Molding Primitive "Plastic" - Horn Spoons in Early America

[@TaekwondoVsCokeNinjas]

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!

[@stormelemental13]

Wood was used a lot yes, but horn and bone were both used too.

[@leifhietala8074]

If you go back a few years, you can see John testing recipes with what appears to be a very modern plastic spoon - it is, in fact, a horn spoon that they offered on the website at the time. It looks a LOT like a durable spoon like you'd find in an MRE but I don't reckon spoons have evolved much in the last thousand years.

[@Skud0rz]

@@leifhietala8074 they evolved into sporks

[@meacadwell]

They used horn, wood and metal for utensils at that time. The cheapest was wood because pretty much anyone (aka pioneers) could take a piece of wood and cut out a spoon or a bowl. Horn takes more skill.

[@Drakonak]

@@meacadwell Whats the benefit of horn over wood? Is it more durable? Less likely to splinter?

[@rogergadley9965]

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.

[@seigeengine]

Hardened steel is harder than glass, and may even be harder than ceramic, depending. That said, the profile of the broken glass and it's sharpness may be better than your knife, which is probably profiled more to be a bit sturdier, and may have been dull, or even unhardened, perhaps.

[@susanohnhaus611]

@@seigeengine the curve of the glass bottle would allow it to be held between the thumb and fingers so it could be manipulated more easily. I knew an Indian lady who bought our hides for processing into mocassins and she used broken glass bottles to deflesh the hides.

[@segbaillie2824]

@@susanohnhaus611 I'm thinking that a broken bottle is the modern equivalent of a flint scraper (?)

[@AllofJudea]

That's a great story, thanks for sharing it.

[@SCARLETBIRDS]

@@seigeengine honestly it's more about sharper rather than harder, obsidian and glass are still the sharpest materials we have and this is also why they are used for eye surgery

[@Tadicuslegion78]

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

[@jmcr71795]

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!🤣

[@AssistantCoreAQI]

Get Thineself A Man Of The House That Knows Both How To Hunt Boar And Form Cutlery.

[@aSipOfHemlocktea]

@@AssistantCoreAQI Ofrîdan thîne wýscan manna ðe canne oncwealdan hlêg eofor nymðe ðurhdrîfan bêga "cutlery" (hilte æs lôma)

[@donmac7780]

@@aSipOfHemlocktea I zee what you did dere,,🙂

[@pourattitude4206]

Furthermore, thine ownst eyes behold the unkempt nature of mine own disheveled locks. His comb-making attempts are worse still.

[@consideringorthodoxy5495]

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.

[@WatcherintheDark69]

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!

[@meacadwell]

The oil would also condition the wooden mold and help keep it from drying out.

[@ptonpc]

I was thinking the same thing. I wonder if the formers would have been clamped together, say in a vice, in workshops?

[@jamesellsworth9673]

@@ptonpc I was ALSO thinking: screw or lever press, with more pressure as the horn was increasingly flattened.

[@linusyootasteisking]

yes and much more even heat in the horn than flame

[@lemagreengreen]

@@ptonpc Yeah seems like something they'd do, can picture some dedicated screw press with a big lever to apply lots of pressure. Big wooden threaded rods were in wide use at the time for woodworking vices

[@dianeduanecounterman7126]

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.

[@m.a.6478]

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.

[@wonderoushistoryofclassicf9193]

Little late but I second this.

[@Nightkrowler]

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! :)

[@gymir5226]

Hear hear!

[@suziecreamcheese211]

Why did the host change?

[@sallymoen7932]

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)

[@NobodyCaresALot]

That's really interesting

[@brandonogden3498]

Huh, makes sense. I guess if you actually want to see *out* of the window like modern glass ones, you just open it. Cool tidbit there, as an author I really appreciate it!

[@RomanesEuntDomus.]

First you need to find a cow that's large enough

[@audiosreality]

@@RomanesEuntDomus. Not really most older windows (even glass ones from 100 years ago) used multiple smaller panes. To make longer window panes horn could be lapped and glued. Given the still largely available longhorns in north america you could get several long thin sections of about 6-8 inches by a few feet depending on the amount your willing to pay.

[@gh3239]

@@RomanesEuntDomus. there are no cows that large 😂 you obviously need minotaur horn.

[@riverholmes8727]

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!

[@babyjenks1784]

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

[@CathrineMacNiel]

Smith

[@PKMartin]

Fisher, MIller, Hooper, Cooper, Brewer, most anything ending in -wright (Cartwright, Wainwright), Fletcher, Bowyer... the list goes on.

[@balinthavlik7238]

Dickinson

[@Bangalangs]

Fletcher

[@mobydickswife9512]

Oddest surname I ever came across was "Stillborn". I have no idea how that name developed.

[@kutter_ttl6786]

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.

[@possibly_a_retard]

Dude, I will look into this. Wooden ones never felt right for me

[@askhowiknow5527]

I bet the guy who first made plastic said "wow, this is a lot like horn..."

[@AlRoderick]

Almost. The first people to make celluloid into a solid material were looking for a substitute for ivory in billiard balls, so they were aiming for teeth not horns.

[@morpheusgreene2704]

@@askhowiknow5527 his name was Leo Baekeland

[@jrggrop]

Well, it is a type of polymer.

[@PoutingTrevor]

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!

[@davidashmore3929]

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

[@saccaed]

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.

[@askhowiknow5527]

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

[@ValeriePallaoro]

There's lots of things that have to happen to horns to even get them to the 'raw' stage they are at sitting on the table. Just this processing (for viking style drinking horns) I learnt so much about the malleability of horn. What I'm saying is that sometimes it's the act of processing that gives you insight into your wares

[@leifhietala8074]

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

[@Timmysteve]

Yes PLEASE!! a collab with Bernadette Banner would be INCREDIBLE

[@ValeriePallaoro]

You win the internet for the day; buttons for Banner should be the headline, (let's start small, corset bones require whale bone, don't they?)

[@leifhietala8074]

@@ValeriePallaoro Ostensibly yes, but I bet ingenious tailors and seamstresses of the day, faced with a dearth of baleen whales in landlocked Indiana, were flexible. Just like molded horn.

[@PhoenyxAshe]

I had the thought of sewing needles, which could also be a collaboration project.

[@ragnkja]

Given the time period Townsends focus on, stays would be more common than corsets, at least as boned garments. The corset, or jumps as they were called in English at the time (“corset” was the French equivalent), was basically the sports bra of the time, being fitted and supportive, but unboned or minimally boned. Jumps could be plain undergarments, or they could be women’s quilted waistcoats and meant to be worn in a more visible manner. Stays were more heavily boned, either with reeds or with baleen, and were the fashionable support garment of the 18th century. (There was a period of confusion in the early 19th century about which word was more appropriate for support garment needed for the fashionable silhouette of the time, being significantly softer and less boned than stays, but more than a corset, as they’d begun calling the soft support garment by then.)

[@allisonshaw9341]

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.

[@MalReaver]

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!

[@mandapanda7407]

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! 🙏❤

[@Kerosene.Dreams]

Wonderful questions!

[@omarb7164]

@@Sir_Bradock what kind of flesh is inside it, and how far inside does it reach? I thought the horns grew continuously but stayed hollow. And what caused the bad smell?

[@corvidaegudmund1186]

@@Sir_Bradock You might not have had the horn too hot. I’ve never tried it myself, but I have read articles from people who process deer hooves for native American ornaments that hooves also stink badly when boiled. Both hooves and horns like cows have (fleshy middle, hard shell) are made of keratin. I think it might either be the keratin itself or some of the connective tissue in those structures that cause the smell the moment heat starts softening them.

[@contraband1543]

That would be a pretty dim lantern

[@pieters286]

@@contraband1543 Enough light to find your way in dark, protecting open flame from wind gust, and surrounds from catching fire.

[@TheTheRay]

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

[@markfergerson2145]

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.

[@DeUser1337]

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".

[@EUPThatsMe]

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.

[@sentath]

If i, as a modern, were going to approach that problem; i'd want to use a wax that doesn't melt at food temps. Beeswax (143-151F 61-66C) looks like a good starting point. Then switch to carnuba (180F 82C) once that becomes available

[@deborahdanhauer8525]

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

[@ramenguy1313]

These crafting videos are so fun and relaxing to watch

[@jmcr71795]

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.

[@ralph90009]

Theoretically there could also be a flat block of the press to flatten the horn, another for cutting the spoon blank, and a final one to actually shape the spoon. I would be surprised if such equipment was not widely used by horners back when it was common!

[@scarpenter697]

I wonder if the mold would get smoother with use. I really enjoyed this video!

[@HiddeneyeInc]

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.

[@BlackMasterRoshi]

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

[@seigeengine]

If the soup is hot enough for it to make the spoon hot enough to burn your mouth, you shouldn't be eating it yet in the first place.

[@crisaghemo]

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

[@contraband1543]

That's an entire profession in itself. That's like asking him to make a pocketwatch from the forge... Where is the glass gonna come from?

[@leifhietala8074]

Came here to say this. You hear about "horn rim glasses," this material is what they were talking about. He says he's still new to the process though, and glasses are kind of involved.

[@Shangster949]

Glass alone would be great too. I'd like to see how glassware was made back then.

[@Lucius1958]

@@contraband1543 Horn workers could make the frames; lens makers would grind the glass, and fit it into the frames.

[@ValeriePallaoro]

@@contraband1543 no .. he just said 'frames'

[@Breakfast_of_Champions]

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

[@dynamicworlds1]

....I don't say this often, but I really would have preferred continuing to not know that was a thing....

[@gabrielclark1425]

@@dynamicworlds1 an ancient method of creating hard smooth floors was to bleed an animal in a mixture of sand and dirt, pound it into place, and then let the blood coagulate.

[@dynamicworlds1]

@@gabrielclark1425 disgusting, like what they often made the walls out of, but at least something I can expect to not touch in my lifetime or have to wonder if any think I handled thinking it was plastic or bakelite was actually plasticized blood. It's kinda like sausage. Wanting to know it's safe doesn't mean wanting the gorey details of what went into it.

[@sarasolomon4812]

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.

[@eszterczerjak]

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.

[@Imjetta7]

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!

[@bethchapin5005]

There are usually captions. I use them a lot.

[@jamesvoigt7275]

Hear, hear!

[@Imjetta7]

@@bethchapin5005 I use them for everything, but to have the talking and music to try to pick apart is exhausting.

[@richardcranium7899]

You're very demanding.

[@ragnkja]

@@bethchapin5005 I also use captions a lot, but automatically generated captions aren’t anywhere near as good, and tend to mess up right when I need them the most, because they don’t understand context and tend to default to the most common option even when that’s clearly nonsense.

[@jamesellsworth9673]

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.

[@malapoyo]

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

[@napalmholocaust9093]

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

[@stevenhess5616]

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

[@michahalczuk9071]

Video 1: Horn Comb Video 65: Horn Automatic Gearbox

[@segbaillie2824]

😆😆😆😆😆

[@peeblood]

You got an audible chortle out of me.

[@imyerhuckleberry4133]

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 🤠

[@J.A.Smith2397]

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

[@desertislandtoolworks1956]

These horn videos are great! Id love to see your take on a horn cup.

[@stevenolan7972]

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.

[@fractode]

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

[@mstuartjones7800]

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.

[@huntermckinney18]

love these videos at the homestead!

[@luke_skywalker_fan1bryson284]

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

[@nancylindsay4255]

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,

[@EXARCWithGrandpop]

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.

[@TheTheRay]

Nails were definitely valuable. There is a common myth (that has a core of truth) that barns would be burnt down just to recover the nails. Sorry that I can't give more specific details, but the podcast 99% Invisible has had a part of an episode dedicated to the value of nails during history, especially during medieval times.

[@seigeengine]

@@TheTheRay I can give some more details because I'm not shilling a podcast. It was common in the past to burn down old wooden structures as a method of demolition. They reclaimed nails sometimes from the burnt down buildings, because they were somewhat valuable and could be reclaimed, but that wasn't the reason they were burnt down.

[@darthguilder1923]

@@seigeengine so it’s kind of like how we don’t knock down old buildings now for their copper wire, but we collect what we can find if we are knocking a building down

[@seigeengine]

@@darthguilder1923 Exactly. A bit further afield, it's like how if you were throwing out old stuff, you'd probably pick out and sell the stuff that has some value... because otherwise it's just wasted. Nobody would say you threw out the old stuff in order to sell the bits that are worth something.

[@P_RO_]

Jointery was how wood was fixed together in past times. Unlike today, there were really no sizing and shaping standards for nails. You could buy nails in bulk but it was costly due to both labor and shipping, so the usual was to get what you needed from the local blacksmith who forged each one by eye and hand. Machines were made to stamp out nails, but nails only became cheap when we learned how to draw steel wire uniformly. There's a good book on the history of screws called "One Good Turn" by Witold Berkowski (sp?) which some might find interesting.

[@WestForkWoodsman]

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!

[@TheBradinator214]

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

[@dbmail545]

@@valis1854 a bit more than that. Has to tolerate more heat and lift more mass. I don't recall ever seeing a horn or wooden ladle, though that certainly doesn't mean that they did not exist.

[@MohammedSaeedAwad]

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

[@MindsMouth]

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

[@floramew]

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.

[@jamesvatter5729]

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

[@virginiainnes9042]

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

[@Fricker112]

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.

[@deamonsoul1]

You can for survival, along with arrowheads, it just doesn't hold a worthwhile point or edge after use on anything but soft material.

[@Fricker112]

@@deamonsoul1 Can it be hardened through some form of heat treating process?

[@dr.froghopper6711]

@@Fricker112 not really . It’s a modified form of hair. Bone makes a pretty fair knife.

[@cordelion67]

Tandy leather sells horns. Easy to get started.

[@Fricker112]

@@cordelion67 I've heard of them. I had no idea they sold horns. I will definitely check it out. Thanks for your help.

[@kathrynstallman1657]

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!😊

[@Cthultystka]

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.

[@maldorthegreat]

These are legit the best videos on KZbin

[@mikitta47]

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 :)

[@Burning_Typhoon]

Don't quote me, but i think it's all the same as toenails, and stuff. It's something to look-up.

[@seigeengine]

I imagine it would work for antler, though antler would be harder to work with on account of it being solid as opposed to hollow.

[@corvidaegudmund1186]

I don’t know if it would work with antler. Antler has a different structure than cow horn. It is also mostly calcium, if I remember correctly, vs. the keratin that cow horns are mostly made of. Everyone I’ve heard of that uses antler to make things carves the antler like you would wood or bone. You could try it, still.

[@thomasdykstra100]

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.

[@tauIrrydah]

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

[@P_RO_]

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.

[@gillnosowitz2795]

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?

[@susanohnhaus611]

I wondered about that myself I quilt and am always trying to figure out how to cut shapes to save fabric and a spoon is a refined long thin triangle.

[@gillnosowitz2795]

@@susanohnhaus611 Yeah it got me when he said "try and save material" just a few minutes before. Glad to hear you quilt, it's starting to vanish it seems, but it's a great, wholesome and sometimes really good community driven hobby! My friends and their families all try to have these strong community bonding hobbies as well as home schooling, and we get called everything from "creepy cult" to "crazy racists" but we're just regular folk who want to have hobbies that aren't drugs, drinking, and consuming boring media. It's like no one today ever played in a band or went pony trekking as kids. Sorry, just had to say my thing.

[@susanohnhaus611]

@@gillnosowitz2795 Thank you. This channel is so wonderful. I hesitate to use the word wholesome when I recommend it to everybody I can because that word will shut people down, but if there is a wholesome channel on Utube this is it. And reruns of the Red Green show

[@Tgauchsin]

Love your series! Im a leatherworker for fun. Making 3-4 of your costrel in the next week or so as a “kick off summer” project for my kids. Love tinkering with my hands.

[@dwaynewladyka577]

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!

[@cordelion67]

A two tined fork would not be a problem.

[@virginiavoigt2418]

If you can make a comb, a fork doesn't seem too far afield.

[@dbmail545]

Interesting that forks were largely limited to the upper classes. Anyone else that needed to stab meat used their belt knife/odd bodkin.

[@jamesellsworth9673]

Good idea, Dwayne! Townsends could sell it as part of a set with their very successful and useful spoon!😍

[@dwaynewladyka577]

@@jamesellsworth9673 I agree. Cheers, James! ✌️

[@gailsears2913]

Thanks Brandon. Great video.

[@LordBrittish]

Is horn dishwasher safe? 😂

[@dbmail545]

If boiling water is not hot enough to work it, I would suspect that it is.

[@segbaillie2824]

I guess the only way to be sure is to try - on the top rack maybe? It's OK in dish washing by hand but I tend not to stir hot drinks with horn, I was told it might taint the drink. Not sure how true that is though 🤔

[@jonw3982]

When I went to Misissinaw 1812 in 2019. Was meant to go with a cousin he got sick but went with my mother. She is old isn't good moving much so stayed with her all the time. went by your tent even not realizeing I know you from yt till later. Been watching your reanactment eps for better of a word, love them.

[@TheHouseofHaunt666]

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

[@AHBelt]

I was going to ask this. When he held the horn to light once the light shined through and it reminded me of some windows I've seen.

[@happycatlovesyou3366]

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.

[@Kerosene.Dreams]

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.

[@seigeengine]

I mean, by and large we don't waste parts of animals. The parts we don't use directly in our lives get shipped off and processed into other things, like animal feed, gelatin, etc.

[@80krauser]

Well we do have a use for just about everything on an animal today. Just modern tastes and laws get in the way. Like in the US lung is not considered a food item whereas in the UK it is a key ingredient in haggis. The bones and gristle get made into broth, pet food or rendered down for collagen which is all sorts of things. You can even get bloodmeal for fertilizer.

[@olddawgdreaming5715]

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

[@jasons1537]

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?

[@RDSwords]

I wonder if they ever just used a flat waffle iron type of utensil to press the horn while holding it submerged in the hot oil.

[@GhostsOfThings]

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

[@thedangersofboredom]

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

[@townsends]

www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/188182

[@casparstaal5018]

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

[@turb00o]

I watched this while pooping.

[@TheHitechHobo]

So cool. Thanks!

[@Manuelslayor]

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

[@J.A.Smith2397]

I do like your wooden mold press! Very nice!

[@vivianramsay2527]

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

[@gma5587]

Beautiful! Nothing went to waste back then 👍🏻

[@kalicokathy1944]

Thanks for sharing this video. I’m a history buff and enjoy watching how our ancestors used their ingenuity to make the things they needed

[@ramsessevenone416]

You guys are amazing. And my suggestion is a stretch....I'm not sure what your resources are, but maybe we could crowdfund it and you could hire other 18th century contract builders..... I would totally pay at least $100 to see a documentary-style series where you guys build a colonial house from scratch using 18th century technology. Nothing too fancy (maybe a second floor?). That would be a really cool. I know @AbsoluteHistory did one about building a 13th century castle and I think it took them like, 10 years or something?

[@tydaman93]

Hope we keep getting these type of videos. Super interesting.

[@brucelee3388]

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'?).

[@Schlachtschule]

Very nice! Although I really enjoy the cooking shows, I am very pleased to see the hand-crafting shows you've been doing lately, too.

[@jennylynn82173]

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

[@seanreidy143]

"the more you do things, the better you get" - starting to channel some Bob Ross type of motivation. great stuff!

[@MichaelKingsfordGray]

Well done! Horn, leather, bone, stone, fire and wood. 70,000 years can't be wrong!

[@kinjiru731]

Fine work, Brandon. It's remarkable how much horn really does resemble plastic.

[@jaysonwawrykowicz7885]

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

[@uriah-s97]

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

[@dietaube6898]

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.

[@dbmail545]

Usually wood. I think the glass bottomed steins date from much later, possibly the early 20th century. Mugs were also made of leather.

[@ValeriePallaoro]

More horn?

[@UseAbuseReuse]

This channel never fails to impress

[@caregivingwithlove3405]

Oh my! This is just amazing! I absolutely MUST have one! My husband and I used to do Civil War reenacting and this would have been perfect!!

[@Zen_Archaes]

Just from observation It would probably go smother to make a leather stencil pattern off the mold to cut your blanks and after cutting the horn to size roll out the entire horn rather than cutting in half to reduce waste

[@oliverkalamata2753]

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!