Thread: Drinking Horns

No advice on how to do it, but I want to be in line to get one when you figure it out!

Do you only do this with cattle horns? Another one that would be interesting is antelope (Pronghorn). Their horns are hollow, though much more porous than bovine type, so may need some sort of "liner".

But you can't tell me a set of these wouldn't make a sweet "cup" Maybe with some gold trim...

Through all the research that I have done, bovine appears to be the most popular, however I have seen buffalo and rams horn used as well. As far as a "liner" goes, it appears that when one is used beeswax or a safe varnish is used.

I'll post some pics when I get my little project going. I ordered a couple of horns from a website this morning so hopefully I can get cracking on it in the next week or so.

Originally Posted by ChrisL

No intent to offend on my part. I can say that cow was certainly not killed for its horns and it was raised on a small farm by a farmer that takes pride in his small herd (approx 15 head). The farmer told me of the cow, when he handed me the head/horns, that we "was a good boy" and I can say that he was serious in his sentiment and I'm very appreciative that I got them from him.

Chris L

I did not think you had... I just hadn't been expecting them, that's all.

Originally Posted by JMS

And yet you have that...err...how did you put it? Lovely...thats it. You have that lovely avatar.

Ah, well, that is stage blood :P

It makes a difference to me, but, then again, I'm a pansy

Run antelope Run, I dont think pronghorn would be good for a drinking cup but maybe a shot glass

Originally Posted by medic484

Run antelope Run, I dont think pronghorn would be good for a drinking cup but maybe a shot glass

Or a shot at glass.

if there available live meal worms will eat the inside out also... boiling is the best method...don't use chemical cleaners on the inside to clean it...by a good bottle of Honey MEAD!!!!! and let is sit and soak for 24 to 48 hours... then let is dry out and use pure golden beeswax to coat the inside,,and about two inches on the outside rim/lip or you can use dental acryllic liquid..it's very expensive but you will be able to drink warm to hot drinks out fo your horn...with beeswax you can only drink cold to slightly warn beverages! when sanding the outside..it's like restoring a straight razor all one direction and best advise is use wet sand paper...if you need any more advise or trips and tricks i'll be here!...also out side scales can be a huge mess so use a really sharp knife to get them off and as close to flush as possible! i think it's the hardest part! it's a really fun project! i'll post a pic of some of my mead horns tonight..

or Applecider vinegar works great for sanitizing the interior...

remember you will get sick if you drink from a unsanitized horn...

Wulfgar

A little bigger than a shot glass... but not quite "pint" size.
I've got a few. Antelope meat is tasty too!

Originally Posted by medic484

Run antelope Run, I dont think pronghorn would be good for a drinking cup but maybe a shot glass

you right i've seen some nice sized cups made from Pronghorn and i think held about 3/4 cup of liquids....not bad! i love the transformation from dusty scaley beat up horn to a highly polished smooth mead horn...plus the colors change like the grand canyon from start to finish..you think it's going to be a terra cotta color and then it's a light grey or coral color with rich white patterns...always amazing..even the matching set will be different colors sometimes!...

My horns came in today! I ordered a small horn, a medium sized horn, and a horn with a carved mouthpiece for blowing from a supplier that uses most of his horns for powder horns. I've still got to do a fair amount of cleaning in order to make the two suitable for drinking utensils, however, the one for blowing has a horrible stench to it! I'm boiling all three now and I am then going to try and scrape the insides some more before I begin decorating.

I want to carve the larger horn, but I want to get a dremel tool first. I understand that makes the process of carving much simpler. Any tips Wulfgar, on knocking out that stench?

yeah that's a very nasty stench i know what your talking about..boiling is def the right thing to do...hard brush the outside and inside..let them dry for 24 hours first, then use mead, or applecider vineager....leave the mead or cider in the horn filled right to the brim for 24 hours... and then drain and let dry..if you still have a ton of stench do it again..but boiling is not nessary a second time...also make sure your not boiling on high heat like boiling eggs..let it role then shut the heat down until it's barely boiling!

if your tops/mouth peices are rough i would suggest using the dremel tool with the disc cutter to cut them down and even...while wet...straight out of the pot..try not to use a hand saw or chop saw...hacksaw with a fine metal cutting blade is good also!

if your going to carve with the dremel tool and do a 3D look i'd think twice..your bette off with some quality scrimshanding blades and hooks!

also with the inside cleaning when you think you got everything out rinsing is looking clear...get the brush in there again and again...you'll be amazed at how much shit comes out of there..lol!

if you have the means post some pics of the raw horns you have now so we can see the progress..it's going to be alot of fun!

happy crafting!