Topic: Horn Substitute

In light of the shortage of horn material, advances in synthesizing and manufacturing horn material is required.  Black paper pulp (phenolic) is not bad but does not even come close to real horn.  At the moment man-made spider silk is almost a reality.  Hopefully scientist and material engineers will eventually be able to make real horn material in slabs and sheets for bowyers.

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Re: Horn Substitute

I have heard that the "hybrid" that Lukas and others make the "horn" is actually some aerospace material that memics horn.

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Re: Horn Substitute

Korean hybrids use real horn; I can't speak for the others...

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Re: Horn Substitute

The Korean bowyers have been years ahead with their ability to get synthetic materials to act like horn.  The phenolic and carbon they have used is like nothing in the West-the proof is what Western recurve that is 48" strung can hold up to a 31+" draw without blowing up?  Now they are using horn and synthetics to get the same effect again ahead of Western bowyers.

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