Shaping Horn....

I just came across this video on Youtube

YouTube - Herstellung Abbeyhorn Shoehorn

It is a long established English company that makes shoehorns from...horn!:) The vid shows their process. It is consistent with what I have read in some of the old texts. Heat the horn to a temp less than molten lead ( under 600 F.) then place in a heated mold and press...but not to hard or the horn will "delaminate" , fibers will seperate.
Note that they leave the horn in the mold, under pressure, for 5 or more minutes.
I gotta try this with my forge and shop press!:)

Wonder if that can be done with warped scales, heat them up and squish on to a flat surface.

That's cool Randy. Best I've ever done with horn is to heat it up in boiling water and squeeze it flat between two plates.

1. Horn stinks when it's cut on a bandsaw. 2. It really stinks when you burn it. 3. It'll stink some more when you get it wet.

The Abbeyhorn guys make it look easy though. Thanks.

Mike, can you estimate the pressure from that vice?

Thanks Randy! That is an interesting video. I would think that the folks working there pray for a good head cold!
Respectfully
~Richard