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Buffalo Horn Pen Blanks. How Are They Made?


Calamus plasticus

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I mean, water buffalo horns are huge and curved.

How do you obtain tubular blanks from them?

May be a stupid question, but I am intrigued...

Does somebody know?

Thanks and good day.

Edited by Calamus plasticus
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you cut em to size... however importing of water buffalo material is typically banned hence Hakase won't make you a water buffalo pen unless your living in Japan or perhaps pick it up in Japan but thats how you do it I'm not sure what happens to the rest perhaps the rest is grounded up and sold to china? someway somehow

Edited by Algester
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you cut em to size

Ok, but how do you straight them? They're curved... And they seem big...

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you cut em to size... however importing of water buffalo material is typically banned hence Hakase won't make you a water buffalo pen unless your living in Japan or perhaps pick it up in Japan but thats how you do it I'm not sure what happens to the rest perhaps the rest is grounded up and sold to china? someway somehow

 

Not true. It's tortoise-shell that is banned. There is no restriction on sale of water buffalo pens (or other products)...

Too many pens; too little writing.

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well first you need a water buffalo...

 

Got it! Now what?

 

post-76489-0-65053900-1413822205.jpg

Edited by Calamus plasticus
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Since I'm fairly sure shooting it is illegal in many countries, wait for it to die, clean the flesh, dry the skeleton (or you can leave it in the middle of a desert!), and then saw out the horns..!

 

Jokes apart, I'm fairly certain that the artist (whoever works with a water buffalo horn is an artist, no sh!t,, :D ) needs only 2 straight pieces for A pen (total 10 CM length should be enough), Looking at the picture I'm sure this guy can contribute for at least 15. So you cut them down carefully (maybe a miniature & sophisticated rotating wheel ?) to get the most straight pieces.

I won't rule out carborundum either.

 

Would like some pen makers to chime in.

 

peace!

 

 

 

*misc

Edited by Anirban4u

Opensuse_2.png http://www.gnu.org/graphics/gnubanner-2.png

Looking for: Camlin pens (minus SD/Trinity/Elegante)

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You can buy horn blanks on ebay, beartoothwoods, and a few other places fairly cheap. It's not the best material to use b/c it has a grain and can easily crack and split during machining or after the pen is made. Been there done that.

The horn is solid, so when you cut it up, you just, you know, cut it up into the shapes and sizes you want.
Google is your friend.

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The horn is solid, so when you cut it up, you just, you know, cut it up into the shapes and sizes you want.

Google is your friend.

So, that's the trick: the horn is solid! I thought that bovine horns were hollow... But well, if they are solid you can take a good number from just one horn. Or perhaps water buffalo horns are solid and other bovinos are not? Why there are not cow or deer horn fountain pens?

 

I own a Danitrio buffalo horn and was intrigued about the process. Mine is like this:post-76489-0-56096800-1413834089_thumb.jpg

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There are deer antler pens. Usually on kits. I don't like the way horn smells... neither does my wife. So I'm forbidden from using that in my shop. :)

I think cow horns are hollow though.

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Knowing this I did a search on the web and I found that water buffalo hiorn is hollow at the base (where it attaches to the animal) but about a half of the horn is solid. This is the part used for crafting (really nice artisan cfrafts are done with this material in Asia, by the way)

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Tortoise and ivory are as of this year strictly banned. February I think? Have heard some musicians have had difficulty taking their tortoise/ivory inlay instruments internationally.

 

Aside from very early cut, carve, and turn, horn, and bone were an early meatpacking industry byproduct. see the history of Armour/Swift, where it's noted that the factory exterior retention ponds were scrupulously checked to be sure that no part of the beast was wasted.

 

Another method to utilize horn, and hooves, (no waste), was basically cooking until softened into what was basically an early plastic, then dyed and molded into objects, some inlaid with pearl or pique work. Caen France and England were also known for molded horn. Pen world connections to old molded horn and turned objects would be inkwells, and dip pen holders. Tortoise, being very dear, was sliced very thin, then pressure molded to the less valuable un-dyed light colored (blond) horn.

 

edited to add a chuckle to Shawn that your wife may also disapprove of a horn version of your denim project ; )

Edited by pen2paper
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MB JFK BB; 100th Anniversary M; Dumas M FP/BP/MP set; Fitzgerald M FP/BP/MP set; Jules Verne BB; Bernstein F; Shaw B; Schiller M; yellow gold/pearl Bohème Pirouette Lilas (custom MB-fitted EF); gold 744-N flexy OBB; 136 flexy OB; 236 flexy OBB; silver pinstripe Le Grand B; 149 F x2; 149 M; 147 F; 146 OB; 146 M; 146 F; 145P M; 162 RB
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You find your hair brush?

San Francisco International Pen Show - The next “Funnest Pen Show” is on schedule for August 23-24-25, 2024.  Watch the show website for registration details. 
 

My PM box is usually full. Just email me: my last name at the google mail address.

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You find your hair brush?

Don't need one...
MB JFK BB; 100th Anniversary M; Dumas M FP/BP/MP set; Fitzgerald M FP/BP/MP set; Jules Verne BB; Bernstein F; Shaw B; Schiller M; yellow gold/pearl Bohème Pirouette Lilas (custom MB-fitted EF); gold 744-N flexy OBB; 136 flexy OB; 236 flexy OBB; silver pinstripe Le Grand B; 149 F x2; 149 M; 147 F; 146 OB; 146 M; 146 F; 145P M; 162 RB
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Don't need one...

Nor did Larry.

San Francisco International Pen Show - The next “Funnest Pen Show” is on schedule for August 23-24-25, 2024.  Watch the show website for registration details. 
 

My PM box is usually full. Just email me: my last name at the google mail address.

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Horns are hollow and made from keratin, same as hair, hooves, turtle shells and fingernails. They are not hollow while on the animal, they are an outer shell surrounding a living growing bone. They can only be removed once the animal is de-horned (a gruesome sight, but painless for the animal), or dies, and that inner bone dies and shrinks up a bit, then the outer keratin part can be removed and made into things. It can be boiled till soft enough to be pliable and shaped, similar to plastics (molding, etc etc.) but with addition of moisture. Once you have the size and shape you need it can be polished to a beautiful shine.

 

Antler IS bone, without the keratin covering like a horn. If you cut into it it looks the same as cutting into any bone except there isn't really any marrow inside, but it is more porous than the outer bit.. It can't really be straightened so you need a piece long enough for what your needs are before you ever start. If you can find a piece like that you cut it and can drill/hollow it out to suit your needs.

 

I grew up in the country heloing farmers de-horn cattle, and my dad was a gunsmith, taxedermist and black powder shooter. I've worked with a lot of antlers and horns. Making various things out them like antler shirt buttons, letter openers out of both antler and horn, spoons made of horn, what-have-you, and I've also polished horns to be used as powder horns, and other primitive type objects. It's a lot of hard work, but the results can be beautiful.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keratin

 

Hope this clears it up and was helpful.

Edited by jdllizard

John L

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Horns are hollow and made from keratin, same as hair, hooves, turtle shells and fingernails. They are not hollow while on the animal, they are an outer shell surrounding a living growing bone. They can only be removed once the animal is de-horned (a gruesome sight, but painless for the animal), or dies, and that inner bone dies and shrinks up a bit, then the outer keratin part can be removed and made into things. It can be boiled till soft enough to be pliable and shaped, similar to plastics (molding, etc etc.) but with addition of moisture. Once you have the size and shape you need it can be polished to a beautiful shine.

 

Antler IS bone, without the keratin covering like a horn. If you cut into it it looks the same as cutting into any bone except there isn't really any marrow inside, but it is more porous than the outer bit.. It can't really be straightened so you need a piece long enough for what your needs are before you ever start. If you can find a piece like that you cut it and can drill/hollow it out to suit your needs.

 

I grew up in the country heloing farmers de-horn cattle, and my dad was a gunsmith, taxedermist and black powder shooter. I've worked with a lot of antlers and horns. Making various things out them like antler shirt buttons, letter openers out of both antler and horn, spoons made of horn, what-have-you, and I've also polished horns to be used as powder horns, and other primitive type objects. It's a lot of hard work, but the results can be beautiful.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keratin

 

Hope this clears it up and was helpful.

 

This is very interesting, John. So, if I understand the process well, you can make a pen from moulded keratin (the outer part of the horn) of from the bone (tne inner part).

In your opinion, a pen like the one I show in post nr. 9 of this thread is made out of keratin or bone? It has a very beatiful glowing and smoth appearance, that's for sure.

I presume it is moulded keratin, that allows you to make several pens identical in lenght and width... but they have very different patterns and colour combinations that change from pen to pen.

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So, we should call this pen "The Larry"? Not a bad name, but... I don't know.

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