Just for showing off...

rainshadow1

Custom Call Maker
Bison, Ebony, Amboyna Burl, Moose, and Brass....

DSC01302_zpsdxqtrpz9.jpg


Got to build another high-end set recently. Really enjoy coming up with stuff like these!


DSC01300_zpst007rsnf.jpg


Really appreciate customers who let me do stuff like this!


DSC01302_zpsdxqtrpz9.jpg


This one is Sold and Shipped.


DSC01303_zpsrjdowrh8.jpg


I'm just showing it off!



DSC01304_zpsrh2fpkhe.jpg


Can't even tell you who owns this one!


DSC01309_zpsmqswrs0m.jpg


It's a gift for someone.


Thanks for looking!
 
Originally Posted By: rainshadow1Bison, Ebony, Amboyna Burl, Moose, and Brass....

DSC01302_zpsdxqtrpz9.jpg


Got to build another high-end set recently. Really enjoy coming up with stuff like these!


DSC01300_zpst007rsnf.jpg


Really appreciate customers who let me do stuff like this!


DSC01302_zpsdxqtrpz9.jpg


This one is Sold and Shipped.


DSC01303_zpsrjdowrh8.jpg


I'm just showing it off!



DSC01304_zpsrh2fpkhe.jpg


Can't even tell you who owns this one!


DSC01309_zpsmqswrs0m.jpg


It's a gift for someone.


Thanks for looking!



How did you know! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Very nice indeed.
 
@rainshadow1 The work is so good that I feel like I'm taking something away from it by complimenting you. The amount of time it took to make these is only the tip of the iceberg. The time you put in just to get to the place where you could make something like this shows in the work as well.

I have a couple of sets of horns and would greatly appreciate any help you are wiling to give me on polishing them. I only have hand tools and I'm sure at some point you used a buffing wheel. I do have a rotary tool with a very small buffing wheel but don't know if this is adequate. Any instruction would be appreciated.

I also would like to take this opportunity to thank you for all the knowledge you share about cougars. I finally saw my first and second last year and I'm looking forward to the next sighting.
 
You're welcome, Springbear. What I'd advise depends on what you're doing with them and what you want to end up with. Happy to tell you what I'd do though, ask away. It's not a trade secret!
 
@rainshadow1 Having no developed skills in the craft at this point these two sets would be for learning the art of polishing from tip to base. I have no plans for them beyond the polishing. I think a polished horn is "a thing of beauty" all on it's own. I want that mirrored glass finish. Feel free to explain the flaw in my thinking as I will take it as added help. I do have the cores removed. Thanks in advance....
 
Originally Posted By: Springbear@rainshadow1 Having no developed skills in the craft at this point these two sets would be for learning the art of polishing from tip to base. I have no plans for them beyond the polishing. I think a polished horn is "a thing of beauty" all on it's own. I want that mirrored glass finish. Feel free to explain the flaw in my thinking as I will take it as added help. I do have the cores removed. Thanks in advance....

So if I'm reading you right, an antler or horn, simply polished and displayed for it's own sake. Yes?

You're talking buffing. Sorry, but it's true.

Keep the sandpaper away unless you're going to take all the provenance and character out of the horn surface. Which is cool, I prefer it, actually, but that's your choice.

With sanding, start around 100, lengthwise along the piece. Only take off as much as you want, you decide the "natural" stuff you're going to leave in it. Go to 150. 220. 400. 600. 1000. Then you're ready to polish.

Without sanding, well.... you're ready to polish.

You can get a buffing wheel, mount it on an arbor, and put it in a drill clamped in a vice. Or a spindle mounted on your lathe. Or any number of other ways to get a buffing wheel to spin. Or you can just use your dremel, but it's going to take for- ev- er.

If you use a larger buffing wheel, practice. It's actually a dangerous tool. It grabs stuff and throws it. Work in the middle of the wheel and downward. Never above. Don't burn, but work it hard.

There's a huge variety of buffing wheels and compounds, and a huge volume of opinions and etc about them.

For horn or antler if you just have a medium wheel and white (zinc oxide) compound, you're going to get a good result.

If you go more elaborate than that, get 3: a heavy buffing wheel with a heavier compound, the medium and ZO, and a soft buff with carnuba wax. You don't need a dozen wheels and compounds.... like I have...

Take your time. Get a dust mask and just spend a half hour or more on each wheel. Take your time, and demand a great result. If you're using a dremel, get a screen and several movies, you're going to be there a LONG time!
 
Really nicely done.. I love the really nicely thought out tail stripper idea in the handle.

The fit and finish is done very well.. Thanks for sharing your tips.

What kind of leather are you using for the sheath? (assuming that you make that too)

It looks like 1/4" un-stretched or softened?
 
Originally Posted By: Tbone-AZReally nicely done.. I love the really nicely thought out tail stripper idea in the handle.

The fit and finish is done very well.. Thanks for sharing your tips.

What kind of leather are you using for the sheath? (assuming that you make that too)

It looks like 1/4" un-stretched or softened?

I buy heavy (8-12oz) scrap vegetable tanned leather off ebay from companies that collect up their trimmings and sell them. Love that heavy stiff stuff.
 
rainshadow1 Yes you understood me correctly. Thanks for taking the time to write the instructions out in a concise and understandable way. I have my work cut out for me and some purchasing to do before I can get started. I have the raw materials and now the instructions to follow. Thanks again....
 
Originally Posted By: Springbearrainshadow1 Yes you understood me correctly. Thanks for taking the time to write the instructions out in a concise and understandable way. I have my work cut out for me and some purchasing to do before I can get started. I have the raw materials and now the instructions to follow. Thanks again....

You bet. If you're using a tool made for another purpose to buff with, don't go over 1700rpm. I think the sweet spot is something like 1350. Below 1000 will probably be an exercise in frustration.
 
You bet. If you're using a tool made for another purpose to buff with, don't go over 1700rpm. I think the sweet spot is something like 1350. Below 1000 will probably be an exercise in frustration. [/quote]

Thanks again rainshadow1. I think I will wait until I can get a proper buffing wheel. I had hoped I could use a rasp to remove what some call the "scales" and then the sandpaper to minimize time on the buffing wheel but if I understand correctly you do not advise this. I apologize if I sound rather dense. It is only because in most cases I am. I took a couple of years of Machine Tool Technology so I understand speeds and feeds but I never actually worked in the industry

 
Last edited:
I have two sets of buffalo horns from a rancher who raises them. I just want to be able to get the finish you have on yours at this time. I understand now that I must use a buffing wheel at the end to get that kind of finish but thought maybe I could prep it some with hand tools. When I said I understood speeds and feeds I just meant I understood that there was an optimum speed on the wheel. I did not know what that speed was so thanks for giving me that information and all the information you have given. Also that I understand the technical aspect of what you have been telling me. Thank you for your patients and persistence with the nuances of trying to communicate technical instructions with text.... Having taken Machine Tool Technology courses gives me an appreciation for your work that I would otherwise not have. It is both art and science. I have not learned how to attach photos yet. The only thing that has been done to them at this point is the cores have been removed. the outside has not been touched....
 
Last edited:
Back
Top