Need advice on sanding or finishing horns

SDHowler

SDHowler

New member
I would appreciate receiving some help on how to grind, sand, and finish the inside of cow and buffalo horns. I have a Dremel tool with a flexible shaft attachment and various sanding, grinding, and polishing tips. Some of the horns are really rough or uneven on the inside.

I have purchased several completed or finished horns and the inside horn surface is smooth and immaculate. How do you guys do it?

The horns are a new project for me and what a learning experience. I have learned that only time we truly fail in life is when we do not try!

You can take a look at Dakota Coyote Howler & Coyote Calling and The Art Of Making A Custom Predator Call

Steve
 
Steve, I may be behind the curve here but the only way I've found to really get the inside of the horns sanded to my liking is with good old fashoned elbow grease. I do the same to the inside as I do to the outside but the inside is done 100% by hand. Wrap the sand paper around your finger and go to town. For really long horns use a dowel to get the deep parts but your fingers are the way to go (for me at least). It is a bear to do, and it takes a good amount of time, but I gurantee it will make you appreciate what you are doing alot more once you are finished. It also will make your pointer finger really strong for when you need to poke a jabrone coworker in the chest to prove a point/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif.
Trashcan
DCC
 
I agree with Thomas on this one... lots of work on raw horns. I don't go 100% with "arm power" I use my Dremel with the extension on it for a lot of work. When you get down to that flake like stuff us a wire wheel with the extension and it takes a LOT of that crap out of there! I finish sand the inside of my horns like Thomas does (without the pointy finger deal /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif ) It blows my mind to see horn howlers go for less then $30 because of the work that gets put into them... lots of elbow grease, lots... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif Are you going to use your tone boards, or are you going to make the tone boards from the horn? Good luck and I can't wait to see your horns. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
In addition, I use a 8" piece of 3/8" delrin rod in the drill press that is tapered and slit to hold sandpaper. It helps make short order of the sanding. The delrin will flex under pressure, whereas a dowel rod doesn't, which is important to get in all the curves of a horn. I'll run 80, 100, 150, 220, 400 grits through it. Works good for me.

Tony
 
Thanks guys for all your comments, yes it will be a lot of work and time spent to get the final product. Some horns are a lot rougher than others, the wire wheels work on some horns but not all. I guess thats where the sandpaper will come in. I have a drill press, I may have to try that with my Schedule 40 - 3/8" PVC pipe. THANKS Tony for that idea.

Yes I will be using my own 5/8" and 7/8" OD Schedule 40 PVC pipe toneboards with these horns, they are quite the howlers:

58TBS.jpg


or

WBCall58B.JPG


Steve
 
I have a piece of carbon arrow that fits tightly over my pen mandrel. I cut a slit in it to fit sand paper. It small and easy to store. Which also means easy to loose, but I always have plenty of pieces of arrows laying around. Dang deer keep breaking my arrows.
 
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