never had another problem. The attention our khuks demand of us is part of their charm, stainless blades and composition rubber handles are for those "other guys".;)

Sarge
 
Yes, Sarge is right. We make too much of these cracks in khuk handles. It is the cracks in one's skull that should be viewed with more alarm.




munk
 
If you are starting to get cracking, seal the cracks with super glue, and then sand smooth.
Apply 4 coats of Watco Danish Oil (natural) and you won't see any more cracks.
I tried the lanolin route, and it did not work.
I have used the Watco method on a couple of Khukuris and the cure really works.
But- it takes about 4 coats following the directions on the can. I usually let the stuff soak in for a longer time before wiping off the excess.
 
Munk and Sarge have it right.

In another bit of my life, I play traditional Irish music ... wooden Irish flutes. These are most often made with a brass or silver tuning slide inset into the head and the first joint - the wood is slipped over the metal tubing, and glued into place.

Virtually all of the antique flutes have cracked. The wood has shrunk over time, and the metal underneath has not! Various fixes for this, but the biggest "fix" is to construct them differently in the first place, so the pressure won't build up. In knife terms, I'd expect cracks to show up where slab handles are pierced by metal rivets.

It's the price of admission. Worth it, in my view.
 
I know horn cracks I have dozens of horn handle khuks most have a small crack, but my question was more about the effect of the carving on the horn and the potential to crack or break. That also might be a more important crack depending on where in the carving the crack appears and what damage it can start.
 
The carved handle seems to absorb more of whatever you apply to preserve it on mine... I'd think it would as a result be the one I least have to worry about...
 
I have a Kumar Karda in horn by Amtrak. It was treated with Watco and has never cracked. It has nice carving.
It split some lobster tails and held up fine.
 
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