# african antelope horn



## altaciii (Jul 5, 2008)

I have an aquaintance that is returning to town after an extended hunt to africa.  He wants me to make a couple of pens for him and his shipmates out of a set of african antelope horns.  The problem is I believe the horns are not like antler and solid.  Does anyone have any experience with this type of material.  Any help would be useful.


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## Russianwolf (Jul 5, 2008)

I think Antelope are members of the deer family and so the horn is really antler (It just doesn't have branches).

I could be wrong however. Wait and see what they give you to work with.


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## bitshird (Jul 5, 2008)

Prong Horn Antelope such as we have here in the U.S. have hollow horns like sheep and goats and bovines.


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## MesquiteMan (Jul 5, 2008)

Actually, antelopes are bovids and are not related to deer at all.  They are more closely related to goats and cows.  They have true horns that are NOT shed each year.  Not sure how it will turn or anything else about it but if I had some I would certainly give it a try!


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## LostintheWoods (Jul 5, 2008)

That is to say, TRUE antelopes---not to be confused with the pronghorns which we have here, which are not antelopes at all. the pronghorn's horns are actually hair, not horn.


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## Rifleman1776 (Jul 5, 2008)

Shannon has it right. The American Pronghorn is a critter all its own. Not related to deer, goats or the strange guy next door.
African Antelope is probably a true antelope. I don't even know if they have antlers or horns. Probably horns. Just wait and see whatcha get and work from there. Then educate us. Good luck.


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## bitshird (Jul 5, 2008)

Wow lived around those suckers and ate quite a few, never knew the horns were hair how weired, well at least they taste good, the Pronghorn not it's horns [)][)][)][)][)]


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## MesquiteMan (Jul 5, 2008)

> _Originally posted by LostintheWoods_
> 
> That is to say, TRUE antelopes---not to be confused with the pronghorns which we have here, which are not antelopes at all. the pronghorn's horns are actually hair, not horn.



Well he did say African Antelope!


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## TellicoTurning (Jul 5, 2008)

If they are hollow, check with the Aussie Chick... I seem to remember she did a pen from a cow horn and I know they are hollow.

Also, I seem to remember back when I first started in this business, I picked up a long blackish horn from my horn guy down in Texas... he ran an exotic game farm.. the horn was relatively solid, but had some marrow in the bigger part.. in truth, I don't remember too much about how the pens were, but I do remember having the horn.


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## altaciii (Jul 5, 2008)

Ok, some clarification.  I talked to my buddy this afternoon and he said he had two sets of Impala horns such as









and one set of gemsbok such as








Maybe that will help with the problem.  We'll see.


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## redfishsc (Jul 5, 2008)

If they turn out to be hollow, remember that you can cast just about anything in resin. 


You can cut the hollow horns into strips that can be cast in PR resin with an appropriate color (check with your buddy to pick a color). 


You'll also want to make sure the horn is "cured" or dry. If I'm not mistaken, freshly harvested horns and antlers can have a lot of moisture and may crack after turning if not dried. I have no idea how long it would take to dry a horn blank. 


That being said, it's nothing that a small toaster oven on LOW probably couldn't handle in a relatively quick period of times. If it causes the horn to crack, casting in resin will actually make the cracks look neat.

I have the ability to cast in resin and am willing to help, but there are others here that are more experienced in it that I, so I'm sure one of us will help you out.


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## VisExp (Jul 6, 2008)

Judging from the horns I have seen in Africa I am pretty certain they will be hollow.   

One of the most beautiful sights you will ever see is a herd of Impala on the run.  It is like water flowing over the bushveld as they leap over the brush.

They also make really tasty biltong, the South African equivalent of jerky


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## redfishsc (Jul 6, 2008)

> _Originally posted by VisExp_
> 
> 
> 
> One of the most beautiful sights you will ever see is a herd of Impala on the run.  It is like water flowing over the bushveld as they leap over the brush.



Eclipsed only by  herd of whitetail in my freezer!


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## bruce119 (Jul 6, 2008)

I went horn crazy the last few days and got a lot of horn coming. A mix of buffalo, antelope, gemsbok, ram, steer & hog tusks. I have already worked the hog tusk and it turns great it is real ivory not a whole lot there but great for inlays and if you get a good one you can get a pen out of it. The horns I hope are solid more towards the tip. I have a bull horn and it is solid at the tip probably just enough to make a pen. I will let you know how these different horns work.

Bruce


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## jskeen (Jul 6, 2008)

I have turned several pens from both gemsbok and blackbuck horns.  Pictures are in my album.  I have never turned impala, but have looked closely at several.  All are true horn, as opposed to antler, meaning that they are basically composed of hair glued together with kerotin.  All are hollow for a considerable part of their length, usually about 2/3 of the total.  The remaining solid portions will yield between 2 to 5 or 6 solid pen blanks depending on size.  The hollow portions are prized for making game calls from the smaller diameter portions, and knife scales from the larger flatter sections, so don't throw it away.    

The material drills and turns similar to the softer acrylics, throwing ribbons all over your work area.  After the blank is turned and polished, close inspection should show the parallel structure of hairs in the material.  Gemsbok will be parallel the length of the blank, blackbuck and impalla will show curls or curves.  In my experience this structure will disappear if coated in CA, so I always simply buffed or MM'd the material, and it takes on a wonderfull glassy shine.  Cracks can occur weeks after turning, and may show the brass tube, but if the crack is first filled with black ink, then thin CA and sanded it is all but invisible.  

Pens made of this material are quite rare, I have seen or heard of very few, so I would save it for use on premium kits only, as it can be difficult to get a worthwhile price for the material on a more basic kit.  DAMHIKT  

PM me if I can help with any details.


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## mitchm (Jul 7, 2008)

> _Originally posted by VisExp_
> 
> Judging from the horns I have seen in Africa I am pretty certain they will be hollow.
> 
> ...



Hey Keith, glad you liked the Impala biltong!! []

As for the horns, only the tips are usually solid! The Gemsbok horn should yield a little more solid horn.

Pitty that us "poor South Africans" can't afford to buy the local buck...seeing prices are now quoted in USD or GDP. [}]


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## Rifleman1776 (Jul 14, 2008)

Watched a African safari hunting show the other night. A Sable Antelope was taken. They called the head gear "horns".


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