Thread: How to flatten slab of honey horn?

i had this question for few weeks ago, you know what i did eveything, just one Works, Your Luck, anythings else dose not work, you straighten them and then they rebound back, of 10 pairs maybe one stay straightened

Originally Posted by jemmo

i had this question for few weeks ago, you know what i did eveything, just one Works, Your Luck, anythings else dose not work, you straighten them and then they rebound back, of 10 pairs maybe one stay straightened

Did you try going over 300° F in the oven ???? You have to approach this carefully but it should work

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Did you try going over 300° F in the oven ???? You have to approach this carefully but it should work

lik i sad Glen, i did EVEYTHING, some be good some nothing, and then i thought maybe it depens on quality of the horn, i dont know maybe, but one of them be good and i could do a Nice scales for a Heljestrand MK 6 , the other rebound back

I had some luck with bending by hand, going beyond straight using hand pressure and a real heat gun, then holding until cool. It rebounds but back to what is very close to straight. Then I got it all pinned up with the bows offsetting each other.

I'll see if I can get the flat.. I have enough options and material to try a few strategies.

Unfortunately, the bow is at one end. If it were in the middle, I would be less concerned about getting them perfect and would use the bow to my benefit.. Not the case.

It's all good in the end. This is part of the fun of doing this kind of work..

Horn, any horn, is going to have a tendency to move, shift, bow, but I use either hot water or steam and then cool in cold water immediately and do it multiple times. I am not looking for dead straight as, once again, it is a natural material-horn. I am looking for near straight and enough for the blade to clear once pinned. I find it helped me to use the natural bend in my favor when making the scales instead of fighting against it. Just my 2¢

I use a heat gun while the slab is in between two pieces of aluminum which is in a vice, as I heat it I slowly turn the vice tighter and tighter and then let it cool down, for a day or so (I know thats a long time, but I am never in a rush when I do it,)
That method works for me, the odd time the horn has been stubborn and needed a 2nd go

This is the steaming rig I use. If the scales are near finished it only takes a couple minutes in the steam and they are soft. If I'm working from a blank I cut them to shape on a band saw before they see the steam. I clamp them up between 2 pieces of scrap aluminum and put them in the ice box for an hour. When they come out you have to let them sit for a bit because the scales are frozen to the aluminum. Nothing fancy about it and it works for me.
I hope I haven't infringed on anyone's patent.

Here's my method Michael I only used it last week on this Goldedge came in with a nasty warped set of scales I make a wedge from wood slightly smaller than the internal diamiter of the scales almost the full length cut out a small section if your razor as three pins, then glue a piece of brass plate to the wood to give it rigitity now you wedge is the same size exatly as the internal measurement of the scales, now get a pan of hot water not boiling hold the blade and place your scales into the pan for 30 or 40 seconds now remove and quickly clamp the scales tight and flush to the internal wedge alllow to cool job done.