Waterbuffalo Horn - All black or white graining - what's your preference?

C

Craig Gottlieb

Joined
Mar 8, 1999
Messages
1,760
Recently, I received an email about handle construction (the buyer thought he'd gotten wood, when in fact he'd received waterbuffalo horn as ordered - but had never seen waterbuffalo horn and therefore mistook the white graining found in some specimens of waterbuffalo horn for wood.

I personally have a favorite if given the choice between all black and black and white graining. The two questions I have for y'all are:

1) Which do you prefer?
2) Is one stronger than the other? (I've heard that horn with white graining can crack more easily than solid black).

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Craig Gottlieb
Gurkha House
Blade Forums Sponsor
 
Craig,

If given a choice between wood and horn, I'll take the wood every time if the knife is a "user". If it's strictly for display, the white grained horn would be the way to go. It adds character and beauty to the piece. Just my personal preferences.

As for strength, I don't honestly know. I would guess there's not much difference between the grained and ungrained. A buffalo tends to be assembled from pretty tough parts, regardless of their color.
smile.gif


Blackdog

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When the world is at peace, a gentleman keeps his sword by his side.......
Sun-Tzu 400 BC



[This message has been edited by Blackdog (edited 19 October 1999).]
 
I prefer wood for a hard working khukuri. As for horn. I prefer black over streaked or gray. The other stuff just looks weak, like a diseased buffalo. I have to imagine the gray and streaked horns are substandard ones.
 
I prefer horn with some streaking. Without it IMO it looks too much like shiny plastic. On the HI forum the general concensus seems to be that horn is just as strong as wood <shrug>. I suspect it depends on what kind of wood and the condition and grain of both the wood and horn in question. Marcus
 
My only problem with horn is that it's really soft. When they get to me they are buffed and shinny. But soon they get scratched, and with out a power buffer, I've yet to figure out how to restore that glass smooth look.
 
Tallwinged: the best way to restore the shiney horn look is with a cloth buffer wheel and some jewler's rouge (available from any knife maker's supply catalog). That's what I use. The only caveat is to not hold the horn against the wheel in one place for too long - the horn'll start to burn.

I personally believe that the wood is more durable, and that the streaks in the waterbuffalo horn, if present, pose no structural threat to the handle. The few handles that I've replaced due to chips were chipped laterally accross the handle and not along the grain, as one might expect.

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Craig Gottlieb
Gurkha House
Blade Forums Sponsor
 
I prefer horn.I suppose that it depends on use.High end straight razors are horn.Wood,I`ve never seen one.You would have to ask an expert,but horsemen believe that black hooves are less prone to cracking.On the other hand,mustangs don`t seem to have a problem,and they often have lighter than blk. hooves.
 
That actually brings me to another question: what is the difference between horn and hoof? I mean, what are each made of exactly?

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Craig Gottlieb
Gurkha House
Blade Forums Sponsor
 
Don't bite your nails while waiting for an answer. Come to think of it, your wife could probably get a decent answer from the manicurist next time she goes to the beauty parlor.

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Treat high blood pressure BEFORE the crosshairs start jumping all around in the scope.


 
My wife does some scrimshaw on knives. Her best work is on horn with white graining. It gives it a ghost or smoke effect. You ink in white instead of black. Really nice.

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RICK LEFTIES UNITE


 
RGRAY: Sound's nice. Maybe there's some work to be done on one of my khukuris.

RUSTY: I take it from your post that one substance is more "nail" like than the other. I had thought that horn was a sort of hair substance and hooves were like nails. Is this close?

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Craig Gottlieb
Gurkha House
Blade Forums Sponsor
 
Crag,

I am not an expert but I believe that Hooves and Horns are both the same substance and theat both are essentially the same substance our Fingernails are made of.

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AKTI Member No. A000370
 
Craig,
According to my 1959 Encyclopaedia Brittanica, the horns of oxen (including the various varieties of Asian buffalo) are covered with a sheath of true horny matter which "is really a modified form of epidermic tissue, and consists of the albuminoid 'keratin'. It forms, not only the horns of the ox tribe, but also the hoofs, claws, or nails of animals generally, the carapace of the tortoises and the armadilloes, the scales of the pangolin, porcupine quills, and birds' feathers, etc."
Berk
 
That explains why the surface of the horn handles is polishable, but if there's a significant (deep) chip in the handle, it's a bi-ch to repolish (if not downright impossible). That is, based upon what you are saying, Berkley, the interior of our handles is a hair material, and is different than the exterior.

Speaking of which (not to make you drool or anything), I got the WWIIIs in and I'm very pleased. I'll post one (yours, number one, actually) for everybody to see. I want to let everybody see them in their various stages.

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Craig Gottlieb
Gurkha House
Blade Forums Sponsor
 
Craig,

I prefer horn to wood,and I like a slight amount of graining to add distinction. But I'm not real picky either way. For me, the most important thing is the quality of the blade -- the handle comes in a distant second in terms of importance.
 
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