I'm the proud owner of two hollow pieces of Kudu horn to be used for salt and pepper shakers. The interior of the horns are a light yellow color and they have a bad odor. What is the proper way to sanitize these horns?...Boiling?...Bleaching? Other?

Vapo, it may be safest to out a seperate insert inside of them to hold the spices? Who knows what chemicals have been used on them, I would not risk it personally.

Thanks Ann...In the lack of lots of advice on this I boiled the horns for 20 minutes and there was no damage to them that I could see. They do smell better and I've decided to line the interior with a clear epoxy.

I'll try to post a photo of them upon completion.

Vapodog, I used a product like oxyclean or any other product of a similar nature. Make a concentrated solution and soak the horns for a couple of hours. this also works really well on tusks etc. Then just rinse well. I think your clear epoxy idea is still the way to go as well. It will totally seal in anything that could be a problem.

Perhaps the "lack of lots of advice" is due to the fact the question may better have been asked on the Taxidermy board.

I think that I would check into the toxicity of the epoxy that you used, to make sure, and there are many different epoxies. Check on the cure time and if it remains toxic for whatever time. Curing epoxies emit lots of real nasty stuff. regular shellac, which you can eat, they coat pills and M&M's etc. would work, seals extremely well, but will not stand prolonged immersion in water. One can get sensitized to epoxies and have all kinds of reactions to the stuff. I know some boatbuilder, bowmakers and others who work with it have had to quit using it after varing periods of exposure. Good Luck

I am not sure what dimensions you are talking about but stainless steel tubing in 302 might sleave the inside for holding your salt and pepper. I have done this on a few salt and pepper shakers. you can make caps and bottoms a hundred different ways. silver solder it with 96tin 4% silver works just fine. I bed the tubes with epoxy into the horn/bone/antler.

Walex, I used Famowood glaze coat. The company said that after full curing (three days) it was totally inert and food safe......maybe famous last words.....

I now have a coating inside that is about 1/16" thick and now five days later there is no odor inside the horn at all.

So far I've sanded on these short pieces of horn using 120 grit paper and then applying truoil...let it dry and sand again.

I'm getting some striped ebony for caps...fitting that an African horn be capped by an African wood!!

Vapo,

Sounds like they will be real nice. How about a photo or two of the finished product? I'd be interested in seeing them.

Ann, I finally got an email from the guys that sent me the horns and they said to boil them and then soak them in peroxide.

They said that the peroxide will lighten the color but that it can be stained back later.

I'm spending a lot of time on these horns.....it's a labor of love......a gift from Africa.....

Only those that have been there will understand.