buffalo horn - bit of advice needed

[shaggystu]

as the title really, any advice about working buffalo horn?

i'm in the process of getting a few bits and bobs together to put a handle on a leuku that i've been making for.......well years i suppose, and i've been gifted a little piece of buffalo horn that i'm intending to use the bolster. i've got no experience at all of working buffalo horn other than the hour i spent squaring off the little piece that i've got. so, any tips? anything i should avoid doing to it? i tend to use boiled linseed oil on all my tools handles, is that suitable for horn? how precise a fit to i need to make it to the tang of my knife, will it stand a bit of hammering if it's a really tight fit or am i likely to split it? anything else really obvious that i've completely neglected to consider?

any and all thoughts are more than welcome

cheers

stuart

 

[bushwacker bob]

I polish it with autosol after sanding down to about 1500g.

 

[shaggystu]

I polish it with autosol after sanding down to about 1500g.

ok, i'd not thought of using autosol at all, thanks for that

 

[fishfish]

buffs up well with a bench mop.

 

[shaggystu]

buffs up well with a bench mop.

something i've been meaning to get for a long time, you may have just talked me into it

 

[dwardo]

Hate working the stuff but it makes real nice bow tips. Its tough old stuff so will take a beating. Just work it through the grades as you would a wood. Then finish with what ever you like takes most finishes well.

 

[shaggystu]

....Its tough old stuff so will take a beating......

i've no need to worry about splitting it then, not at all brittle?

 

[dwardo]

Think of it having grain, yeah if you use something sharp and belt it you could possibly split it, think grain just like any wood.
Drilling filing and sandpaper all good and would have to go out of your way to cause any real damage with the previous.
I have some bits if you get stuck.

Oh and it stinks and gets right on your chest so mask it up

 

[mountainm]

Micro mesh does a great job with it.

 

[shaggystu]

Think of it having grain, yeah if you use something sharp and belt it you could possibly split it, think grain just like any wood.
Drilling filing and sandpaper all good and would have to go out of your way to cause any real damage with the previous.
I have some bits if you get stuck.

Oh and it stinks and gets right on your chest so mask it up

thanks for the advice, if i manage to destroy the bit i've got i may well be in touch
as for the dust, i know, horrible isn't it? i've been working it outside so far, that same as i do with bone, the dust mask will be coming out when the weather finally moves me to the shed

Micro mesh does a great job with it.

not something i've ever had cause to use, this could be a good excuse

 

[Angst]

yo...i've used it quite a bit and i love it...great stuff....as advised go to 1500-2500g or so then oil. personally ive got a belt sander and converted grinder with mops....i sand to shape using 150g disk on the sander then really hit it on the sisal mop with grey compound then finish off with medium/soft mops and green compound, comes up like a mirror. be careful though of friction if you go down this route as it can melt/scorch. wouldnt advise 'hammering' a thinnish bit though and it does scratch easy when polished....try 'tapping' lol. its not 'brittle' as such but is dentable....oh and yes....wear a mask.

 

[shaggystu]

yo...i've used it quite a bit and i love it...great stuff....as advised go to 1500-2500g or so then oil. personally ive got a belt sander and converted grinder with mops....i sand to shape using 150g disk on the sander then really hit it on the sisal mop with grey compound then finish off with medium/soft mops and green compound, comes up like a mirror. be careful though of friction if you go down this route as it can melt/scorch. wouldnt advise 'hammering' a thinnish bit though and it does scratch easy when polished....try 'tapping' lol. its not 'brittle' as such but is dentable....oh and yes....wear a mask.

cheers for that.

by hammering i think that i meant tapping to be honest, gently persuading shall we say the bit that i'm wanting to use as a bolster is about 3/4" thick(ish), so not thin at all, but thanks for the heads up on dentable, i shall take care with that.

"converted grinder with mops", i think this is the route i'll be going with this, i've got an old bench grinder in the shed waiting for that very thing, as i said earlier this project sounds like the perfect excuse/motivation to get round to that. scorching sounds like something i need to be aware of, but as with all things i shall just take my time and i'm sure it'll be fine.

cheers for all the advice chaps

stuart

 

[Angst]

yo...no prob...if you want help with where i got my pigtails to convert and mops/compounds lemme know m8...all gettable on the bay,

a

 

[brancho]

The only thing I would add is avoid getting it too hot as it will singe badly.

I would say a polishing mop is right after 1200 grit.

Autosolworks well though

 

[shaggystu]

yo...no prob...if you want help with where i got my pigtails to convert and mops/compounds lemme know m8...all gettable on the bay,

a

cheers for that, if you could send me a couple of links that'd be great, i don't trust e-bay at all unless the seller's recommended

The only thing I would add is avoid getting it too hot as it will singe badly.

I would say a polishing mop is right after 1200 grit.

Autosolworks well though

cheers for that mate. everyone seems to be more or less in agreement on this one, 1200 grit then polishing compound of some sort. i'll have a play around with autosol first as it's something i've already got but it's looking more and more likely that i'll be buying mops to go on the spare bench grinder

thanks for all the advice chaps :You_Rock_

stuart

 

[santaman2000]

if you're using the hammer to set metal bits (rivets, etc.) you'll need to be careful as already advised. However if you're using the hammer directly on the horn, you might want to consider one of these www.silversupplies.com/catalog/tools/hammers/rawhide.shtml That's what we used to shape soft metals without marring them when hand forming aircraft parts, and at least one should be in every metal worker's tool kit; three of varying sizes would be better.

No connection to the company and no personal knowledge of them for that matter. They were just the first link I could find to the product. To compare with other sellers just search "rawhide mallets."

 

[shaggystu]

if you're using the hammer to set metal bits (rivets, etc.) you'll need to be careful as already advised. However if you're using the hammer directly on the horn, you might want to consider one of these www.silversupplies.com/catalog/tools/hammers/rawhide.shtml That's what we used to shape soft metals without marring them when hand forming aircraft parts, and at least one should be in every metal worker's tool kit; three of varying sizes would be better.

No connection to the company and no personal knowledge of them for that matter. They were just the first link I could find to the product. To compare with other sellers just search "rawhide mallets."

cheers for that, sounds like good advice. a piece of leather held against the horn whilst i "gently persuade" it to fit with a wooden mallet will do the same job though and be nicely in line with the budget so far (the running total on tools and materials currently?...........£0.00, you have no idea how tight i am )

cheers

stuart

 

[santaman2000]

cheers for that, sounds like good advice. a piece of leather held against the horn whilst i "gently persuade" it to fit with a wooden mallet will do the same job though and be nicely in line with the budget so far (the running total on tools and materials currently?...........£0.00, you have no idea how tight i am )

cheers

stuart

That will work indeed. At least for a few odd jobs. If you continue to work metal and soft objects on a regular basis it will be worth the budget at some point but on an occassional basis, just using a shield such as a scrap of leather (good thick leather that will stand the abuse/rawhide will be even better) will be fine.

 

[fishfish]

Oh and it stinks and gets right on your chest so mask it up

bit of an understatement! lol

 

[shaggystu]

That will work indeed. At least for a few odd jobs. If you continue to work metal and soft objects on a regular basis it will be worth the budget at some point but on an occassional basis, just using a shield such as a scrap of leather (good thick leather that will stand the abuse/rawhide will be even better) will be fine.

you've basically described my lifetime involvement with tools there, bodge it the first time, make a tool for the next half a dozen, buy the proper tools when one comes up for cheap, realise how much easier that makes life and wish i'd not been so tight in the first place

bit of an understatement! lol

doesn't it?!?!? i though bone was bad but horn's a whole new kind of

cheers for all the advice one this one fellows, and for the lovely generous offers that i've recieved via PM too

gents and scholars, the lot of you :You_Rock_

stuart