Food-Grade Horns?

[Obi-Wan Cannoli]

Outside of elbow grease, is there anything else applied to the inside of rum horns or salt horns to make them safe (palatable) for consumption? Is there an inner sleeve of some other material or is there a coating of something that is applied or an extra process?

Thank you.

 

[bubba.50]

Beeswax and a product called brewers pitch are two I’ve heard of bein’ used.

 

[Black Hand]

I use beeswax.

Nothing you apply to a horn will make it palatable, since you don't eat the horn itself... :wink:

 

[Loyalist Dave]

100 proof rum will, after several hours, probably kill off any micro-bugs, and 151 proof in less than an hour. Tainting the taste..., don't know if one can be sure of that until tried.

LD

 

[Black Hand]

Beeswax is impervious to alcohol/liquids/solids and would cover any off flavors that could be extracted from the horn.

 

[nhmoose]

I am thinking epoxy's. seals and non disintegrating by heat or whatever.

Less tasting by far than beeswax or brewers pitch. Hard to see keeping the illusion of period correct.

 

[kansas_volunteer]

Epoxy will give your liquids a nasty taste.

I once made a gourd canteen. Water in it tasted like gourd after a while. That's a really nasty flavor and probably the reason you don't see gourd flavored Koolaid. To correct the problem I bought quart cans of epoxy mix whipped up a batch big enough to coat the inside of the gourd, poured it in and began rotating the gourd to coat the inside after which I poured out the excess before it could harden. Voila! The water tasted even nastier than before, which should give you some idea why there is no epoxy flavored Koolaid.

Any flavor of natural horn that effects the contents is to be preferred to epoxy. Bees wax straight up is soft and only suitable for items that won't get hot, which can also mean kept out of the summer sun. Beeswax made into a paste and buffed out works better than plain beeswax due to a change in the chemical structure of the wax. But, buffing inside a closed horn is a problem. Plain wax is the next best thing.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Good question. Horn has been used since the beginning of time for serving food. Methinks just a good washing is sufficient. Of course, hot liquids might not be a good idea.

 

[Black Hand]

I am thinking epoxy's. seals and non disintegrating by heat or whatever.

Less tasting by far than beeswax or brewers pitch. Hard to see keeping the illusion of period correct.

Beeswax is non-toxic. I would be cautious using epoxy, as the contents could leach chemicals. Maybe a food-grade epoxy, if there is such a thing.

A small cake of beeswax will seal a horn quickly and efficiently...

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Soaking the horn in alcohol, or another potable disinfectant should do the job. I my turner's club some folks turn stunningly beautiful wooden cups and chalices, and then wonder how to render them water proof, or how to keep bacteria/mold from inhabiting the wood.

Just yesterday, I inquired about purchasing a birch mug from a German supplier and was told that there is no shipping to the US because of some US FDA regulation about importing untreated wooden drinking vessels.

 

[Zonie]

I don't know if it applies to all woods, and it certainly doesn't address the horn material but as I recall, years ago, tests were done to see how unsanitary wood cutting boards were.
They expected the porous grain in the wood would harbor all sorts of nasty things.

It turned out that the wood cutting boards killed off the common bacteria.

Plastic was the worst serving as a fancy condo for all manner of bacteria.

Thinking of this, a plastic like epoxy might be a worse thing to consider for lining a horn.

 

[Nativearizonan]

Outside of elbow grease, is there anything else applied to the inside of rum horns or salt horns to make them safe (palatable) for consumption? Is there an inner sleeve of some other material or is there a coating of something that is applied or an extra process?

Thank you.

Rum and salt are both pretty strong antimicrobials.

 

[Obi-Wan Cannoli]

Rum and salt are both pretty strong antimicrobials.

And a cow's horn smells worse than my feet after 2 weeks camping. :shocked2:

 

[nhmoose]

You need to soak those feet in the RUM!!! Please do the family a favor! :rotf: :rotf: :rotf:

 

[Bo T]

After a couple of cups of rum you won't notice the odor. It sounds like bees wax inside and out might work. You could coat the outside with a varnish. Let us know how this turns out as I almost started a horn cup (till I read this). I might just go with a wood cup. Or stick to my tin cup.

 

[Zonie]

A question for the experts:

I have heard of "salt horns" and they make sense to me but, did something such as a "rum horn" actually exist in the 18th and 19th century?

I ask because I had never heard of such a thing and when I posted the words on Google, all I got was modern "rum horns" made by modern builders.

It wouldn't be the first time modern builders have invented such things.

We've all heard of the notorious "Canoe Gun" and there is no documentation that such a thing as that ever existed in the 18th and 19th century.

 

[Black Hand]

After a couple of cups of rum you won't notice the odor. It sounds like bees wax inside and out might work. You could coat the outside with a varnish. Let us know how this turns out as I almost started a horn cup (till I read this). I might just go with a wood cup. Or stick to my tin cup.

I can tell you from personal experience that beeswax will work in a horn for rum or salt. If a wooden container is to be used with hot liquids, oil is a better choice.

 

[Rifleman1776]

If a wooden container is to be used with hot liquids, oil is a better choice.

:nono: Nothing is a better choice. My much, and long, used noggin of mystery wood (I think cherry) has no finish at all. It has been used for every potable liquid you can imagine. Hot and cold. Finishes will come off and taste awful with hot liquids or alcohol or milk, orange juice, etc. If making one just be sure the wood is well seasoned before cutting into it. As for documenting, in the Collectors Illustrated Encyclopedia of the American Revolution on page 103, item #2 a horn cup is shown. Good enuf for the Rev guys, good enuf for me.

 

[tenngun]

Cold liquids ain’t to bad, hot taste of horn. Finishes leach out of anything natural if you drink hot. Clay breaks and is heavy, horn was a common cup in the old days but taste of horn with coffee or tea, tin and copper burn your lips.
Such is our hobby.

 

[satx78247]

The BEST material for hot coffee that I've yet tried is a heavy porcelain mug. = I've "bounced teacups off the floor" numerous times W/O breaking or chipping the heavy/thick mugs.

NO horn, glass, tin, pewter or copper drinking vessels, for hot coffee, for me

yours, tex