Okay so yesterday I finally got around to trying this horn crafting thing everyone’s been buzzing about. Honestly? It seemed simpler online. Figured I’d share the whole messy process, warts and all.
Diving In Blind Like an Idiot
First off, grabbed some horn blanks online. Cheap stuff, figured it wouldn’t matter for practice. Big mistake number one. Showed up looking like weird, dry toenail clippings but bigger. Smelled faintly… barnyard? Wasn’t prepared for that.
Then came tools. Pulled out my ancient pocketknife. Bad idea. Horrible idea. Trying to carve this stuff felt like digging into rock. Just scratched the surface. Tried sanding it with regular wood sandpaper. 100-grit. Useless. Turned into shiny dust instantly without making a dent.
The Actual Turning Point
Went back online feeling stupid. Watched a few more tutorials, properly this time. Realized I needed way sharper stuff and different sandpaper – rougher grits to start. Found some “rasps” mentioned. Grabbed a cheap set and some 80-grit sandpaper meant for metal. Massive difference. The rasp actually bit into the horn, taking off chunks.
Here’s the rough process I figured out:
- Started just scribbling a simple rectangle shape onto the horn blank with a pencil.
- Used the rasp like crazy, pressing hard against the edges. Took ages, arms got sore. Made a ton of weird powder that got absolutely everywhere.
- Switched to the coarsest sandpaper, wrapped around a scrap wood block. Started smoothing the rasp marks. Still took forever. Had to keep stopping to brush dust off.
- Gradually moved up through sandpaper grits: 80, then 120, then 220. Each step took time, making sure to get rid of the scratches from the grit before it.
- Got impatient around the 220 mark. Jumped to like 400. Idiotic. Still saw scratches I missed. Had to go back down to 220 and redo.
- Finally got up to a 1000 grit. Surface felt surprisingly smooth, almost warm. Way different from the rough crap I started with.
Tried drilling a small hole for a keyring. Used a regular wood drill bit. Heated up FAST. Smelled awful, like burning hair. Forced it through. Messed up the edges around the hole. Had to sand that down again, super carefully. Pain in the ass.
Success? Well, Sorta
Ended up with a rough-looking little rectangle pendant thing. It’s kinda cool? Definitely handmade, lopsided edges and all. The horn has some neat subtle swirls I didn’t even see at first. Polished it up a little with some olive oil. Made it darker, shinier. Looks okay.
Big takeaways?
- Horn is tough. Way tougher than wood. Cheap tools will laugh at you.
- Sharp is non-negotiable. Forget your grandpa’s knife.
- Start coarse, sand forever, move up slow. Patience isn’t optional.
- Ventilation! That dust stinks. I breathed in too much doing this, coughed for an hour afterwards like an idiot.
- Cheap horn blanks? Doubt it. Feels like they sold me bull toenails or something. Gotta find a better source.
It was messy, frustrating, and kinda gross at points. But holding that little polished chunk? Weirdly satisfying. Doubt I’ll pay for premium horn blanks anytime soon though. Baby steps.