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    #1

    Making a Drinking Horn

    History: The Nature of the Material:Procedure:horn_c.jpghorn_b.jpg

    Step 1: Cleaning & Seasoning the Horn.

    You will need a horn, bottle brushes (or something similar), dish soap, boiling water, clean, drinkable water, and some strongly flavored beer.

    horn_d.jpg

    Grasp the horn, using a pot holder or rag to protect your hand from the heat, and squirt a bit of dish washing liquid into the horn. Fill it up with boiling water. Cover the top with something (NOT your hand) and shake the horn up.

    horn_e.jpg

    Using the brushes (or make something by attaching a scouring pad or steel wool to a shaft, like a wire coat hanger), scrub the inside of the horn, trying to get all the sides, and to the very bottom of the horn.

    horn_f.jpg
    Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

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    #2
    Re: Making a Drinking Horn

    Once the water tastes good, it’s time to season the horn. This is done to make sure that there are no off flavors whatsoever. To do this, set your horn upright, and fill it with a strong flavored beer - Guiness is recommended, but I hate to waste good Guiness, so I’m using something cheaper… Let the horn sit, full of beer, over night. Then, dump the beer, rinse out the horn, and it’s all set to go.

    horn_g.jpg




    The next step is to trim up the rim and smooth it down so it is comfortable against your lips.

    I'll be back with that tomorrow...
    Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

    Comment

      #3
      Re: Making a Drinking Horn

      Very good tutoral Corbin, I managed to follow it even though I was hammered out of my mind and it took like half an hour to write this post. I'm guessing that one can use any strongly flavored drink to season the horn, right? Mead, ale, a strong wine, anything like that, right? NOt that I'm planning on using anything other than a stout or something, just for the sake of argument/clarity/hypothesis.
      "Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others."
      -Thomas Jefferson

      Let a man never stir on his road a step
      without his weapons of war;
      for unsure is the knowing when the need shall arise
      of a spear on the way without.
      -

      Comment

        #4
        Re: Making a Drinking Horn

        Originally posted by Thjoth View Post
        Very good tutoral Corbin, I managed to follow it even though I was hammered out of my mind and it took like half an hour to write this post. I'm guessing that one can use any strongly flavored drink to season the horn, right? Mead, ale, a strong wine, anything like that, right? NOt that I'm planning on using anything other than a stout or something, just for the sake of argument/clarity/hypothesis.
        I miss you.


        Mostly art.

        Comment

          #5
          Re: Making a Drinking Horn

          Originally posted by Thjoth View Post
          Very good tutoral Corbin, I managed to follow it even though I was hammered out of my mind and it took like half an hour to write this post. I'm guessing that one can use any strongly flavored drink to season the horn, right? Mead, ale, a strong wine, anything like that, right? NOt that I'm planning on using anything other than a stout or something, just for the sake of argument/clarity/hypothesis.
          I was hammered pretty bad when I wrote it. Maybe we were in sympatico.

          I used Killians - it was what was on hand - and it seemed to work fine. I've been researching this, and I've seen recommendations for using everyhing from Guiness to Everclear or Vodka, and recommendations for times running from overenight to a month. I've even seen suggestions for using denture cleaning tabs as well.

          I think that the theory is that the alcohol in the beer (or vodka) will dissolve any alcohol dissolvable substances in the horn so that later, when one is drinking what is most likely a form of alcohol from the horn, there won't be any bad tasting things left to dissolve.

          If this is the case, then pure alcohol (Everclear or vodka) and a long soak should work the best. I don't think that the flavor of the beer matters - you're not tying to cover the flavor of the horn with he flavor of the Guiness that was in the horn months and months ago. That would be icky.

          If I were doing one for myself, I'd go with cheap beer, and overnight. But if I were going to sell them, I'd go with something (not beer) for a month. The reason I'd do it like that is this - overnight with beer seems to work OK for now, but I don't know if off flavors will show up later. If I make it for myself, I don't have a problem re-seasoning it, but if I've sold it, I don't want the customer to have to re-season it.
          Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

          Comment

            #6
            Re: Making a Drinking Horn

            Great thread B.de!!

            From horns I've had in the past a mix of beeswax and walnut oil (heat the beeswax and add in a few drops of the oil ) was used after seasoning the horn with Everclear. The Beeswax helps protect the horn, and the drinker.

            Comment

              #7
              Re: Making a Drinking Horn

              Originally posted by LadyGarnetRose View Post
              Great thread B.de!!

              From horns I've had in the past a mix of beeswax and walnut oil (heat the beeswax and add in a few drops of the oil ) was used after seasoning the horn with Everclear. The Beeswax helps protect the horn, and the drinker.
              From the drinking horns I've seen for sale, it looks like the bee's wax treatment is pretty standard. The drawback seems to be that:

              A. You can't drink hot drinks out of the horn - the bee's wax melts.
              B. alcohol will gradually dissolve the wax
              C. Cleaning removes some of the wax
              D. If the wax coated horn is left in a hot place, like in the sun or in a car, the wax melts out and puddles

              So it seems that it's best to do without wax, if possible. But a lot of people seem to prefer the wax.

              From what I've read, here's how to do it -

              Melt the wax in a double boiler (a large aluminum can inside a pot of water, the pot being on a stove). The double boiler is important because it keeps the wax from getting hot enough to burst into flame.

              When the wax is liquid, pour it into the horn.

              Immediately after pouring in the wax, turn the horn over and pour out as much wax as possible.

              Let the wax cool, and you are all set.

              I haven't read about using the walnut oil, but, as you said, it would be easy enough to add in the oil to the melted wax.

              So have you made these before, Lady Garnet Rose?
              Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

              Comment

                #8
                Re: Making a Drinking Horn

                Originally posted by B. de Corbin View Post
                From the drinking horns I've seen for sale, it looks like the bee's wax treatment is pretty standard. The drawback seems to be that:

                A. You can't drink hot drinks out of the horn - the bee's wax melts.
                B. alcohol will gradually dissolve the wax
                C. Cleaning removes some of the wax
                D. If the wax coated horn is left in a hot place, like in the sun or in a car, the wax melts out and puddles

                So it seems that it's best to do without wax, if possible. But a lot of people seem to prefer the wax.

                From what I've read, here's how to do it -

                Melt the wax in a double boiler (a large aluminum can inside a pot of water, the pot being on a stove). The double boiler is important because it keeps the wax from getting hot enough to burst into flame.

                When the wax is liquid, pour it into the horn.

                Immediately after pouring in the wax, turn the horn over and pour out as much wax as possible.

                Let the wax cool, and you are all set.

                I haven't read about using the walnut oil, but, as you said, it would be easy enough to add in the oil to the melted wax.

                So have you made these before, Lady Garnet Rose?
                I've never made one, but it looks like a good use of some of the horns I got laying around.

                Comment

                  #9
                  Re: Making a Drinking Horn

                  Originally posted by volcaniclastic View Post
                  I miss you.
                  Hit me up next time you're on MSN if you're able, I'd love to hear how the grand adventure in the Orient is going/has gone
                  "Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others."
                  -Thomas Jefferson

                  Let a man never stir on his road a step
                  without his weapons of war;
                  for unsure is the knowing when the need shall arise
                  of a spear on the way without.
                  -

                  Comment

                    #10
                    Re: Making a Drinking Horn

                    Originally posted by LadyGarnetRose View Post
                    I've never made one, but it looks like a good use of some of the horns I got laying around.
                    I'll be polite and not even ask why you have a bunch of horns laying around (although I'm a fine one to talk... My workroom looks like an abattoir).
                    Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

                    Comment

                      #11
                      Re: Making a Drinking Horn

                      Originally posted by B. de Corbin View Post
                      I'll be polite and not even ask why you have a bunch of horns laying around (although I'm a fine one to talk... My workroom looks like an abattoir).
                      LOL we hunt, and I don't throw things away.

                      So the pigs get the parts we don't eat.

                      The skins get tanned, most of the joints and the feet get turned into stock. I clean the horns, antlers, teeth, hoofs/claws and feathers. Then stick them all into my sewing room.

                      I eventually find projects for all of it.

                      Comment

                        #12
                        Re: Making a Drinking Horn

                        Lady Garnet Rose, since you will be working with raw horns, here's a site where you can get detailed information on cleaning them out -

                        http://www.goheathen.org/crafts/drinkinghorns.html




                        Making a Drinking Horn, Part 2: Trim the Rimhorn_h.jpghorn_i.jpgHorn_aaa.jpg

                        So, you can file the outside, but sand the inside!

                        horn_k.jpg
                        Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

                        Comment

                          #13
                          Re: Making a Drinking Horn

                          To sand, begin with about 220 grit sandpaper. Pinch it between your fingers, and move it around the rim until it feels smooth. Then, switch to about 300 grit, then 400 grit.

                          horn_l.jpg

                          Then go over it with a gob of fine (0000) steel wool.

                          horn_m.jpghorn_a.jpg
                          Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

                          Comment

                            #14
                            Re: Making a Drinking Horn

                            Corbin...have you ever delaminated the bone and done any work with the sections?

                            (I'm thinking something like a hornbook...I wonder if that is where the word "lamination" comes from...)
                            Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of HistoryPagan Devotionals, because the wind and the rain is our Bible
                            sigpic

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                              #15
                              Re: Making a Drinking Horn

                              Nope - I haven't worked all that much with horn - this is all new to me. But while I was looking around, I've seen some experiments done by people trying to re - create the processes that were used. They say they haven't been entirely successful. It seems to be a lost technology. Here's one:

                              http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc...orn/horn3.html

                              By the way, one of the possible derivations of the word "lantern" is "lamp horn" because of the horn used for the lights in old lamps.

                              I've picked out a nice steer horn for myself. I think I'll make a powder horn next.
                              Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

                              Comment

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