I try to keep my eyes open for stuff with good alternative uses. Maybe you are like me and don't own your own lathe. (I did borrow a buddies lathe and have a few wooden sizers I made for rounding out horn bases. But these sometimes get a little sticky to remove). There are other options though.
On my last horn I used a tapered glass bottle from some fruit-flavored water that cost me a buck. I knocked about an inch of the spout off, and took off the sharp edges on my grinder. This let it fit into the horn far enough. This worked well, and it came out the next day like a dream.
Look at some of the different wine bottles and gourmet salad dressing bottles, if you use this stuff anyway, or you might get some from a restaurant that is throwing them away. Some have very good tapers that will work well for this purpose.
I was in a large craft chain store the other day picking up some Rit dye and came across another potentially good sizer. I say potentially, because I havent used them yet, but I think they will work fine.
I bought two of the small clay flower pots for 59 and 69 cents each. They have good tapers (2 different sizes) and should release better than a typical wood sizer. The best part, If they get a little stubborn, I think you could easily knock the bottom out and then break the remaing pot to release.
Of course you can't use alot of force on something this fragile, as you press it into the horn. But I have found when I switched over to Sibley's hot oil method (mentioned in his book), I can fit the sizer by hand with much less pressure, and don't have to force and even hammer them in like I was when boiling my horns in water.
Another thought, I am on the lookout for one of those short tapered screw-in wooden legs from an old couch. Should work good. Already smooth and varnished, and a built in screw to attach to if it gets stubborn! :winking:
Just keep your eyes peeled. Good stuff is all around you.
Top Jaw
On my last horn I used a tapered glass bottle from some fruit-flavored water that cost me a buck. I knocked about an inch of the spout off, and took off the sharp edges on my grinder. This let it fit into the horn far enough. This worked well, and it came out the next day like a dream.
Look at some of the different wine bottles and gourmet salad dressing bottles, if you use this stuff anyway, or you might get some from a restaurant that is throwing them away. Some have very good tapers that will work well for this purpose.
I was in a large craft chain store the other day picking up some Rit dye and came across another potentially good sizer. I say potentially, because I havent used them yet, but I think they will work fine.
I bought two of the small clay flower pots for 59 and 69 cents each. They have good tapers (2 different sizes) and should release better than a typical wood sizer. The best part, If they get a little stubborn, I think you could easily knock the bottom out and then break the remaing pot to release.
Of course you can't use alot of force on something this fragile, as you press it into the horn. But I have found when I switched over to Sibley's hot oil method (mentioned in his book), I can fit the sizer by hand with much less pressure, and don't have to force and even hammer them in like I was when boiling my horns in water.
Another thought, I am on the lookout for one of those short tapered screw-in wooden legs from an old couch. Should work good. Already smooth and varnished, and a built in screw to attach to if it gets stubborn! :winking:
Just keep your eyes peeled. Good stuff is all around you.
Top Jaw
