curing horns ?

[Singeblister]

I have just been given a horn , off a sheep I think , its fresh and a bit smelly with blood and bits of fur still on it , How are horns cured ?
I have stuck it in a pot of boiling water for now to get rid of the smelly stuff I realise this will make it soft so I will also try and straighted it out a bit.
Any one done this before ?

 

[torjusg]

Any one done this before ?

No, and I am very eager to hear about your results as I have some elk toes I want to do something similar with.

 

[Eric_Methven]

Does the horn still have it's core - by that I mean the bloody fleshy inside bit? If not, boiling will remove the rest of the gunk. It will soften the horn to some extent and allow it to be reshaped. It's the technique used to prepare ram's horns for making walking sticks. If the core is still there, boil it for a few hours, insert a corkscrew into the core as far as it will go and pull the core out - it should come out along with all the blood and gore. The smell will probably make you gag if you do it in the kitchen.

Have fun.

Eric

 

[Singeblister]

Does the horn still have it's core - by that I mean the bloody fleshy inside bit? If not, boiling will remove the rest of the gunk. It will soften the horn to some extent and allow it to be reshaped. It's the technique used to prepare ram's horns for making walking sticks. If the core is still there, boil it for a few hours, insert a corkscrew into the core as far as it will go and pull the core out - it should come out along with all the blood and gore. The smell will probably make you gag if you do it in the kitchen.

Have fun.

Eric

I should have waited for replies before boiling it in the kitchen.
It stank the whole house out , my wife was in the loft sorting out some stuff and she could smell it ... The gunky bit with fur bone and gunge did come out of the horn after boiling I was quite surprised , I could see it had separated from the horn so I flicked it out with a knife and was left with a hollow horn which i scrubbed up under hot water and soap came up quite nice , it was a bit soft but not enough to reshape it , or may be it was but I didn't want to try that. I then filled it up with salt to suck out any gunky moist stuff left in it.
It still pongs a bit but this will go off in a day or so ,,,, I hope
I will then use it to make a container I think , should look good pics to follow.

Good luck with the toes ,,, boil them outside mate

 

[Toddy]

If you want to re-shape horn you will need to wrap it in something hot and moist and keep it warm for at least about 20 minutes to half an hour. Tradtionally either packet into a box with hot damp sawdust, or individually, clapped between two halves of a big, hot, baked neep (turnip ) it softens enough that it can be either sliced and flattened or bent into a more suitable shape.

And oh yes, it stinks I think the only thing worse is a, "singeing sheeps heid". This was basically roasted on the open hearth or on a brazier until the skin fell off and the meat and brains were cooked. Once a familiar delicacy, BSE has seen the end of the practice.

My grandpa loved this served with black pepper, and he lived hale and hearty until his late nineties. Me............I'm a good vegetarian

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[Wayland]

Amongst re-enactors there is a practice of leaving the horn filled up with coca cola for a while to dissolve out any remaining gungy bits.

It's probably the phosphoric acid that does the trick.

I have never needed to try it myself but it seems effective.

 

[torjusg]

I have heard some rumours that you use a titanium cup Wayland... Are the rumours true?

 

[Wayland]

Depends where I am.

If I'm in a living history environment I use wood, clay, horn, leather, glass or pewter depending on the time period and the status I'm portraying.

No point being a Yarl with a wooden cup and definitely not a Thrall with a drinking glass.

As for 20th century kit, If I'm going super light I do have a titanium cup for cooking in, but most times I use a stainless steel cup because it's bomb proof and cheap if I misplace it.

I suppose I'm a bit of a kit junkie really. I have far too much gear and I never bring it all to one event because it would take up too much space and I certainly couldn't carry it all if I did.

Sometimes I like to go with virtually nothing for the challenge and other times I choose to go with all the advantages technology can bring.

If I'm out to take pictures then light weight is essential unless I'm working from a vehicle in which case comfort is the priority.

I've even been known to drink out of a gourd on one or two occasions. At least, I think that was what was said.....