Rebuffing horn, and buttcap question

Diamond Cut II

Diamond Cut II

Joined
Sep 1, 2002
Messages
1,245
Hi all,

In an attempt to restore the mirror finish on my WWII I accidentally scuffed up the horn handle with 00 steel wool. Is there anyway I can make it "shine" as it did before? I wasn't able to restore the mirror finish on the blade but I did get this beautiful satin finish. The handle bothers me now(I should really get a villager :rolleyes: ). Also, when I received the knife the buttcap was loose, is there anyway I can fix this? Thanks for any help!

-Philip
 
DC, I've had good luck with polishing horn using tripoli compound and a buffing wheel. I used it after repairing a crack with superglue and taking the bead down with steel wool, but it was with 0000 grade. Don't know how it will work after 00. Maybe just buff a little longer.

As for the loose buttcap: how loose is it? If it's not too bad, I've been able to heat the handle with a heatgun and have it tighten considerably. I put hydrous (sp) lanolin on it and heated it just short of not being able to hold it and let it sit.

If it's really loose, you can try peening the keeper at the end. Can't offer any advice on that procedure, since I was singularly unsuccessful in my attempts at it.

Good luck.
 
It has a bit of "horizintal play" and is not shaped perfectly with the butt. In other words, it can cut you if you don't hold it right. Hope I explained it well. Thanks for your time!
 
If I understand you correctly, the horn handle is smaller than the buttplate. Probably, the horn shrunk (maybe not as cured as it should be). Sounds like a job for a belt sander.
 
Diamond,
What I usually do is take some thin superglue, not the gel, and l squeeze some in all around the buttcap. It will suck into the thin space by capillary action. After it dries, carefully file around the edge of the buttplate untill it is flush with the horn. If you're worried about scratching the horn, put a layer of masking tape around it, next to the brass. To restore the shine to your horn, you can buff it with a muslin buffing wheel and some red rouge buffing compound. If you don't have a bench grinder that you can put a buffing wheel on, you can buy muslin wheels with a shaft that will mount in a drill. If you use a drill, be sure to put the khuk in a vise, or clamp it to a table securely.

CAUTION! Buffing is the most dangerous procedure in the knife shop, as the buffer can grab your knife and jerk it out of your hands. A sharp heavy missile is a terrible thing. Put several layers of masking tape over the edge of the blade to protect yourself, and go slowly. Add the rouge to the wheel often, and buff lightly, so as not to burn the horn. After buffing a little, if you see some deep scratches, you can go back and sand with some 600 grit or finer wet-or-dry sandpaper to get them out. Then buff again.

Some people like a steel wool finish on the horn as they say it gives a better grip. Me, I likes em shiny!

Have fun!

Steve
 
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