how we make horn strips straight

[stiventiger]

making natural bent hor strips is the problems for many new horn bow maker,turkish use heating water way,here in china,we do like this way:
heat wax or oil more than 100degress(more higher degree than water,may be 200-300 degree )
and then put horn strips into very hot liquid wax or hot oil for some minutes.and then take out strips to straighten them by hand(be carefull to take very thicker glove or use thicker bottom shoes to make them straight ) or press machine (like or similar machine photo shown),if horn strips is still very hard to straighten,continue to heat some minutes,and then straight them again till to your need shape,water heating is easy to broken split horn strips,as water is maxium to 100 degree(not enough)and water into horn deeply,when it dry by wind,sometimes is easy to split the horn,it is the top secret how to make horn strips straighten,but be carefull:wax or oil is easy to fire up:forbidden smoking or fire when do such work.

[stiventiger]

making natural bent hor strips is the problems for many new horn bow maker,turkish use heating water way,here in china,we do like this way:
heat wax or oil more than 100degress(more higher degree than water,may be 200-300 degree )
and then put horn strips into very hot liquid wax or hot oil for some minutes.and then take out strips to straighten them by hand(be carefull to take very thicker glove or use thicker bottom shoes to make them straight ) or press machine (like or similar machine photo shown),if horn strips is still very hard to straighten,continue to heat some minutes,and then straight them again till to your need shape,water heating is easy to broken split horn strips,as water is maxium to 100 degree(not enough)and water into horn deeply,when it dry by wind,sometimes is easy to split the horn,it is the top secret how to make horn strips straighten,but be carefull:wax or oil is easy to fire up:forbidden smoking or fire when do such work.

and you look:so many bent or twist horn strips(small or large size is same process)become very flatter

[LEGIONNAIRE]

very nice!

[toomanyknots]

Thats amazing the amount of horn and then the flattened horn sections! Thank you for sharing the hot oil method. I would of never knew that. I also would of NEVER thought of that either!,

[CraigMBeckett]

Hi Tiger:

Thank you for the information, I will have to try oil next time I try straightening horn, using water did prove to be a difficult and long process.

Craig.

[shikari]

I would not recomend anyone that is making bows with the horn to use the hot oil method as the higher tempratures essintialy cook the creatin in the horn rendering it useless for bowmaking and on top of that horn is hydroscopic means it absorbes the oil and here again making it useless as the hide glue cannot be absorbed by the horn and form the protein chains which are essentialy horn  composite bows are made of.Horn bows are made of glue ask any composite bowmaker he will tell you exactly what I have said.

[waterlogged]

Had never thought of deep frying horn. Anybody have some good batter recipes?

In all seriousness, it seems decent. No idea if it would cook the keratin, as shikari was saying, but there might be concerns with gluing. The one counter argument I would have to the oil absorption argument is that horn being hydroscopic doesn't necessary mean it will absorb oil, it means it will absorb water. Oil is a completely different ball game on the molecular level.

Would boiling horn in very salty water hurt it? Could easily raise the temperature that way, though not by all too much.

[shikari]

another rarely known trick and a lot more  traditional way of doing it is to just let the horn soak in milk,yes thats right milk for a couple of weeks or more depending on the thickness of horn.I am not a scientist so I do not know how it works but it sure does and without any heat all you have to do is clamp it and leave it in a cool dry place and you have flat horn.

[stiventiger]

I would not recomend anyone that is making bows with the horn to use the hot oil method as the higher tempratures essintialy cook the creatin in the horn rendering it useless for bowmaking and on top of that horn is hydroscopic means it absorbes the oil and here again making it useless as the hide glue cannot be absorbed by the horn and form the protein chains which are essentialy horn  composite bows are made of.Horn bows are made of glue ask any composite bowmaker he will tell you exactly what I have said.

yes,i discuss with some experts who tell me this way will be not right way for making strips straight,best way is make bow belly what even bamboo or wood to bent to strips shape:big C.
so,best horn bow should be C shape,not straight ,yes?
hot heating no mateer water or oil will destroy some right component of horn,best is leave it in natural bent

[stiventiger]

another rarely known trick and a lot more  traditional way of doing it is to just let the horn soak in milk,yes thats right milk for a couple of weeks or more depending on the thickness of horn.I am not a scientist so I do not know how it works but it sure does and without any heat all you have to do is clamp it and leave it in a cool dry place and you have flat horn.

yes,best is leave it in natural bent and make bow belly to close the shape of horn strips,not make strips close to belly shape,so,horn bow will leave its natural force of horn strips any heating way will down the horn strips relex force and down the speed of shoot

[maddog314]

what do you do with all the flat horns?

[stiventiger]

what do you do with all the flat horns?

many use:put bow handles and tips ,even knife handles,combs ,decoration or insert nock etc,too much use

[bucksbuoy]

great post stiventiger. I really appreciated it and I will definitley be using this technique. And shikari, have you ever tried gluing horn that was boiled in oil or are you just speculating? because im sure if the horn were dried thouroughly and perhaps touched up with acetone or SOAP it would glue down just fine.

[Far East Archer]

Oily wood such as rosewoods and other dense tropical woods have been used successfully in bows after clean with acetone or soap. These woods contain enough oil that when sanding it is not dust but clumps of dust soaked with wood oils and hands become stained with wood oils. I believe the horn can be cleaned and used though I wonder if horn is damaged by heat....Though this process seem fine for uses stiventiger listed. Be careful with hot oils/wax, not only because can catch on fire, these liquids have tendency to pop at high temperature and can cause burns to skin.

[shikari]

I have used and experimented with enough horn that I think I know what I am talking about,but I believe one never stops learning.
Far East archer I agree that lots of oily woods have been used sucessfuly in many bows but with modern glues which do not make an optimum horn composite,maple,bamboo,mulberry have been used since ancient times for composites for a reason.I do not even touch a horn or core for a composite bow without cotton gloves once it is prepared as I am concerned about oils from my hands compromising the glue.The stress on a short composite is too great to take a chance considering the time and effort put into each bow.
If any of you have the horn and are willing to give it a try,please by all means do so,maybee I will learn something from you.