Horn Handle Cracks

H

hollowdweller

Joined
Sep 22, 2003
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13,182
I just wanted to report back on my experiment. Several months back I took the horn handle on one of my khuks that kept developing cracks and applied several coats of urethane to it. The coating ran in and completely filled in the smaller cracks and partially filled in the larger cracks. It's been several months in a pretty dry region of my house and no further cracking. I have tried all the other stuff usually reccomended without success, but this seems to work.

For a good while I have pretty much avoided any new horn handle khuks but now that this experiment worked so well I think I am going to get some more and give them the treatment. Besides apparently sealing the horn if you do it right it almost looks like you just put a really nice polish on the horn when you do it this way.
 
As another view to this, I'd purchased A BAS from Hollow. He was fed up with it- it cracked and cracked on him. It was a real good deal, but he said, "Bet it cracks again on you." I applied the usual superglue and it has not cracked since.

I geuss cracks can just keep happening, or maybe once the stress is relieved, limit out.




munk
 
hollowdweller said:
maybe the horn finally totally cured? :confused:
Click to expand...

That's what I'm hoping for mine. I gooped all the horn handles on mine last winter and wrapped a sandwich bag on the ends. Looks like the lanolin soaked in, leaving the other goo on the surface. I'll take the cracked bone handled one out the next time I go chopping and see what happens.

Does the urethane coating affect the grippy characteristics much?
 
Bruise, If it's one of the bone handle ones, you might want to keep it as a display piece. I've used two and they both broke.

Steve
 
Dija goop it for a year? I'm thinking that if it breaks, I'll just get it rehandled. It's a nice blade, too good to let hang on a wall. But then again most of mine sit in a bucket anyways. :)

I did test it when I first got it. Not severely but I chopped a few tree limbs and such.
 
Bruise,

I think the Urethane made it grippier cause I wasn't oiling the handle continuously to avoid cracking. Also khuks i have used in the pouring rain it looked like the handle was sucking in water and would get this greyish look to it. Then crack more when it dried. Now the water just rolls off.
 
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