Ram Horn / Sheep Horn

timcsaw

timcsaw

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Sep 25, 2007
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Can anyone tell me if there is any sort of market for these?

I have family who raise sheep and butcher a couple of hundred each year... that's a lot of horn! They raise a couple different breeds of sheep.

I'm not sure what the difference is, if any, between "Rams horn" used so often as handle material, and the "Ram/Sheep horn" that I have access to.

Any info would be appreciated.

Here's a folder I just made some scales for out of this horn.
The two horns shown are about 5 inches long (I cut them down from their full length of 10 inches).

attachment.php


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I don't know what the difference is between "Ram's Horn" and "Sheep's Horn", but, I'd take a bunch of scales that are 6" x 2" x 3/8"+.
 
Rams horn/sheep horn= same thing.
Sheep horn does shrink.
 
Those pieces have a natural flat look. I believe thy would be a lot easier to use than ones I've seen up for sale from out of country. I believe your folder looks pretty nice too ! Frank
 
Ed Fowler uses that exclusively for his handles. He's a good guy and I'm sure would tell you how to get the most out of your horn and what to watch out for. He posts here, but also has his own site and forum.
 
There is definitely a market for scales with the character of the ones on you folder. I would be interested in a few sets myself. Anybody know if it can be stabilized?
 
Thanks for all of the info folks. I'll post a few more pics of the entire horn tomorrow so you can see the details.
 
MVF said:
Ed Fowler uses that exclusively for his handles. He's a good guy and I'm sure would tell you how to get the most out of your horn and what to watch out for. He posts here, but also has his own site and forum.
Click to expand...

I hope Ed shows up, but I've been to his ranch and the fences around his house and shop are adorned with sheep heads.
After the heads are removed from the carcass, he lets the horns "season" outside in all seasons of the year for, if I'm not mistaken, 3-5 years? A while.
I think this allows the horn to move and find its "happy place".
Then he brings it inside and it hangs from the shop ceiling for another eternity before it's ever used.
 
Never used sheep horn but from the knives I've handled it does feel very grippy. I would love to give it a try.

Might be hard to stabilize.

Charlie
 
I guess my first question is how old are the bucks when slaughtered? Most of the horns I use come from bucks 8 years old or more. Are those two horns in the photo solid or hollow?

Here is my method of stabilizing sheep horn:
I soak it with the garden hose and let it dry until all the lanolin is weathered away. Then I let it hang in the open weather until it "whiskers". Wood workers will understand this concept, you sand a piece of wood then wet it, it will whisker up, then sand again.

Then I hang it in a drying shed with open windows and let it dry for at least 5 years.
Then I start working it.

'Tincture of time" is my method of stabilizing.

All natural materials move, but sheep horn is absolutely the most shock resistant material I have found to use and to me the most beautiful.

You can shorten the time needed to age if you have one of those food dehydrators.

Just get it about where you want it, leaving plenty extra for final fitting and put it is the dehydrator and let it sit for a month or so. It should be stable by that time. If you want to experiment, weigh the horn before you put in in the dehydrator and when it quits loosing weight it should be ready.

After you have worked it up into a finished handle just coat it heavily with 'trewax' keep rubbing it in, use a blow dryer to get it hot and keep working until in with your hands until it is well soaked up and it should be stable.

I use Brownells Acura Glass on my horn, it is a slow cure and penetrates into the horn for a good bond to the tang. Fast set up epoxies do not penetrate into the horn enough for a good bond.

ps. That is some beautiful horn!
 
Ed Fowler said:
I guess my first question is how old are the bucks when slaughtered? Most of the horns I use come from bucks 8 years old or more. Are those two horns in the photo solid or hollow?

Here is my method of stabilizing sheep horn:
I soak it with the garden hose and let it dry until all the lanolin is weathered away. Then I let it hang in the open weather until it "whiskers". Wood workers will understand this concept, you sand a piece of wood then wet it, it will whisker up, then sand again.

Then I hang it in a drying shed with open windows and let it dry for at least 5 years.
Then I start working it.

'Tincture of time" is my method of stabilizing.

All natural materials move, but sheep horn is absolutely the most shock resistant material I have found to use and to me the most beautiful.

You can shorten the time needed to age if you have one of those food dehydrators.

Just get it about where you want it, leaving plenty extra for final fitting and put it is the dehydrator and let it sit for a month or so. It should be stable by that time. If you want to experiment, weigh the horn before you put in in the dehydrator and when it quits loosing weight it should be ready.

After you have worked it up into a finished handle just coat it heavily with 'trewax' keep rubbing it in, use a blow dryer to get it hot and keep working until in with your hands until it is well soaked up and it should be stable.

I use Brownells Acura Glass on my horn, it is a slow cure and penetrates into the horn for a good bond to the tang. Fast set up epoxies do not penetrate into the horn enough for a good bond.

ps. That is some beautiful horn!
Click to expand...

Thanks for all the great info Ed... very helpful!

I received two sets of horns from my niece last year. They raise Horned Dorsets and a couple of other breeds (hope to find out the others) primarily to harvest the lambs (they butcher lambs when they get to about 90lbs). I really don't know how old the animals were that these came from. I believe they actually came from a couple of breeder Ewes.

The two horns shown in the photo's are just the tip ends of the entire horn and are solid... I cut them off right where they actually become solid. I do have the larger diameter pieces but yes, they are hollow.

I'll be speaking to my niece in the next few days to get a few questions answered. I'm not sure how many horns I can expect her to have at any one time. Last year they harvested 350 lambs, and I know they lost quite a number of breading Ewes.

I'll post again in this thread when I have some more info.

Thanks again for the information Ed!

Best!!
 
OK: they are butchering lambs, some will have better horns for knife handles that others. All Sheep are not equal! Beg, plead, whatever you have to do and ask her to let you know when one of her breeding bucks dies. This is choice material!! The older the buck the better.

Your challenge will be to plan a handle out of the horn in such manner to take advantage of the natural geometry of the horn in such manner as to match up with the physiology of the human hand.

If you plan to make scales, try to keep the horns paired up as they came from the bucks, many times right and left make pretty good matches. Please don't be bashful about emails, posts or phone calls, I will share what I have learned when ever you want.
 
Thank you gentlemen: It is my pleasure to be able to visit, share and learn on the forms.
 
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