Horn Storage

[Stick Bender]

I acquired several pairs of water buffalo horn stocking up for retirement but I started thinking about storage my storage room in the summer runs between 35-50 % RH with the air conditioner & winter between 20-35 % RH I was wondering if there is a ideal way to store horn ?  It's probably a moot question but never hurts to ask !

[gorazd]

That will be busy retirement   

[Stick Bender]

Im 2 to 5 yrs away so I have time yet but good horn is getting harder to get plus a few of these are going to be long bow type like posted here ,eventually I would like to make a Ottoman style !

[BowEd]

What you said seems fine.It takes a lot longer for humidity to infiltrate horn then wood or sinew.I keep all my natural materials in around 45 to 55 percent humidity.Same as when I made them when not using them.Analog humidity guages setting around do it for me.

[Stick Bender]

Ok good you put so much time and energy finding the good stuff figured best to check I have humidity gauges all over my storage room the part obove the A/C vent gets the driest good place for hickory staves !

[kiwijim]

Seal them in a bag with some mothballs. Moths love chewing on horn!

[davidjw]

I've had horn get really brittle under 30% rh, lost two good pieces just by flexing them.  I suppose it could have been those pieces, but now I keep all my horn around 55% rh and haven't had one snap in a flex test since.  Never thought about moths, that's a good point kiwijim.  My workshop has a lot of critters in it around at any given point, so I decided to give everything a once over.  Luckily no moths munching on horns, but I found a lot of tiny bedbug-looking insects all over my fish bladders and sinew, with a pile of very powder at the bottom of the bags, presumably their droppings.  Froze them, then sealed them up better.

[Stick Bender]

I keep my fish bladders in a sealed bag also no issues with moths here  but my storage room is inside the RH varies all year but probably averages 40% it was 98 % RH and  90 Deg the other day out side and with the A/C going it never got over 42% RH inside , I really don't have much choice in storage it's ether the shop or inside !