What to use on horn handles?

orca8589

orca8589

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Jan 27, 2007
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What do you guys recommend for treating the horn handles on HI kukris? I have a large CAK that I want to make sure stays in good shape for my son one day.

~Chris
 
I use Hooflex on my horn handles. Easily found at your local tack supply store. A small tub will last you years, and is fairly cheap. :)
 
Shame the camera won't show it but I polished up some horn handle to 4000grit and a light coat of mineral oil and the chatoyance surprised me. I might try Hooflex the next time I spot it.
 
I have a horn model that keeps shrinking until i applied copious amount of mineral oil and it stopped.

The mineral oil also gives the finishing a glossy look.
 
I use Mineral Oil. It is very inexpensive and works perfect. I like to take my handles and put them in a cut out plastic bottle, and let them sit a few days in the mineral oil, this actually re hydrates them, and if there is any streaking of white or gray in the horn it come back out. After, if im storing the khuk away, I coat the blade with the mineral oil before placing back in the scabbard and another light coat on the handle.
 
I use Neatsfoot Oil, same stuff you use on leather. It is especially good at bringing an old, neglected handle back to the original luster and elasticity. When I bought a few older blades a while back, some of them had those sweetly carved, old style horn handles. Sadly, they had begun to dry out because the original owner apparently didn't know they had to do anything to them. He had taken great care of the old wood handles though.

What I did was first I wiped the handles down, really slather them down with the oil for a while. Then, once they had stopped soaking it up much, I wrapped the handles with a rag that was soaking wet with Neatsfoot. I left this in place overnight and in the morning I wiped off the excess and that was that. I maintain them by putting some more on them once/year
 
Good info - thanks everyone, it's much appreciated. :thumbup:

~Chris
 
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