"Goodwife Agatha, why does thy husband have a pile of horns by the door?" "He's not very good at making spoons"

I'd always thought utensils were made of wood the further back in time, cool to learn that there were other ways and means of producing what people needed. Great episode, I learned something new today!

I don’t know how colonial folks scraped horn to make it smooth, but my grandfather said he used broken glass or sometimes shards of broken, glazed pottery. I grew up on his cattle ranch in central Washington state. He was born in backwoods Pennsylvania in 1878. He used a percussion cap muzzle loader for hunting (real backwoods). One day he saw me working on a cow horn, trying to make a powder horn. I was shaving, cutting it down with a pocket knife. He told me the steel was too soft and that I needed something really hard, like glass. He had an old trash pile that got hauled off once or twice a year. He pulled out an old medicine bottle with flat sides and with judicious, skilled taps broke off a big chunk. One edge was straight and wickedly sharp. It shaved off pieces of cow horn, leaving a wonderfully smooth surface. I finished my powder horn, even shaving a long rectangular section thin enough to create a window to see the level of the powder in the horn. Fun project. Later i even scrimshawed an eagle on one side and a bear on the other.

Wow I had no idea "Horner" was a profession. I guess that is probably where the surname "Horner" comes from (like James Horner) since so many surnames come from professions like Sawyer, Hunter, Archer, Cook, Farmer

Suggestion: From the scrap materials you could make buttons. Bigger buttons, for example for coats, would also be nice if bent to shape in a mold.

I did not know how this was made. I always imagined horn handicrafts were carved, but I guess I couldn't imagine what kind of horn they were made of

I'd like to see a window being made out of horn. I read stories of castles in England having horn windows, that were good to let daylight in and insulated from the cold. (Before glass windows)

To be honest, the oil dipping method seems to work better. There's no charring, and the oil may even condition the horn to be a bit more flexible. The spoon looks excellent!

60 years ago I showed a horned heifer for a 4-H project. My advisor had me scrape the horns with a curved piece of glass from a broken pop bottle. It really smoothed them up.

It was a surprise to hear you say that this was your first time making a spoon out of horn. You did a great job!

Brandon owning Monday with his craft videos. Excellent craftsmanship, considering it was his first attempt at making a spoon.

Interesting to see how pliable the material is. Having seen horn products I only now realized that I didn't give much thought about the shapes and how they could be formed. Not all that different than steam bending wood.

I absolutely love this mini series on horning. Especially as a jeweler. I mentioned it in the last video but I think it’s worth mentioning again, I would love to see the delamination of the horn for making things like window panes. Though any more videos you can make on this topic would be greatly appreciated and enjoyed. Thank you.

Horn can be a very durable material. I have a back scratcher made out of water buffalo horn that my parents bought over 40 years ago that I still use. I've always been fascinated by how plastic-like it feels, and it's more comfortable than any other back scratcher I've used so far.

I am seriously astounded, how fast you grow into the role of a host! I was always wondering, how there were items made of perfectly flat but non the less big pieces of horn, I just never bothered with looking it up. You made it interesting and entertaining, making me want to try it out for myself. Thank you Townsends, and particularly Brandon at this point, for widening my horizon! :)

I love this channel, they give instructions like I'm already sitting here with a bull horn and oil about to make some spoons and forgot a step. Great work, thank you guys!

Since you're still new to the process, simple project ideas: Knife handle scales Buttons! Cuff-style bracelets Corset bones (potential collaboration with Bernadette Banner) Wife suggested this one: crochet hook. Good use for long, skinny offcuts

I had no idea horn could be so pliable. I always wondered how those combs were made straight. Nice video!

Suggestion as requested: Make glass frames. "Horn rim glasses" Will probably be a challenge though.

I'm looking at everything in my home that is plastic and asking, "Could I make that with horn?"

That horn makes beautiful handles for nearly anything, especially knives. It makes lovely inlay in wood too🐝🤗❤️ oh… and buttons of any size.

These crafting videos are so fun and relaxing to watch

I'm loving these horn crafting videos! I'd love to see a lantern in the future, especially seeing how wonderfully the light passed through the flattened section when you held it up in front of the window. Question: what does the cleaning process look like for a horn freshly trimmed off a cow? How do you get the hollowed section to be so clean? Thank you Townsends team for all your amazing hard work! 🙏❤

I love my horn spoon! It doesnt burn your mouth if you leave it in hot soup. I got my dad one for christmas.

Video 1: Horn Comb Video 65: Horn Automatic Gearbox

I would imagine that the use of hot oil would also seal the pores in the horn and make it moisture proof & less prone to hold/propagate disease. Much like silver cups and utensils are healthier due to the anti-microbial nature of silver.

That was really cool to see. I saw a vendor selling horn spoons and other items at a Renaissance Fair many years ago and asked how they were made. "Guild secret", he told me.

Many peoples throughout time have used horn this way - spoons, bowls, cups, etc., and even jewelry and other ornate things. The Mongols, Huns, Turks, and others layered and laminated thin strips of horn with wood to make powerful bows that were light in weight for use on horseback. Horn is an incredible resource that has been forgotten. Thanks for this episode that we've all learned from.

I am so glad you did this video and the one about the comb! I had no idea cow horns were hollow and so easy to make things out of!

Saturated fat oil seems best for eating utensils, cracks in the horn let the liquid inside. Oil that can go rancid, will do so on and inside the horn. For tools a oil that has a good polymerization like linseed oil, seems to be working good. As it gives additional "strength".

Scrape it down thin for window or lantern "glass". That's a project.

Another early plastic from the 19th century was hemacite, made from blood and sawdust. It can be poured and hardens to something like bakelite.

I think it was mystic seaport in Connecticut. But could be another living history site form the same time period. But they used to have a horn worker. He used a large wooden vice when making the horn flat also left it in the oil 30 sec to a min before Doing so. Spoons always were pressed in the vice after being placed in the mold. Apprentice horn workers would spend hours cutting out utensil blanks for the horn master to work with. Many times it was one of the first products they would make as well.

If I may, I would like to make an observation, and a suggestion. I have seen molds similar to this, for the same purpose, in various museums here in Canada, as well as in museums in England and Europe. One difference I notice immediately is the finish on the mold surfaces, yours are ruff and not sanded. That said, I have to say your ruff surfaced mold doesn't seem to have any affect on the finish of your spoon! As for my suggestion, you could add a leaver press arm, similar to a tortilla press, to make it a bit easier to use.

Wow! I didn’t know the horn could be shaped by heating. I first saw this in the comb maker videos. Very nice spoon and valuable, interesting knowledge! And also, very nice videos. Thank you! One day I will try to make a spoon like this for medieval reenactment.

Very cool! Do you have a video on how to process the horn to get it to a useable material? Also, can we not have music over the talking parts? Those of us who struggle to hear in the first place struggle more with additional noise. Thanks guys, I love your channel!

A horn spoon is one of my favorite Townsend's purchases. I had a great aunt whose family name was Horner. I now know a bit more of what her ancestors did! Drinking cups were formed from horn, not just the long, pointy 'Viking' style.

Hi, I have a use for those bits left over from the spoon, it’s making a fishing lure using the same process as the spoon mold except in the shape of a small minnow or a craw dad.

I loved watching this, especially in the cabin. I can so clearly imagine a family sitting by the fire on a cold snowy day. Too cold to go out, nothing to do except the daily chores, and craft jobs like this. The mother would be knitting, or sewing, or spinning. The father might be making bullets, or shaving shingles, or sewing harness, and one of the older children might be making spoons just like this, whole warning their younger siblings to back away, it's hot! Grandma sits and peels potatoes while telling tall tales or Bible stories for everyone to enjoy.

Thanks for the info this is why i love the 1800s

I'd be interested to see if you could make a ladle.

Fun fact; horn utensils are still preferred for certain foods, like caviar, because metals alter their flavor.

Beautiful! Nothing went to waste back then 👍🏻

Thanks Brandon. Great video.

Make a patch box cover for a long riffle or musket, I've seen some that were used to replace or used instead of wood or brass.

Really cool. I wish cow horn was cheaper or I knew how to find it cheap so I could make some stuff with it. I would be really neat to see if you could make a knife with horn, just an idea. Keep up the great work.

This was incredibly interesting! I wonder if any of these horn utensils survived the decades to be found in any of the places that the people of that time lived. I love history! The things we learn from the past are worth more than gold. Thank you for presenting it!😊

Hi from Syracuse NY everyone and I just bought a home made powder horn with artwork on it

Love how often you post n hope to see more crafts and work at the cabin

Amazing. I would imagine they used a screw press to hurry along the molding process. As always, great content. 👍👍👍

By the great horn spoon, you’ve done it!

Love this old and simple tools and technique, Thanks a lot from Egypt

I don’t know if you were asking for suggestions for just horn or not, but I would like a lesson on nails. Not just making them but what were the common sizes? What types of projects would they have spent the money or time making them? Today we use nails and screws for just about anything. I don’t think that would be the same back then. Thanks for the video.

Good stuff, Brandon. I've seen a few of these at Market Faire. Wondered how they got them shaped so well.

This man has enticed me in to learning something i never will need in my life.............good job

I've seen mugs made of horn in the past. It's basically the natural form of the horn with a longer strip that is bent to make the handle. But I have no idea what they used for a bottom to close that thing up. Certainly a ambitious project I think, but I'd love to see it.

This is amazing. How long did it take to make a spoon, start to finish? I'm a fantasy writer and I always wanted to include something like that in my writing.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. Nice quality craftsmanship in the making of that spoon. If it is possible, can you make a fork out of a horn? Thanks for the excellent videos. Cheers!

Thanks for the description / demonstration! Liked the "cue" for determining when the oil was hot enough... Got to try my hand at some hornwork myself now.

Who else saw the perfect happy face on the round part of the spoon when he tilted it toward the camera at 5:56? Happy little dude.

Is horn dishwasher safe? 😂

Do you notice the oil penetrating the material much at all, and does that help preserve it?

In ancient times they were making scale armors from hoofs and horns,there are findings and this video helped me understand the process so that i can start working on a horn scale armor

The great thing about this channel is that you never know what you will learn next. (And, the music is pretty good, too!) 👍

We really need to get back to the old ways of no waste of an animal. I love watching your videos. I wish you would show more leather work using real leather and maybe some ways to use bone outside of bone broths. This is the kind of thing I fear we are losing knowledge of.

There IS a spoon! Does this heating method work with antler, too? Or is that an entirely different material? As for projects ... 1. Crochet hook 2. Knitting needles 3. Sewing needles 4. Naalbinding needle 5. A little scrimshaw box or needle case. (Can't tell I'm a yarnaholic, can you :p) Thankyou for showing us your spoons :)

I never considered that people had used horns for eating utensils! That’s really neat! And you did a splendid job! God bless!

According to the Worshipful Company of Horners (London) and others, horn was flattened (on an industrial scale) after softening by being placed between iron sheets into stacks and then squeezed in a screw press until flat - really flat, the thicker end was squeezed until it was the same thickness as the thin end - then left until cool. The resulting sheets were then cut up as needed to make lantern panes, spoons, combs, buttons and such. Only one cut lengthwise, I think on the inside of the curve and cross cut at the thick end . One noticeable thing with cow horn is that it can be split into 3 layers - I think that is where the boiling in water comes in, not for shaping but to help break the layers apart before flattening & thinning. Buffalo (all types), bison, goat, sheep and such do not delaminate as cow horn does, so are more useful for bow making. If you gather 'dead' horn from cow carcasses you may find the horn has already started to delaminate by itself (I did). If you want to get your own horn today you need a really good relationship with a small country slaughter yard or pet food yard, most of the big players are so bound by OH&S, hygiene regulations that they can't actually separate the horns from the skull, it all goes straight into a grinder to be processed into 'blood & bone' fertilizer or stock feed (can you say 'BSE'?).

Ive seen horn be used like glass. Maybe you coyld make a horn lantern or window?

Y’all should have done heart shaped spoons for Valentine’s Day

Thank you for showing us these crafts that produced everyday tools and items. It's interesting how much some horn items, like your spoon, can resemble the earliest widely available plastic, celluloid, at least in appearance. As a collector of clothing buttons and related items, I see many buttons made of horn using a variety of techniques. I -- and many other button collectors -- would love to see you make clothing buttons with various materials and techniques,

I had no idea that horn was used at all, but it makes sense and that was a very approachable way of doing something with it.

instead of cutting the horn in half, why didn't you cut one side, flatten it all out then stamp spoons every other direction to save material?

Watching you flatten the horn, I could not help but think it would be easier with more leverage (or more weight). Do you use the method shown to avoid too much pressure?

I know im never going to make any of these but the guy is having so much fun i just keep watching

I do like your wooden mold press! Very nice!

I watched this while pooping.

That is seriously one of the coolest videos I've seen in quite some time. Good job!

Love this video! I'd love to see both more stuff made from horn, and anything else that you like to do. I so love that this channel has broadened from the 18th c cooking I initially came here for, helping me to learn the day to day life of folks from the era.

What an outstanding episode. I was pleasantly surprised to see something totally new to me! Very well presented.

"Horner" Now that's a term that I have never encountered. Most folks can't appreciate how important it was to have one's own spoon. I have several Ka-bar tactical sporks that live in various pieces of my kit.

Beautifully finished product Brandon! Thank you for describing the process so clearly. Informative & looks like a satisfying project. I'm going to try this sometime 🤠

Thank you! I've been wondering about these for years ever since seeing them be used on this channel in the cooking videos!

This is just awesome! Thank you for sharing- I’m enamored with this process! The spoon turned out beautifully!!!

I never expected that boiling it in oil works better for horn. I will use this methode when I'm going to recreate a replica of a 17 century field lantern (made out of copper) Thank you Townsend! love your videos

This channel is so damn wholesome it must be breaking some kind of legal limit .

Awesome video, cannot wait to see what you guys create next!!

I watched a video on making bowls and water bottles out of dried gourds, now spoons out of horns. Cool stuff.

Great work for a first timer! You make it look easy! Really enjoyed this real time, close up look at history. Thank you !

Thanks for sharing this horn spoon making video with us. Sure made it look easy. Great job. Fred.

These are legit the best videos on KZfaq

I'm gonna be honest these videos keep me calm and happy

Liking this foray into working horn a lot! And a suggestion for a project: A Powder Horn! I bought a cleaned horn once and made a simple powder flask from it using a cork for the stopper as I had no way of threading the plug. I boiled it for softening, tried to fit the wooden end, split the horn, and had to cut it off, reshape the wooden end, and tried again. And again. And again and again. Two things I learned were that naturally thin places in the horn will split easily, and that thinner shapes more easily than thick but is also more easily split. From an intended rifle horn I wound up with a pistol-sized one. After sanding and buffing a coat of boiled linseed oil brought out the beauty. Perhaps oil heating would have worked better? Speaking with folks later on it seems the proper approach was to start with a better horn, then to scrape the horn to even thickness from the inside before boiling and forming, and not rushing the softening process. It does make a mighty stink when you heat it similar to singed hair. Scrapers for the inside can be made from an edge-sharpened metal washer screwed to a wooden handle. Like doing leatherwork it is time-consuming and you can buy for as cheap as you can make it for yourself, but there's a special joy in the making of things you never get from store-bought.

41 years ago, almost to the day I was a 16 year old scout and I along with the rest of the scout troop each made 4 table spoons and 4 tea spoons in horn using hot rapeseed oil. (we made 4 of each so we had some to lend to others that didnt have any, also to have a spare if one broke. I have used (not abused) them heavily over the years and they are still in good condition. Along the way I also carved a few mugs out of burl birch and carved wooden spoons and ladles for camp cooking. The wood items are reasonably durable but only meant for temporary use, where as my horn spoons I consider permanent tools. They rest in a leather roll I have in my back pack where they are protected from abrasion and bending.

Incredible to know the amount of work people had to go through to make such simple things we take for granted today! Such an interesting video!

That was awesome. Thank you so much for sharing. Really loved it

That turned out so nice. Thank you for showing the process.

Great presentation and skillfully done. Gorgeous finished project. Almost as if Townsend himself was there in spirit. Always something new to learn on this channel!

Plastic, while it destroys the environment, has made life easy for us for the time being. I can understand why people back then appreciated things more than we do, because there was so much effort involved in making even the simplest of things, like a comb.

love these videos at the homestead!