I will start out saying the look of horn for scales is my absoult favorite may it be translucent buffalo horn, honey ox horn or black horn. Its easy to cut and sand and polishes beautifully and does not require a finish and feels good in your hand.
BUT...... It has to be the most tempermental natural substraight I have ever incountered. Its either delaminating or warping. Unfornaturally the only place I have found to buy horn slabs is an online source and I can not select the horn. The slabs I have been recieveing all are either delaminating or are warped or both, some more than others. I orderd 10 1/8x2x6 slabs I have so far cut and polished 6 sets of scales and a 3 out of the 6 are unuseable. And looking at the rest I see nothing but trouble. Anyone else have this problem? OOOOOH This is driving me nuts!!!! Time for a beer or ten