Horn straightening??? (Reducing the curve) THE FIX!

[vandeusen1987]

I'm building a horn for my oldest boy now since I finished the one for my youngest...i needed a rather thick horn for what I wanted to do...pic will show explanation...so I opted for a water buffalo horn knowing they are really thick but also usually have a little more curve to them when I received the horn and opened the box I was pleased with the thickness and started in on the fancy file work I had planned, suddenly an idea popped in my head...i better check the depth to see how much of the tip is solid...crud! Long story short I need to lessen the curve a bit( quite a bit) so drilling the spout A: does NOT end in catastrophe B: will be functional and C: don't have to cut off way to much of the tip. Is this possible? I'm thinking maybe heat in oil and gently bend? Possibly fill with sand and temporary plug so it doesn't flatten? Need some expert help with this one...any and all help/ideas will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[Hungry Horse]

 I’ve never had any luck straightening a horn. The thin part of the horn can be manipulated to some degree, but the thick end is going to be another story. You might have been able to make the horn work if you had drilled the spout before you added the VERY deep fluting, but I think you will experience a break out drilling the spout now.

  Hungry Horse

[Tim Crosby]

 Bending is not an option as "HH" said above. The thing to do if you want to try it is cut the tip and drill as deep as you can, maybe down to that 5th spiral, not past the curve. Take a piece of drill rod heat it and bend it to roughly match the curve/center line. Heat it red hot and slowly, a little at a time push it in from the tip. Test you progress with another wire, cloths hanger will do. If the cavity is not very deep you can try coming in from the large end and meeting the burned hole. I've only done it once and that was enough, I got it through but was not happy with what I got.

   Tim C.

PS: This is an Outside job. TC

[Eseabee1]

I agree with everything that Tim Crosby has said.

[vandeusen1987]

Bending is not an option as "HH" said above. The thing to do if you want to try it is cut the tip and drill as deep as you can, maybe down to that 5th spiral, not past the curve. Take a piece of drill rod heat it and bend it to roughly match the curve/center line. Heat it red hot and slowly, a little at a time push it in from the tip. Test you progress with another wire, cloths hanger will do. If the cavity is not very deep you can try coming in from the large end and meeting the burned hole. I've only done it once and that was enough, I got it through but was not happy with what I got.

   Tim C.

PS: This is an Outside job. TC

  Thanks Tim I hadn't thought about burning through...that might be my best bet...ill post the outcome whatever it may be...probably be a day or 2, working night shift this weekend

[Jim Spray]

Burning it will make a smell you will never forget but that's about your only choice.

[bigsmoke]

I must say, that is the prettiest water buffalo horn I have ever seen.
The horn workers from India have used a technique that is "interesting."
So, what they do on the occasion that they cannot reach the cavity from the tip, is they drill down from the tip as far as possible, then marking where the drill stops, they go in from the bottom side of the horn and drill down into the cavity, hoping I guess that the two holes will match up.  Then they fill the outside access hole with body filler.  I guess it works, but nothing I would ever have done in all my horn working over the years.
And that's a FWIW, not a recommendation, for sure.
What is a recommendation is that the first thing to do when working on a powder horn is to:  a)  cut the tip off and b)  drill the hole.  If nothing else, that can save the frustration of doing a lot of work and then drilling out the bottom of the horn.  Just my two cents worth, but what do I know?

John (Bigsmoke)

[vandeusen1987]

Thanks for the interesting info...all the other horns ive made I do just that, cut the tip then drill the hole...i didn't on this one because wasnt sure if id be happy with spirals or if theyd even turn out right...jumped the gun so now gotta make due...im kinda thinking my boy might need a Viking style drinking horn instead...lol!

[Elnathan]

On every horn I have made or started making (there is, alas, a difference!) I cut the tip off 1-1 1/4" ahead of the cavity and just drilled straight into the cavity. After that I just shape and thin the outside of the horn to where I want it. I thought this was standard operating procedure, and it never occurred to me that anyone would try drilling through several inches of horn. Is this why people have problems with drilling through the side?

Something else to think about, Vandeusen: I don't see any provision for a strap retention system in that design. How is he going to tie the strap on?

[rich pierce]

Yep, I’d sacrifice an inch and a half at least. That makes it less curvy and more likely to succeed. I’m too skeered to ever start shaping before drilling.

[Tim Crosby]

Something else to think about, Vandeusen: I don't see any provision for a strap retention system in that design. How is he going to tie the strap on?

 A Staple to secure its position when wrapped around the horn or a furniture pull screwed into the horn or an eye bolt through the horn held with a square nut, an applied tip, lots of ideas out there.

   Tim C.

[Elnathan]

Something else to think about, Vandeusen: I don't see any provision for a strap retention system in that design. How is he going to tie the strap on?

 A Staple to secure its position when wrapped around the horn or a furniture pull screwed into the horn or an eye bolt through the horn held with a square nut, an applied tip, lots of ideas out there.

   Tim C.

True, but it is probably a good idea to figure that out before finishing the spirals so the hanging system doesn't end up awkwardly "stuck on," so to speak. Vandeusen may already have a plan, but I'd thought I'd ask anyway.

[vandeusen1987]

My plan for the strap...im doing an applied tip, granted the hole makes it through alright, going to be two part...collar-turned antler spout-turned antler also...i really like turning antler like the look...ill integrate strap retention into the collar I'm thinking about gluing up 5 pieces of maple with 4 pieces of walnut in a checker board pattern then turning a base plug from that

[vandeusen1987]

Well now I have to get the ol brain fired up and run it wide open for a bit to come up with a repair...was going really quite well until my glowing red hot rod decide to swerve off the road and burn through the belly of two spirals...😯😤😵...i have a couple ideas that will make the horn work and will also make it a conversation starter...i have about 1 3/4" to repair/patch or replace ( between blue lines in pic) any ideas...my plan C is to start over probably with bison...

[vandeusen1987]

[vandeusen1987]

I think ive come up with a fix...






that's just a piece of spalted maple I had in my scrap box...now that I know it will work and somewhat will look like I will make the repair out of curly maple...going to add some antler in the mix somewhere also 

[vandeusen1987]

I think ive come up with a fix...






that's just a piece of spalted maple I had in my scrap box...now that I know it will work and somewhat will look like I will make the repair out of curly maple...going to add some antler in the mix somewhere also

I sctatched this fix and went with a similar fix but all together different...
All I have left to do is polish stain assemble and seal...should be done beginning of the week then I'll post pics

[Daryl]

I've never seen water buffalo horns of that colour or contour.
This is more normal, I think. It just happened to be in the water.



Water buffalo and Bantang, I think.

[vandeusen1987]

I've never seen water buffalo horns of that colour or contour.
This is more normal, I think. It just happened to be in the water.



Water buffalo and Bantang, I think.

there are multiple breeds

[Craig Wilcox]

We had "carabao" in the Philippines - best tool made for working rice paddies.

You know, we need to talk with some engineers.  For years, they have had directional boring machines to put in water or sewer lines under a road, under an existing canal, etc.  Perhaps an engineer could come up with a "micro" version for boring a 3/8" to 1/2" curved hole in horn material.  After all, if they can bore a 2' diameter hole down into the ground at a 45 deg angle, then have it turn and drill parallel to the surface for several hundred feet, then back up to the surface, they can certainly drill a 3" deep hole paralleling the sides of a horn.

Just thinking....