Splitting horn into flat panels

[Boyd]

Hi All

I've had a play with splitting horn into flat panels for lanterns etc

I have noted down some of my findings. Hopefully it may be helpful to others trying to work their own horn.

I don't claim to be an expert, so if there is anyone who knows more about it please let us all know!

Section 1

[Boyd]

Section 2

[Bogue]

Awesome work Boyd.

Nicely documented and simple enough for us all to follow.
Well done.

Hadn't thought of the panini press though.

A pressure cooker will get you up over the 100 degrees mark which may make it quicker to get to heat without getting up into the frying range of heat that blisters the surface.

Nice work, looking forward to seeing the lantern.

Cheers
Bogue

[Boyd]

Thanks Bougue.

I went for the pannini press after reading somewhere that they heat pressed the horn in the muddy-rensauce.

If I can track down some more horn, I'd have the soaking horn on the simmer while I was working it, which may take away some of the difference between the heat of the horn and the press.

I almost had a pressure cooker a couple of weeks ago too... hmmm

I'll let my hands heal for a bit before I start on the lantern!

[Ryu_Soma]

Im impressed, hope your hands heal up soon.

[Oskar der Drachen]

What kind of framework would you be putting these panels into then?

I keep seeing a relatively close lattice of metal with an "H" channel in it. The panels fitting into the channels like stained glass sections.

Is this close?

[Boyd]

I was planning on making a couple.

A “higher status” metal one and a “lower status” wooden one.

The fancy pants one would be similar to this existing copper alloy lantern with a door with horn panels. The horn panels would be mounted as shown in the attachment.

www.bridgeman.co.uk/search/view_image2.asp?image_id=225832

www.diu-minnezit.de/realie_quelle_vollansicht.php?sid=0&lid=0&tid=4&f=s111_source.jpg&text=Laternenfunde%20aus%20Smithfield

The other was going to have wooden lattice work. Similar in out line to

www.whiteliontraders.co.uk/images/lantern.gif.

The horn panels can sit on top of each other so I'd go for 2 panels a horizontal wooden lattice and then another two panels.

After making the leather lantern with rawhide panels which was 300mm high at the shoulder (before the dome), I realized that this may be to high. So my wooden/horn lantern would be 200mm to the shoulder with a 50-70mm dome.

Or I could be completely fanciful and make another leather bodied lantern with unusual shapes/ decorations that are filled with the horn panels!

Anyway - off to make sulphur spalls...

[Boyd]

the missing attachment ( we're not allowed to attach .bmp files!?)

[Oskar der Drachen]

So then what you have is a sheet of brass where you scribe the windows the size you want them to be, smaller than the panel insert that goes on the *inside* of the sheet.

Then you scribe an X on the (to be) cut out bit, cut along the X lines but not the edges of the window.

Then cut through the X, and remove most of the resulting triangles. Fold the resulting tabs back into the body of the lantern, flat against the inside, apply the horn panel and clamp it in place.

Then the rest of the tab folds back over the edges of the horn panel to hold it in place. The amount of the lantern you make into translucent horn would depend on the margins you allow for the edges of the horn panels?

You could make some intersting tesselations but I imagine curved shaped to be fiendishly difficult.

Good schematics, did I get this process close to right?

[Boyd]

yep - what you said!

I have just picked up a large brass plate/wall ornament thats about 3/4 of a mm thick ( 21? gauge) so by the time the fold is hammered flat it shouldn't stick out to much. It may look a bit naff if the brass plate was any thicker.

Cheers!

[Oskar der Drachen]

What tolls do you use to score and cut the metal through the sheet? Being a blind cut (not from and edge) how do you cut the sheet without too much distortion of the edges of the metal?

[Boyd]

Ha not to sure yet as I haven't tried.

Luckily Founder's park has three full metal workshops so I should be able to find something to do the job!

Possibly a cold chisel or I'll use a cutting wheel on my Dremel tool.

I was going to say before that if I was going to use a large horn panel I would make a frame of strips for the door which would also be used to mount the horn panel.

I'll spend tomorrow evening flattening the brass plate I have, the maker embossed it using a blunt chisel for decoration.

It sounds like there's a race to make a brass lantern!

[Oskar der Drachen]

Only conceptual on my part at this point, but I'd be willing to brainstorm it out with you.

The cleanest edge would be the dremel, but you would go through lots of blades.

How about the cold chisel touched up nice and sharp, and cut through the brass into some nice hard skirting leather or a square of lino? Depending on what alloy of brass it is, you might even be able to use a wood chisel though into leather or lino as long as you were willing to sharpen the chisel now and again. It would make for a cleaner line with less distortion of the metal, especially in the corners.

Just as a curiosity are you planning on polishing the lantern once finished? If you want to keep it shiny, you might want to leave the tops of the horn panel slots open to be able to slide them out if you needed to, or for replacement if broken.

Are you aiming for panels all the same shape or are you going to go for variety?

[Boyd]

The conceptual plan for the lantern is attached. Planned to be Dia. 90mm and about 230mm high

I would probably use a small drill bit and drill the corners of the panes before cutting, which should help stop the distortion from using the chisel.

I'd probably shine it up and then spray with a silicon wax to protect it. A natural patina wouldn't be to bad though!

Cheers

[gt1cm2]

Looks cool Boyd, How much horn would you need to complete this?