How to flatten slab of honey horn?

I used a reputable ebay seller; asked that the pieces be flat; explained I was using them for straight razor scales... You know they showed up with a gentle bow to them.

It's not horrible but I can't see it being acceptable. I chose 5mm slabs so I have a little bit to work with, but I don't think I'll have much left if I try to surface the slabs flat. Plus, they have a bit of give to them so any of the methods I have used for thickessing material won't work. The slabs will just flatten out and rebound back.

Any suggestions on how to take some of the smile out of translucent honey horn? If pictures will help, I'd be happy to post them..

I think the general method is boiling water until the soften and then clamp them flat and cool quickly. There have been a few threads if you want something more exact and full of pictures.

Here's a link from a recent thread on this topic.

Click link here. http://straightrazorpalace.com/works...horn-flat.html

Bearing in mind that you need to take the thickness down to about 3mm it might be worth considering just sanding out the bow - if it's not too bad. There's far less likelyhood that they will bow again if you do that.

Heat and Pressed

That part is undisputed :)


How much Heat = Argued quite a bit :)

What kind of Heat = Argued

How long in the press= Argued

Straightened before or after shaping = Argued

Cooling after = Argued


Heck pretty much all everyone does is argue about it :(

Me I just keep on doing the same thing that has worked for years and I can't count how many sets of horn

If I have the time I boil the horn and then press the horn blanks in a vice, 24 hours later I do it again and leave them in the press until I use them... Smells up the whole house so pick a day when SWMBO is away...

If you are doing one set and want a faster way use Steam it has more heat energy, you have to make a press that will allow the steam to penetrate to the scales.. I uses two pieces of Oak that have had multiple 1/4 inch holes drilled through them...

I also built a really complicated system to concentrate the steam, it might take some time to build one of these but it is well worth it for many scale adjusting techniques...

In case that hint wasn't totally obvious you can use the steam pipe for slight adjustments on scales that are on the razor, Horn Celluloid even Bakelite all these can be tweaked pretty easy if you take your time...

Here are the plans ps: I have a patent don't try and steal it hehehehehe

Attachment 195463

Thanks all.. Glen, though I am quite mechanically inclined, that contraption has me flabergasted.. Looks like you canibalized the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz. ;-)

Like most good plans, mine is to use a little of all of the above. Cut to basic profile. Heat, clamp & Cool. Let the thinknessing process do the rest.

Stay tuned...

Sort of Okie but it works for me:) fill an old sock with about 5 lbs of lead shot,I used #7 shot but #4 may be better:)
Heat my hotplate to about 150 Degs,Place bag of shot on material,let set for a couple days.
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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 :(

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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 :(

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

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

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

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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. :)
Attachment 195601Attachment 195602Attachment 195603

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Originally Posted by alpla444

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....

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Originally Posted by karlej

.....I clamp them up between 2 pieces of scrap aluminum and put them in the ice box for an hour....]

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Seems like all you gents clamp the pieces between aluminum.. Is there a reason for that or is that what you have available?

I remember a post by "mycarver", who's scale work is probably the best I have personally seen, describing his method. He uses dry heat rather than boiling water which he suggests can swell the fibre of the horn and lead to delamination. The horn is heated to 325-350 deg F. until the scale become rubbery, then over flex the scales opposite the warp and cooled in cold water,no clamping needed.I recall he actually uses a propane torch to play the flame over the concave of the warp, but a heat gun or toaster oven would also work if flattening entire slabs.The key is over flexing the horn to relieve the stress in the scales that actually want to return to being a cows horn.If it is not over flexed opposite the warp while still rubbery it may not stay flat. I used his method to flatten a pair of rams horn slabs that were bowed and it has worked to my satisfaction.

There is also the "run them over with your car" method.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/works...s-process.html

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Originally Posted by MikekiM

Seems like all you gents clamp the pieces between aluminum.. Is there a reason for that or is that what you have available?

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It's just what I had available. It's light, flat and about the right size so I did not have to cut it.

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

Heat and Pressed

That part is undisputed :)


How much Heat = Argued quite a bit :)

What kind of Heat = Argued

How long in the press= Argued

Straightened before or after shaping = Argued

Cooling after = Argued


Heck pretty much all everyone does is argue about it :(

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God I love when I am right... :rofl2:

Actually even the "Pressed" part is now up for debate :p

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

God I love when I am right... :rofl2:

Actually even the "Pressed" part is now up for debate :p

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Well... it's good to have options!!

:aargh:

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.

http://i713.photobucket.com/albums/w...x.jpg~original

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http://i713.photobucket.com/albums/w...u.jpg~original

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Originally Posted by MikekiM

Seems like all you gents clamp the pieces between aluminum.. Is there a reason for that or is that what you have available?

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Aluminum is cheap

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Originally Posted by celticcrusader

Here's my method Michael....

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Thanks Jamie.. that's a sweet DD for sure..

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Originally Posted by mainaman

Aluminum is cheap

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I have a good supply of alu plate in my shop. I was just curious whether there was ulterior motive or benefit to choice of material...

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Originally Posted by MikekiM

Seems like all you gents clamp the pieces between aluminum.. Is there a reason for that or is that what you have available?

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Its just what I have and it works, Aluminum is not a great heat conductor and its quite flat so it works well for those 2 reasons for me.

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Originally Posted by alpla444

Its just what I have and it works, Aluminum is not a great heat conductor and its quite flat so it works well for those 2 reasons for me.

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Aluminum is a very good heat conductor, it is the fourth best heat conductor of all common metals, Copper, Silver, Gold being the 3 ahead. Al has about half the thermal conductivity of Copper and Silver. Because it is a good heat conductor cooking pans are made from aluminum. Carbon steel and especially stainless steel are not very good heat conductors.

Horn can be fickle when it comes to staying flat. I've had a few slabs that were flat when I got them, but curved after letting them sit for awhile and once flattened would curve again if I let them sit afterwards. What I've found to work pretty well is a light steam to allow them to flatten and clamp them between two heated pieces of steel. I will heat the steel to where it is too hot to touch and allow the scales and steel to cool completely before removing from clamp. Try not to let them sit to long before making your scales. Once cut and shaped there is less material to put tension on itself and might help keep them flat.

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Originally Posted by mainaman

Aluminum is a very good heat conductor, it is the fourth best heat conductor of all common metals, Copper, Silver, Gold being the 3 ahead. Al has about half the thermal conductivity of Copper and Silver. Because it is a good heat conductor cooking pans are made from aluminum. Carbon steel and especially stainless steel are not very good heat conductors.

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quite right you are, a typing error on my part well spotted, (it needs to be a good heat conductor for the way I use it as the horn is between the sheets and in the vice only a bit of the Horn slab is visible, I need the quick heat spread to get all the horn warm)