Thread: Horn Scale Blanks

Has anyone experienced scale blanks warping?

I bought some black buffalo horn from masecraft over a year ago and had them stored at room temp in a Tupperware type container since I moved to Las Vegas. When I opened it up yesterday to actually put them to use, the blanks are warped and bowed; probably now just unusable.

Is it possible to straighten these out again? Maybe by heating them and pressing them?

I'd say if we can get 180 year old horn scales looking like new again, that it's possible to fix your one year old warped ones.

A smart fellah by the name of Geezer suggested a vegetable steamer to soften them up again. I haven't tried it yet, but he's seldom wrong about things.

You could also heat them up with a hair dryer, a la Undream, press them, and dunk in cold water.

Another fellah by the name of Gssixgun, IIRC, uses boiling water, and a jig, to straighten warped horn scales.

My personal success story is an oven at 325 until pliable, followed by pressing them between machine ground plates with hand clamps, and dunking in cold water.

So, as you can see, the methods are many. Pick your poison.

In this thread there is talk about steaming and bending; http://straightrazorpalace.com/works...ry-repair.html

I have had good success with Undream's version :

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

Any natural material will always expand and contract.twist and contort unless clamped in place.Steam it,clamp it to a pce of hardwood,metal,whatever for a few weeks.

Then oil and/or wax will seal it somewhat so the problem will be less!

I will add that a dry heat may cause some delamination of the horn fibers. That has happened to me on occasion. A humid atmosphere does not change the liquid content of scales as much as a dry.
Here is another from the WIki:
Fixing_warped_horn_scales
I have used all the methods mentioned above and they will all work well, the steaming with Jig method would be preferred.
A combination of a board with the scales clamped on both sides and a steam source like a vegetable steamer pot has worked the best for me. A good amount of time must be allowed for the steam heat to spread completely throgh the horn. The slabs will take more time!
I am glad to know that 325º temperature point. Thank you!
~Richard