Cutting a horn

[hortonstn]

I've got a nice powder horn I've had for years I'd like to cut it down in size and do some scrimshaw
Is it safe to just cut it on a band saw of course the powder is out of the horn?

[Tim Crosby]

 Yes. You may be surprised though at the thickness of the horn. I it was probably trimmed/thickness reduced to fit the shape of the plug. You will have to make a new plug for it or reshape the old.
 Here is an unfinished horn that I cut down close to the size I was looking for. you can see how much work there is to get it right. The entire horn will have to be reshaped.
 You may be better off just making a new horn.

  Tim

 

[J Henry]

   I have some Highlanders that are thick like that.

[Top Jaw]

When you say shorten, and scrimshaw, those two words are not used in the same sentence very often.  Most people want longer horns to Scrimshaw on.  If you want to cut it to remove the bass plug you can cut just to the bottom of the pins through the thickness of the horn and pull it or tap it out from there, if not too much glue was used. I did this last night on a horn I’m replacing the base on.  I was trying to preserve as much length as I could in the process.

If it’s a longer whitish horn with a decent twist, it’s sort of a shame to shorten it much and cancel out most of the horns architecture in the process.  I would leave it as long as possible if it were mine.  If it’s an old 70’s or 80’s mass produced machine made version - that has little to no twist, and is bulky, then knock yourself out.  My 2 cents.

[Elnathan]

If you have any worries about the saw igniting residual powder dust, you can just pour a little water in the spout and swish it around to wet everything down before it goes to the saw.

Having said that, a hacksaw does the job just fine too.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

It will be a tricky and dangerous job to cut a horn on a bandsaw.  The blades teeth with grab the horn and twist it out of your hand, ruining the blade most likely, and there's a good chance your hand may become involved too.  Cut your horn with a sharp hacksaw blade if you must cut it at all.
A better solution would be to find another horn that is the size and shape you are looking for, and leave the old one alone.

[Hungry Horse]

 I’ve cut dozens of horns on my old bandsaw, and never had a bind up. I’ve also cut antler, goat horn, mastodon  ivory, bone, sheet brass, and pipestone. But, I use a ten teeth per inch blade in it, instead of a skiptoothed blade.

  Hungry Horse