Thread: Some thoughts about horn.

Lets not forget that most if not all old horn scales were formed by heating and clamping in a vice, At the heats used thermoplastic horn nearly melts, some old descriptions of the clamps mention horn dripping down the sides, so on occasion it did become liquid.

In order to stop the clamps rusting and prevent the horn sticking, copious amounts of talllow were used. This is an animal fat and for all I know it mixed with the horn if the horn was liquid enough.

Once the clamps are cooled, a lengthy process in some instances seeing as how descriptions say a hole was dug and a set or rack of clamps was buried in it, the horn blanks were removed, trimmed and oiled with neatsfoot oil.

They were then polished, using tripoli powder in oil, cleaned, oile again, put into pairs and sent to the settr-in, who installed tbe blade, No doubt a final coat of oily or waxy matter was applied before wrapping in waxed paper znd sealing in coffin boxes ready for sale.

Thats a lot of fat, oil and wax protecting the scale.

I don't know but strongly suspect that warping is a kind of reversion to the horns natural state: a tapered, curving, conical form forced flat by beat.

Regards,
Neil