Ain't for me

[vthompson]

Yesterday evening I started sanding on my horn like folks told me to do, then I drew my designs on it and then went over my pencil with an xacto knife. After that, I applied the ink with a small detail brush. I noticed that the ink was spreading but I figured that the steel wool would take care of it. Well, it didn't. It look's like crap. I would cry if I thought it would help.
I have been up all night trying to sand it all off. I got most of the design off, but my name is still on there. I am going to sand on it some more after while. I am tired of looking at it for now. I doubt that I will ever try it again. I am going to try and salvage the horn and go ahead and use it though. So to all the guy's out there scrimshawing, I tip my hat to ya.

 

[bingo1952]

Did you wax your horn before "scratching" it? If not that is why the ink bled.

 

[hornbuilder]

Vthompson ~ what did you use for Ink ? somethink isn't adding up here for me .. this is a pretty unusual outcome

 

[omarick1948]

Vern,
I have never run across that happening. Don't give up and get discouraged! Scrape your name off with the edge of a utility knife blade. Sand the horn with 320 grit and continue down to at least 400 grit. Now put some "Elbow grease" into some brisk hand polishing with #0000 steel wool until horn surface is very silky smooth.
Instead of ink this time. Try, what I call the "KINGFORD TREATMENT"! You know that charcoal dust in the bottom of a sack of Kingford (Or any brand) charcoal briquets. Wet your thumb with a little old fashioned saliva. Touch the charcoal dust with your wet thumb and rub the engraving in a circlular motion. Forget about touching your engraving with that #0000 steel wool (lightens and removes engraving detail)and use a dampened cloth under a piece of scrap wood to remove any excess dust from the horn surface, kind of like a sanding block.

Then paste wax to seal! .... Works good and charcoal dust is also very PC for the PC Police!

Rick :thumbsup:

 

[AeroncaTAL]

Vern,
Did you buff the horn with 0000 steel wool after hitting it with the sand paper? Also what are you using to engrave the horn? If you are using a xacto knife, the lines shouldn't bleed. The only thing I can think of is that there were still scratch marks from the sand paper and that is what caused the ink to bleed. Don't give up, keep at 'er. Once you've figured it out, let us know how you solved it.
Scott

 

[vthompson]

Hey guy's. I sanded the horn and then went over it with 0000 steel wool. The horn felt really slick to me whenever I started scrimshawing. I used a new xacto knife and then I used the best india ink that the store had.

 

[AeroncaTAL]

Hmmm, never had that happen to me. Interesting. The only way that it could look like the ink bled is if the underlying horn fibers were porous enough for the ink to weep through, or if the surface was rough and had enough tooth for the ink to settle in. Where did you get the horn? If it was one from John Shorb, I couldn't see it doing that. If it was an imported horn from wherever, I don't know...
Scott

 

[smo]

Maybe to much pressure was used with the knife which caused the horn to flake along the etched lines. This could have caused the ink to bleed into the horn outside the lines.I had a older horn do this before. I wish you had have posted a pic of the horn it would have been easier to figure out what could have happened; maybe :v