Red grain-mark handles

S

Scara

Joined
Jun 21, 2014
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Since we were discussing horn handles with red grain-marks, I thought we might as well have a thread for them. Here's my Lachhu Sirupati with some red in the handle.

Here's the whole kukri:


And here's a closeup of the mark:


Let's see everyone else's.
 
You want to see the red marks from where I back sassed the wife and Bookie that one time down in Reno.
Still there after all this time.
 
Great lookin' Siru!

Careful, Bawanna. I'll be tellin' Irene you're starting to run amok again......
 
Well I cant be for sure but that sure looks like one of them implants they put in black rhino horns to track poachers. Nepali's use red and yella epoxy (flag colors) to secure them. Id be really careful for the next few years er till the battery burns down at least! Maybe you could dig it out and flush it and be ok or wrap it in tin foil but I dont know about carrying that thing around unless your a law abiding well respected citizen and aint on no federal poaching list or somethin. Heck id flush that thing in a second if it was me in your place. Trust me I been there but I could fix it for ya. Send it on over to me and ill fix ya right up! Youll never know you had it;)
 
ndoghouse said:
Well I cant be for sure but that sure looks like one of them implants they put in black rhino horns to track poachers. Nepali's use red and yella epoxy (flag colors) to secure them. Id be really careful for the next few years er till the battery burns down at least! Maybe you could dig it out and flush it and be ok or wrap it in tin foil but I dont know about carrying that thing around unless your a law abiding well respected citizen and aint on no federal poaching list or somethin. Heck id flush that thing in a second if it was me in your place. Trust me I been there but I could fix it for ya. Send it on over to me and ill fix ya right up! Youll never know you had it;)
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I... believe you... ;)

But I would have thought we'd see more pictures of handles with red grain marks. I guess they are even less common than I thought.
 
I looked through mine, many have grain marks but they really aren't red.
 
I think it might just be paint. A lot of unfinished buffalo horn comes with paint on it for whatever reason.

261A_3.jpg
 
philllll said:
I think it might just be paint. A lot of unfinished buffalo horn comes with paint on it for whatever reason.

261A_3.jpg
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Interesting. When I run my finger nail over it the texture of the red and yellow portions is not appreciably different from the rest of the handle. They're also slightly indented versus the rest of the handle. Not sure if that means much, just an observation.
 
Like to have a couple pieces of that horn to play with. Wonder what it's like to work with.

I've actually checkered a horn handle and it worked pretty good. I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for a water buffalo, don't see em often round these parts. Trick will be getting it to stand still while I whack off it's head dress.
 
Bawanna said:
Like to have a couple pieces of that horn to play with. Wonder what it's like to work with.

I've actually checkered a horn handle and it worked pretty good. I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for a water buffalo, don't see em often round these parts. Trick will be getting it to stand still while I whack off it's head dress.
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Hey Mr. B! I saw a fella at a knap-in a few weeks ago and he had a knife blade he wanted chipped down to fit a really nice piece of horn he got at Tractor Supply. Dont know if yall have them stores up there but they are sold as dog chews. It was just like the ones in the pic. He polished it out and was really nice. Prolly dirt cheap too. He said it was water buffalo too.
 
Heck I think the neighbors dog left one in my driveway. thought it was hollow though. We just got tractor supply this year I'll check it out.
 
The colors are caused when the horn is injured during fighting, mating season, or falling off a mountain or such. Cow horn show their "bruises" much more vividly/clearer. (The horns from range cattle always show the most damage and vivid colors.) Guess I suspect that the same rules apply to Nepali & Tibetan livestock as they do to our domestic critters. A hard red color (not a brownish tint which you normally find) is not common, thus inflating the articles value to collectors and speculators.
 
Bookie said:
The colors are caused when the horn is injured during fighting, mating season, or falling off a mountain or such. Cow horn show their "bruises" much more vividly/clearer. (The horns from range cattle always show the most damage and vivid colors.) Guess I suspect that the same rules apply to Nepali & Tibetan livestock as they do to our domestic critters. A hard red color (not a brownish tint which you normally find) is not common, thus inflating the articles value to collectors and speculators.
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Now that's interesting. It seems my Siru has some more history behind it. Makes me wonder how the water buffalo got the injuries that gave this horn its color.
 
Bookie said:
The colors are caused when the horn is injured during fighting, mating season, or falling off a mountain or such. Cow horn show their "bruises" much more vividly/clearer. (The horns from range cattle always show the most damage and vivid colors.) Guess I suspect that the same rules apply to Nepali & Tibetan livestock as they do to our domestic critters. A hard red color (not a brownish tint which you normally find) is not common, thus inflating the articles value to collectors and speculators.
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Uhh! Now what if you get a pink one? I dont think thems fightin bulls there? I think thems loving bulls? Wow! Rainbows, fairies, and unicorns get into the picture and they really screw things up eh doc?
 
Scara said:
Now that's interesting. It seems my Siru has some more history behind it. Makes me wonder how the water buffalo got the injuries that gave this horn its color.
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Seems mostly likely to have been fighting over females, but you can never know for sure in any individual case, unless you were there. :)
 
My Tibetan long sword has a very similar red mark on the hilt, gotta remember to take a picture of it.
 
davidf99 said:
Seems mostly likely to have been fighting over females, but you can never know for sure in any individual case, unless you were there. :)
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In that case I'll just assume the water buffalo whose horn made my handle was the victorious of the two, because that's so much cooler than thinking he was a loser.
 
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