How long to boil cow horn until it softens for flatenning?

[tombear]

Hi Folks
having finished the wooden scabbard, less any shaping to take the belt slide, I have set about making the slide itself, based Type 1 the impressions on the scabbard leathers dug up at York.

I've chopoed a old charity shop souvenir horn i've already used the point end of into to and set it to boil to soften it. It's 5mm thick (yes in my imprecise way I think in yards, feet, inches and mm, or not quite 1/25ths of a inch)

My questions are, is there anything household I can add to the water to hasten/improve the process and roughly how long should I leave it, less topping up, before I try and squish the pieces flat?

ATB

Tom

PS i appreciate you can dry heat horn with a blow torch, over a brazier, in a oven or even, deep fry it in tallow to 300 to 325 degrees but its raining out and I would like to have a family after today...

 

[tombear]

By poking about the net some more I've worked out about 1.5 to 2 hrs but not much more as it may turn to a gelatinous mass.. About 5 mins left to run to 2 hrs!

ATB

Tom

 

[VaughnT]

After the water's at a rolling boil, it doesn't take long at all. This is especially true if you've already thinned it down to near finished.

If I recall correctly, and that's never a certain thing, the last horn I boiled to flatten only took about 30 minutes after the water was boiling. The heat is what makes the horn soft. The water just carries the heat evenly through the horn so you don't get scorch marks and the like.

 

[British Red]

You could end up with glue here Tom

 

[tombear]

Cheers!, the first piece is under clamps (will put pics up on the scabbard thread) but as it took quite a lot or presure as a experiment I am giving the other piece a extra half hour. if it turns to glue, well glues good as well!

ATB

Tom

A pressure cooker wouldnt help?, may try the frying in tallow method, as I still have a block of mutton stuff left and a jam thermometer.

 

[British Red]

A pressure cooker would get it a little hotter, but it would be impossible to check on progress without waiting 10 mins for the pressure to drop before opening it. Fat would be more controllable and inspectable

 

[tombear]

Yeah, that whats i come to the conclusion of.

Anyroad this continues over on my "Ye olde Englishe matchette" thread in the edged tools section, I now regret the jocular title as it may put off folk who would find it interesting. I hadn't thought I'dbe putting so much work and research in at the start! What a friend of mine refers to as Mission creep.

ATB

Tom

 

[mountainm]

Be aware it stinks when you boil it, my other half was not amused when I did some.

 

[tombear]

Aye it's been windows open and wife not back for another few hours! The worst was a failed attempt at opening up a thick scrap of horn that I let boil dry. Thankfully I had most of the day to waft the smell out and disguised it with other construction smells. Roll on a summer and I can do stuff like the out back.

I rather fancy making a proper lanthorn with the thinnest split panes of horn. But developing the skills to do it and all the practice pieces I'd need means it makes a lot more sense to just buy the panes in from india or where ever and make the frame myself.

atb

Tom

 

[British Red]

But developing the skills to do it and all the practice pieces I'd need means it makes a lot more sense to just buy the panes in from india or where ever and make the frame myself.

No, no it doesn't. Its the skills that matter - not the stuff

 

[tombear]

get thee behind me satan!

Its like the 18th C shoe dilema.

I would like a accurate pair of 18th C mens shoes to fit my odd shaped feet. I started reading up on the subject, collecting the tools and practicing a bit. I only want one pair of them and I will probably not wear them out, at least not the uppers which would mean a new pair. It finally struck me that the amount of money and effort id have to put into it to get a final product id be happy with (being a tart) would far outweigh coughing up for a really good pair from a pro! I'm now poking around to see if i can find a maker who would accept a whole bunch of rather nice cobblers tools as part payment for a pair!

Just had the first complaint from a child home from school about the smell. Time to open more windows!

ATB

Tom

 

[British Red]

You should try my workshop today......

Paint stripper, woodworm killer, white spirit, & spray paint.

Fragrant! I could charge admission to breather that lot!