Thread: Bison Horn Characteristics

So I'm kicking around the net and thinking about things I'd like to have/do and the projects I have cued up and the thought occurs to me...

I have a W&B with what appears to be American Bison horn scales (dull black with grain, not smooth like other horn scales I've had).

Shopping online I've found some vendors of American Bison horn for less than $10/ea. I imagine, perhaps naively that the process for making scales is relatively straight forward, not unlike making wood scales.

But then the thought came to me that if I bought a horn or two for scales, it'd be awesome if I could turn a matching brush from it. But I don't know if that's possible. The only bison horn brushes I could find online were of the tips, whereas I'm thinking more of a traditional handle shape. I don't know if the bison horn is capable of this. I also don't know how much of a polish it will take. The guys on Mythbusters were able to polish a turd, but can you really polish a bison horn?

I appreciate your input.

Peace,
Jim

Buffalo horn is interesting. The black part that could be used for scales is a shell that fits over an inner "horn". Only the tips are solid. I don't think the solid tips are large are large enough to make a brush - maybe a horn tip with a wood or plastic main body. The shells are quite thin - could probably be flattened by boiling and used for scales. Let us know what you come up with.

Skip,
Thanks for the reply. I had wondered about how hollow the "cap" was. That may be why the only bison handled brushes I've seen were just the points. I may order one in just to play with it.

So far as scales go, boiling or steaming to flatten strips and then shaping for the scale is my idea. I can't see how they would have done it much differently on my W&B.

Jim

You might be able to shape the beginning of the hollow part of the horn, by steaming or boiling - with the solid tip still attached - into a cup to hold the knot. That is, if you could find a supplier that would cut it that way - or just buy the whole horn. Could be an interesting project.

A couple vendors online sell "horn caps" that are 9-14" (I think it depends on how they measure them) for about $7-8. For that price I might just order one and play around with it. I have a couple razors that need scales, so buying the whole horn would at least provide me scale material, and possibly leave enough leftover to play around with the idea of a brush.

I have worked with horn during my re-enactment days. Horn was the plastic of that era. The tips are sold anywhere from 1/2" to 2" up the tip, depending on how the animal grew them. To find where the solid poing ends, or starts depending on your point of view, Take a wire hanger, insert it into the horn all the way to the tip. Make sure it follows the inside curve of the horn and mark with a marker, where the wire exits the mouth of the horn. extract the wire and place it on the outside of the horn. be sure it follows the same curve that you followed on the inside. where the wire ends on the outside of the horn is a very good approximation of the end of the solid tip. From that you can measure the outside diameter of the horn for your knot. I would cut it a little long and sand it back on a belt sander to the proper diameter for a knot.
for scales: Earlier today I cut the tip off of a horn on my bandsaw and then sawed the horn in half lengthwise. (It is a small horn) Be aware that cutting horn stinks terribly, so do it outside, or open your garage door all the way if using a bandsaw. Also use a mask, I dont know what that fine dust can do to you, if anything at all. Then wait till your other half goes out for the night and boil it in a pot for an hour or so, or boil it outside on a propane camp stove (preferable) Boiled horn does not smell too bad unless it is raw horn and you have to extract the meat from the interior. While cooking the horn, Prepare your bench vise or C-clamps to accept the heated horn that you cut in half. I clamped mine in my bench vice between two pine boards. Use the boards otherwise you will have marks in your horn when it dries. Be sure to clamp down enough to flatten the horn. I turned mine untill the vice bound up pretty good. Leave the horn alone for a few hours to cool. It should be very flat when you remove it. Mine turned out very well and I will be trying my hand at making horn scales in the near future. Be advised to bring the horn to your vice while it is still in the pot of hot water or it will cool and you will have to boil it again. Hope this helps you out. Ok, at this point is the usual disclaimer. I am an amatuer and I am only putting in print, information on how I have worked with horn years ago. I am sure there are many other ways of accomplishing the same thing. I am not responsible for how you use or misuse this information. YMMV.