Thread: Workin with horn is making me crazy!!!!

I know exactly what you mean and it's the main issue I have been talking about many many times but apparently nobody wanted to believe me.

Once a horn slab is warped you can boil, steam and clamp as much as you want. Been there, done that. It will eventually warp again or go back to its original state of warping. Depending the condition they end up it can be a slow process or a quick one. That's one of the reasons I always warn people about the eventual future problems that might arise with horn and the proper maintenance needed to keep the horn in good condition for the longest time possible. I've seen and worked with enough of those horn slabs to know what I'm talking about.

The delaminating with some of the horn slabs, especially the blond ox can sometimes be a nightmare too. Neatsfoot oil can help. But even sanding can sometimes suddenly reveal a crack or tear on the surface and this mostly happens when you're nearly done sanding the scales. Most of the time when peening the area around the drilled holes will delaminate and reveal an underlying air bubble very slightly.

Basically it takes a very high QC, luck, patience and determination to use horn slabs. Now I do have to say I used to have horn slabs hat never gave me as many headaches and I'm sure different horn slabs from different sources can act completely different.