Water Buffalo & Nickel Silver Inlays

The insert is stabilized water buffalo horn with nickel silver inlays. Water buffalo reacts to moisture quite a bit. The expansion isn’t a big problem with an insert of just water buffalo horn but when you add the inert nickel silver inlays you have some issues to account for. After the insert with inlays is turned smooth you will find that after several days you can feel sharp edges of the horn or nickel silver as the horn contracts and expands with varying moisture. I waited to finish the surface of insert on a day with a mid range humidity. Then over the course of a week or so I alternated between moistening the insert and drying the insert on a radiator. As the horn became larger and smaller than the finished nickel silver I buffed the insert to ease the edges of the horn and silver. This results in a nice feel regardless of the current moisture content in the air/insert.