Horn Handle Question

N

Nai

Joined
Nov 7, 2003
Messages
5
I did not see anything in the FAQs - what can I coat/protect a horn handle with? Thanks
 
Renaissance wax polish. It is a nonreactive protectant, ph neutral. I have used it on all my knives except for my Kershaw/Onions and BK&T machax.
 
Nai:

Alot of people coat their horn handles with farrier's products such as Hooflex - the stuff applied to horse hooves to keep them from cracking.

I have used this and it certainly doesn't hurt anything, but the smell of the stuff has generated some comment from family members. So, I have switched to Ballistol oil (www.ballistol.com) which has a pleasant smell and is much easier to apply.

Also, I don't care for the shiney finish on horn handles and have found that sanding them with 400-grit produces the most useful surface. When wet, the horn becomes very non-slip with this texture.
 
cliff's got it right, sanded horn handles make much better users than polished. I used a 150 grit sanding sponge on mine. Lanolin also works well for horn, it can be found at drugstores in the maternity section no less. It's used on sore nipples by nursing mothers and sold in tubes for that purpose. I've also found it sold in small containers as lip balm. It doesn't leave a bad smell either.
 
The Ballistol works for horn, wood, steel and leather although it does have a slight softening effect on the leather.
You can find it here.

I like to use the Scotch-Brite pads on my horn handled users. The Scotch-Brite doesn't remove as much material as the coarser sandpapers can if not used carefully.
I also use the Scotch-Brite on the whole khuk if it's horn handled. It leaves a nice bright satin finish on the blade as well as the steel or brass furniture.
I wouldn't use it on silver mounted khuks unless I just wanted that type of surface on the silver.:)
 
While we're on the subject I'd like to know this from the people with a lot of khuks. Does the horn seem to hold up to heavy chopping?

I only have 2 horn handle ones I have really chopped hard with, and then after a particularly long session of chopping each developed small cracks on the back of the handle. Like stress cracks when the blade strikes the wood and the tang and handle pushes against the back of the handle. The handles aren't loose, nor does it look like they are going to crack in half, but since there were no noticible cracks or even grain lines where the cracks appeared I wondered if the horn handle ones should be only reserved for light chopping. I have not noticed the problem on any of my wood handled ones.

What is your alls experience? Do you have any horn handles you have chopped heavily with that stay intact?
 
I chopped through a medium sized deadfall with my GS; no problems. It already has a crack up into the bolster, it was a blem. The crack has widened slightly, but the handle is still solid. I think that such small cracks may just be stress relief. Little cracks instead of big splits. As long as they're holding together and aren't loose I wouldn't worry about it.
 
Hollowdweller?

I've used blade and baton on my 12 and 15 AKs and the pen knife. Never a problem. But, Wisconsin is not arid, that may make a difference. Just keep it treated, should be fine.:)
 
That I got over a year ago has had no problems with splitting or widening of grainline. And I've tried to destroy this one, cutting thinggs that usually eat a blade fer breakfast.

If I did get the horn handle to fail, I'd do a nice stacked leather handle as a replacement cause they;re easy to make and have good grip.
 
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