Question for powderhorn builders

[Jumpy]

What do you horn builders use to put a shiney finish on your horns? Do you just use oooo steel wool and leave it at that?

[skillman]

I tend to scrape for my finish and then wax it. I don't like a highly polished finish. You can rub the horns out to get a smoother finish after using fine steel wool or you can use a buffing wheel for a really polished finish.

Steve

[Horner75]

I like to hand buff my powder horns with #0000 and do not buff, as I think that a high polished buff makes the horn look to much like plastic.  TJMHO

Rick

[Spinner]

A brown Scotchbrite pad works nicely for final polishing.  If you plan to dye the horn leave a little "tooth" to absorb the dye, then finish with wax as Skillman suggests.  Horner is right.  A high polish looks artificial.

[Jumpy]

Thank you, gentlemen.

[HAWKEN]

I am certainly not an expert, I have only made three, but I polished them with 0000 steel wool, then waxed them with Johnsons Paste Floor Wax and they look good.  They have a nice semi gloss sheen.........robin  

Expert=ex, is a has been or the one left behind, and a spurt is a drip under pressure.......

[seesbirds]

The work I do requires a highly polished surface, so I polish the surface up to 12000 (yes you read that right) grit before I start to engrave the horn.  When I'm finished I go back over the horn with 3600 grit to knock down the shine a bit and then finish it with a coat of Renaissance Wax (a museum quality microcrystalline wax that protects and does not show fingerprints.)  But then, I am not a "normal" horn maker...