Cattle horn as handle material?

[tschlosser]

I have a horn from a steer that my Grandfather gave me some 25 years ago and would like to have it used as the handle of my first custom Knife. Is this possible? Are there any makers out there who could do this? Thanks.
Tim

 

[Les Robertson]

Tim,

The shin bone of cattle was used to make handle material. As you can imagine it is a fairly inexpensive material to purchase.

It is known today as Jigged Bone! Thats right boys and girls, that cool looking jigged bone on your knife, is cut, flattened, has the grooves cut into it with a hot iron (similar to the kind wood worker use), then it's dyed and put on knives. Most is bought with all that work done to it. Some of it does look rather exotic.

You can tell when a knife maker is using it because it smells really bad!



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Les Robertson
Robertson's Custom Cutlery
http://www.robertsoncustomcutlery.com/rcc/makers.shtml
It is easier to get things done with a kind word and a knife, than with a kind word alone!

 

[Strider]

Les
I'm sure most people here no about jigged bone.The question was horn. If not cattle then what type besides sheep would a common horn handle come from? Impala? Something more exotic?
Bob

 

[Tiaan]

Strider

Most of the horns regarded as exotic for you guys are run of the mill where I am. Most commonly used is Cape Buffalo. Also: kudu, impala, gemsbuck, waterbuck, blue wildebeest, sable antelope, eland, njala, bushbuck, sheep(domestic), goat, and cattle.

Bones: Giraffe, Cattle, Hippo, Elephant can all be used as is, stained or jigged.

Each horn has his own peculiarities, I personally select the horn to fit the knife, or rather, the animal to the type of knife. I like to match agressive blades with the scimitars of the gemsbuck or the death dealing horns of the cape buffalo.

The original enquiry is about a steer horn. It can be used to great success if treated properly. One can either use the tip of the horn in a hidden tang, or cut slabs and flatten to use on a full tang.

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Tiaan Burger
Burger Custom Knives
http://www.limpopo.co.za/burgerknives.htm

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[Strider]

Tiaan
Thanks for the response. It's great that what we deem exotic is everyday for you to choose from regarding natural handle material.I tried your web site but kept getting a fail field.
Bob

 

[ThomasH]

tscholser,

Ed Fowler wrote a book about how to make a knife, in which I believe he explains what he does to the local sheep horn that he uses for handles. I haven't read it myself, but perhaps someone who has came comment on the section I'm talking about. (I do however have an Ed Fowler "Pronghorn", and the handle is very nice!)

I also saw Edward R. Schott say something to someone else about "vacuum stabilizing" horn to be used as handle material. maybe he'll come in and say more.

Obviously, _I_ don't know much about it!

Thomas

 

[tschlosser]

Thanks for the responses. I'm really rather curious about just cattle horns, as I have never seen it as a knife scale. I guess the particular question would be, are plain old cattle horns different than sheep or other game animal horns? I know several guys that I shoot Blackpowder with make powderhorns out of it, but I just don't see knives using this particular horn type. Can cattle horn be worked just like sheep etc.? why don't makers use this medium?
As the horn I have is pretty old, as well as a keepsake from my Grandfather, I want to be sure of the results before I commit to having it cut or worked in any way. Thanks again.

 

[Tiaan]

Strider

Yes, but you are lucky to have access to all types of other stuff I can only dream about!

TShloser, whoever you get to make your knife must cut of two or three pieces, about one sq. inch in area. He must then immerse it in oil. Not mineral oil. Use linseed, sunflower or other types of vegetable oils. The ideal is to have a thermometer in the pan. Bring slowly up to heat. Check when then little bubbles start to rise and make a note of the temperature. Let the temperature slowly increase and check every 10 degrees. Note where the edges start to crisp like pork crackling. Note the temp. The second temperature is too high, the first is about right. Cook the other piece of horn for ten minutes at a temp that is between the two.
Take it out after about five minutes, check that it is relatively soft and pliable. If it is, put it back for another two minutes, take it out - QUICKLY! and clamp on a flat surface, I use a piece of 1/2 inch steel plate, with a piece of soft wood on top. For the test piece one G clamp is enough. When the piece has cooled, about ten minutes, take it out, check for flatness,( if it doesn't stay flat, your temp is too low or you have been to slow in the clamping) that there hasn't been a colour change (wipe of the oil with a spirit rag and polish)or crisping of the edges (too hot).

With thin horns like impala and eland I make use of fibre liners to thicken the slabs slightly. For instance, on a impala horn, which is black, I may use a white liner against the horn and a black liner between the white liner and the tang. With a steer horn which might be sligtly translucent, one may use any colour you fancy and it will show through the horn as a tint. example: Red liner will give the translucent horn a pinkish tint. The best is to stick a few types of liner on piece of horn and see which ones you like best. If you do not want the edge of the coloured liner to show, use candy wrapping foil.
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Tiaan Burger
http://www.limpopo.co.za/burgerknives.htm

First rule of martial arts: Nobody moves faster than a bullet!


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[This message has been edited by Tiaan (edited 04 February 1999).]