*This was originally compiled and posted by Sorn during his long tenure as Ritari. It has been reposted here in an effort to collect all our resources on our new site.
One of the most frequently asked questions about our ritual tools is “How does one go about preparing a horn for drinking?” For those who may be interested in making their own drinking horns, I offer the following:
1) Acquire a horn
This can be more difficult than it sounds. In Albuquerque, I prefer Tandy Leather (8252 Menaul Blvd. NE at the southwest corner of Menaul and Wyoming). They usually have a few in stock all through the year. Though they only sell them in matched pairs, they have horns of different sizes, and their horns are already cored and stripped (in other words, most of the spongy innards and the soft bark stuff is gone). Other leather and crafts stores may carry them on occasion, and some people report good luck with butchers and meat-processing establishments.
2) Prepare the outside of the horn
The horn will likely not have a good rim for drinking. Using a saw or knife, trim the wide end of the horn to suit. The horn may have patches of soft, bark-like material on the outside; this can usually be peeled off with a knife and patience. Using sandpaper of progressively finer grains, smooth the outside and rim of the horn. Be sure to rub with the grain of the horn to avoid scratch marks. If you are planning to decorate your horn, be sure to save your scraps.
3) Clean the horn
Perhaps the most important step and the easiest to not completely perform, cleaning the horn is essential to making a vessel that can be used for years to come. Though most craft horns have already been cored, there are usually some remnants that need to be removed. Useful tools for the cleaning include a slightly flexible scraping tool (I use a straightened wire hanger with a flattened end), a bottle brush, soap, and a garden hose.
Using the scraper and lots of warm water, scrape off every bit of fleshy material you can see and reach. Rinse repeatedly. If you have a hose, push it down as far as possible into the horn and blast water periodically to knock off some of the scraps. When you’ve gotten rid of all the larger pieces, switch to the bottle brush. Brush and rinse the inside of the horn until the brush and the water come out clean. Fill the horn with warm water, allow it to sit for a while, then begin your cleaning again. When you think you are done, clean the horn some more. It is very easy to miss tiny rotten pieces stuck to the horn, especially far down in the point, and you don’t want something like that coming out when you’re drinking deep from your horn.
Though I’ve never used it personally, some people report good results using fizzy dental cleaner for a final cleaning.
4) Cure the horn
Many drinking horns are prepared by lining the inside with bees wax or a similar material. Unfortunately, summers in Albuquerque and surrounding regions make this impractical; some people have ended up with the wax pooling in the tips of their horns or oozing out onto car seats or in backpacks. Instead, I and others opt to cure the horns.
In order to cure the horn, the horn should be set somewhere where it can stand upright and is not likely to be disturbed. Fill the horn as high as possible with cheap, clear, relatively flavorless alcohol, such as vodka. Because horn is a porous material, any flavor or color will stain the horn. Leave the alcohol in the horn for a week or longer, adding some periodically to compensate for evaporation. At the end of the week, pour out the alcohol. If anything comes out with it (bits of chunks of horn meat, for example), clean the horn again, and then cure it again.
Provided the horn is rinsed out any time it is used, the curing should be sufficient to keep the horn suitable for drinking for many years. If the horn starts to develop any unpleasant odors or tastes, it may be necessary to clean and cure the horn again.
5) Decorate and seal the outside of the horn
If desired, the horn can be decorated in a number of ways. Designs can be carved or burned into the surface (taking care not to go too deep and punch through the horn). Metals can be bent around the rim or the tip, and with care can be set into the surface of the horn. Some inks will mark a horn well, while others will smear, spread, or not show up; test them on your horn scraps from Step 2 first. Most of the time, I first make a design with pencil and then follow the pencil marks with a wood burning pen; it simultaneously scores and colors the horn (though the oils from human hands will smear the color, so gloves should be worn while handling the horn if this method is used).
Once the horn is decorated as desired, the outside should be sealed. If it can be found, butcher block sealant is good, since it will seal the horn and is supposed to be non-toxic. Failing that, most hobby stores carry different kinds of clear spray-on acrylic sealant. Protect the rim with masking tape before applying the sealant. When applying, use multiple thin coats to avoid clumping. Very fine grade steel wool (000 or 0000) can be used to smooth the sealant without marring the finsh.
Many of our members have prepared their own horns throughout the years. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Keeper of Seasons Hall through our forum.
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