Flat horns

[Rev]

Since we have been talking elsewhere today about flat horns & how to make them, I thought I would throw in my two cents worth. Ogie has a very ingenious press design that seems to work very well. Mine is more of the shade tree approach, but it works well & everyone pretty much already has what it takes. Simply put, a vise, two small pieces of 1 x 4 & a shaper piece ( I have several different sizes left over from earlier projects) about 1/2 to 5/8 inch thick (never measured it). Simply heat the horn (I use hot oil) & slip it in between the two pieces of wood. Crank the vise down to close to where you want it & insert the shaper. Close the jaws of the vise the rest of the way while pushing the shaper further in & let cool. Usually takes less than half an hour.



I did these 5 yesterday using that method (like I have said before, prolific as hell). They are about 3/4" thick, 4 - 5 inches tall when standing on the base.



A couple will be scrimmed, the rest left as you see them. Dyed with Rit berries, Golden Yellow & a very small pinch of Dark Brown.

[cornfed]

Rev, Thanx for the imfo. I am wondering if there are issues with the horn cracking  or if that is overcome by getting the horn to a certain thickness before doing the heating and pressing. Been wanting to try this real soon, like this weekend maybe. Thanx for any help, cornfed aka ridjrunr

[texasranger]

Great info thanks, I had been wanting to try a flat horn. now I know how to do it.

[Rev]

Thinner horns work best.

[Rev]

Rev, Thanx for the imfo. I am wondering if there are issues with the horn cracking  or if that is overcome by getting the horn to a certain thickness before doing the heating and pressing. Been wanting to try this real soon, like this weekend maybe. Thanx for any help, cornfed aka ridjrunr

If you use hot oil it wont crack, hot water & it might. You can get the same result as oil with a heat gun, but it is easier to scorch the horn. In oil it takes about 25 - 30 seconds to get soft, not much more before it will scorch.

[cornfed]

Thanx Rev, I saw the post about this on the other forum after I asked. I'll give it a go.