Thanks, David.
I've already filed on the wood CAK & the M-43, got them down to where it's tolerable.
Have not on the horn AK yet, was hoping for a miraculous re-growth there.
That one's the biggest reason for wanting to try the Hooflex. The horn slabs have gone too far below the tang surfaces to be usable without scraping skin & they've pulled away from the pommel cap.
On the hornie with the rat-tail tang, that one's not nearly as bad (as you'd expect with an enclosed tang), mostly some minor overlap with the pommel cap now & I can hopefully manage to not screw up the horn in filing those cap edges carefully.
If the Hooflex will not help swell the horn slabs, I won't bother with the Hooflex.
I'll file the tang surfaces on the horned AK, mess up the horn in the process (I know my abilities
), clean everything up the best I can, and just live with the gap between pommel & horn.
Not the end of the world, life will go on.
And that life will go on with wood from here on out.
My climate is just not a good match for horn here.
Appreciate the help from all who offered advice on this issue, it's a learning process & I am.
I've kept posting on this one for others who may have similar problems.
Denis