Buckhorn: Your thoughts

H

Hanky

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hello all, Pat Diveney is in the process of building a custom cue for me and has been kind enough to find some buckhorn to use for the joint and ferrule material per my request. I love the look of the horn and and have read positive things about its use in these applications. I am curious about others experiences using buckhorn. What are the positives and negatives you may have experienced. I have always used a steel jointed cues ala Scruggs & Schon in combination with ivory ferrules, so I am definatly expecting somewhat of a diffrent feel in this cue. Any pics would be fantastic, and as always I appreciate your time. Thanks in advance.

Hanky
 
is this buckhorn the same stuff some 3c players use?

if so,,,,,i heard it holds up better and is less susceptable to weather changes, but that could have been the ramblings of the guy who was trying to sell me on the stuff.

i tried it. i can't remember the exact construct of the cue it was on. it might have been a billiard cue or a schuler, i cannot remember,,,this was a decade ago.

so take this with a grain of salt.....it didn't feel as hard as ivory. it felt drier and "splintery", like some tightly woven fibrous stuff. felt lively, though, but that could have been the cue itself.
 
if so,,,,,i heard it holds up better and is less susceptable to weather changes, but that could have been the ramblings of the guy who was trying to sell me on the stuff.
It's true.
I aged some of mine by torturing them in my car.
None broke.


so take this with a grain of salt.....it didn't feel as hard as ivory. it felt drier and "splintery", like some tightly woven fibrous stuff. felt lively, though, but that could have been the cue itself.
For ferrules, I like white tail antler tips.
They are hard and pingy. Tough and dangerous to make.
 
Hello Jeff, I am the one who turmed Pat onto your buckhorn. I asked him about the horn and he said he didn't have any on hand. Pat has been busy as a one armed paper hanger. I took the liberty to locate your info, sent it to Pat, and here we are. Pat has built a few cues for my wife and I. IMHO perfection from finish through playability. He is another one of the cuemakers out there that is supposed to hit them pretty sporty so he knows both sides of the coin rather well.

Hanky
 
I've used antler for ferrules, from White Tail Deer. In 20 years I've never had one crack. They play like Ivory, but are stronger. I only use antlers that have been shed , by the deer. Antlers that have been taken from deer, that have been killed, are full of blood. When polished, the blood turns the ferrules a rosey gray color. Only the tips are usable. The larger parts are pithy in the center. I have never seen usable antler from White Tail Deer large enough for butt caps & few large enough for joints...JER
 
It plays ok but I prefer horn to antler. black buffalo hits good but black ferrules don't cut it.

Andy
 
Hanky said:
Hello all, Pat Diveney is in the process of building a custom cue for me and has been kind enough to find some buckhorn to use for the joint and ferrule material per my request. I love the look of the horn and and have read positive things about its use in these applications. I am curious about others experiences using buckhorn. What are the positives and negatives you may have experienced. I have always used a steel jointed cues ala Scruggs & Schon in combination with ivory ferrules, so I am definatly expecting somewhat of a diffrent feel in this cue. Any pics would be fantastic, and as always I appreciate your time. Thanks in advance.

Hanky
Click to expand...

Best ferrule material, period.
I love everything about Ivory, but buckhorn is problem free
in terms of cracks, etc.

Sadly, the best stuff, Indian Stag horn, is no longer
imported.

Dale
 
Thanks for the replys folks. Any other info / experiences is appreciated.

Hanky
 
If you are keeping any kind of list for when you are ready to proceede, please add me.

Thanks

Hanky
 
Hanky said:
If you are keeping any kind of list for when you are ready to proceede, please add me.

Thanks

Hanky
Click to expand...

Great decision! I've been enjoying my gorgeous Bubinga with a "horn" joint for several months now. Super hit and a lot of positive comments on the rings and workmanship.
 
if it's the same stuff that i've seen at the joint collars of some zylr's posted here,,,,then buckhorn is some of the cosmetically butt-ugliest material i've ever seen on a cue.
 
bruin70 said:
if it's the same stuff that i've seen at the joint collars of some zylr's posted here,,,,then buckhorn is some of the cosmetically butt-ugliest material i've ever seen on a cue.
Click to expand...

If processed right, Buckhorn can look as good as Ivory.
I've done several joints and ferrules that you have to take
a pretty close look to tell if they are ivory or stag

Dale
 
pdcue said:
If processed right, Buckhorn can look as good as Ivory.
I've done several joints and ferrules that you have to take
a pretty close look to tell if they are ivory or stag

Dale
Click to expand...



They are rarer though right? or is there some treatment that I don't know of other then centering & machining the piece for the whitest outcome? I just turned these down, and while some are mostly white, they are'nt entirely white. I had some (not pictured) that were really closer, but the grain was open in places going into the od, and not solid enough that I wanted to use them. To me It does'nt matter what color they are, infact some of the darker ones machine nicely like the heavy white ones do. I think the darker even looks good when used in the right design, just like some fossil ivory has It's own mistique to some people, including Myself. Just My opinion, but I can certainly understand why some might not aggree, and feel it's not so attractive. They do play well though from what I'm finding out so far. I'm gonna test the difference in the lighter ones verses the heavier ones. some are not as heavy, though still centered well, and mostly solid, as where others are heavier, more like ivory. I'm thinking in terms of tip weight and deflection.

Greg
 

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Greg, If you get Antlers from deer that have shed them, they will be white & gray. The Antlers from killed deer, still have blood in them & look like the ones in your post...JER
 
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