How To Care For Buffalo Horn?

[Keyless Works]

Today I bought my first horn pen at a pen fair in Osaka from Stylo Art Karuizawa and I am wondering how to properly care for the horn.

 

I have heard that buffalo horn can crack. Has anyone had this happen with their horn pens? Does the horn require polishing and does it stain?

[Paddler]

We have numerous items made of buffalo horn: buttons, spoons, combs, and one pen. We don't do anything special to care for them and have never had anything crack or split. You can polish out any scratches, but doing so can make a smell like burning hair. The smell can hang around on the item for days. A coat of carnauba wax will keep the lustre up.

Edited March 21, 2015 by Paddler

[tleek]

I have a knife with buffalo horn handle scales. Just wipe ot down with a soft rag every now and then and try not to drop it!

[OcalaFlGuy]

I don't think the home on the range-alo ones do anything special to theirs.

 

 

 

I mean there could be Buffalo horn Spas out there and I probably wouldn't know it but...

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[sombrueil]

nm

Edited March 21, 2015 by sombrueil

[jdllizard]

Horn, by its very nature will hold up to most anything. Use it as you'd use any other pen and it will probably outlast them all. I have a couple of powder horns that are well over 100 years old.

 

As already mentioned, you can polish out any scratch, it will smell like burning hair but that's because horn is composed of keratin, the same stuff that hair is made of. It is an extremely durable material, which is why people have been making things out of it for millennia.

[jkingrph]

Occasionally wipe with a tiny bit of Neatsfoot oil. It is a nautral oil made by boiling the feet and lower leg bones of cattle, so should be good for horn.

Edited March 22, 2015 by jkingrph

[tinta]

Soaking in water is not good for horn & antler, whether on a knife handle or on a pen.

[jdllizard]

Soaking in water is not good for horn & antler, whether on a knife handle or on a pen.

True! Never soak horn in water, it can become malleable and misshapen (that's how they're able make spoons and things out of it). I'd use nothing more than a lightly dampened cloth for occasionally wiping down if necessary. I'm not so sure the neatsfoot oil is a good idea either, it can discolor the horn and doesn't really offer any added benefit. Personally, I wouldn't use anything that can be soaked into the horn. A good carnuba wax should be ok though. Anything I have made of horn gets left alone, it just shouldn't ever need more than a wipe down to keep it clean.

[ehemem]

True! Never soak horn in water, it can become malleable and misshapen (that's how they're able make spoons and things out of it). I'd use nothing more than a lightly dampened cloth for occasionally wiping down if necessary. I'm not so sure the neatsfoot oil is a good idea either, it can discolor the horn and doesn't really offer any added benefit. Personally, I wouldn't use anything that can be soaked into the horn. A good carnuba wax should be ok though. Anything I have made of horn gets left alone, it just shouldn't ever need more than a wipe down to keep it clean.

 

And no soap. Of any kind. Ever.

[Jamesbeat]

I have to disagree with the oil thing too.

 

Renaissance wax is apparently safe for horn, and leaves a nice high gloss finish:

 

http://www.restorationproduct.com/renwaxinfo.html

[shuuemura]

 

And no soap. Of any kind. Ever.

 

I have to respectfully disagree. My Plisson double-edged razor handle is made of horn and that gets exposure to shaving soap on a regular basis. Of course, I don't leave the horn soaking in the soap solution but rinse it and dry it after use. Renaissance wax helps to keep the shine up.

[_Stormin_]

 

I have to respectfully disagree. My Plisson double-edged razor handle is made of horn and that gets exposure to shaving soap on a regular basis. Of course, I don't leave the horn soaking in the soap solution but rinse it and dry it after use. Renaissance wax helps to keep the shine up.

This. I have a shaving brush made of horn and the thing practically lives in shaving soap for ten minutes a day. Rinse, wipe, dry bristles down. Good to go.

[Jamesbeat]

I have a straight razor with horn scales, but I'm always careful to keep the scales away from the soap and water when I shave with it.

 

However, this is more of a precaution against getting soapy water in the hinge pin area and causing rust than any real concerns about the horn.

[sexauerw]

I have a shoe horn that I use nearly every day. I've never done anything to it in the way of maintenance. It was my grandmother's and it must be nearly 100 years old. The maximum maintenance that horn requires is an occasional dusting with a soft cloth, which a shoehorn gets every time it is used.

 

http://bulk-share.slickpic.com/album/share/TjzAMMjMTjT5DM/9252072.0/800/p/Shoe_Horn.jpg

 

 

 

I've also never done any maintenance on either of these two pens, although neither of them is very old.

 

Taccia Savanna, made of Bison Horn

http://bulk-share.slickpic.com/album/share/jM51TQI51MzODm/8944966.0/800/p/TA02_Tacci_Savanna%2C_Open_on_Stand.jpg

 

 

Danitrio Miwaku, made of Water Buffalo Horn

http://bulk-share.slickpic.com/album/share/jM51TQI51MzODm/7564990.0/800/p/Miwaku_and_Napkin.jpg

[langere]

I've had a horn pen (from Winedoc, well remembered )- a Dani Trio of course for about 9 years. Never had any problem with it and it is as good as new - just had it in rotation a short while ago.

 

Erick

[Keyless Works]

Thanks for all the replies. I really enjoy the look and feel of the horn. Here are a couple of pictures of the Stylo Art. I will post some better ones when I get back to the States. The section is ebonite.