Buffalo Horn Frames

[Adam Simmonds]

I have a number of questions regarding buffalo horn frames that I hope you can all enlighten me on.

I have been selling genuine horn frames for the last ten months with reasonable success, extolling their virtues as light, strong, and natural.

However, having not worked with horn extensively, I'm not 100% sure of these claims, and whilst I appreciate that the material is beautiful because it's natural rather than a man-made copy, I would appreciate anyone's learned opinions on this material.

For example, is it really true that the material moulds to the contours of the face after a while and, if so, after how long? Best tips for glazing? How much do you sell them for? Best suppliers? Recommended lens materials? Any other tips gratefully received!

[harry a saake]

:D Adam , contact our resident expert on frames jerry Huang who is now traveling in Asia, but reads this every nite, or email him at eyetailor.com....Jerry works with horn extensively and in fact i am wearing one he custom made for me.

[JERRY HUANG]

Hi Adam,

It is my pleasure to share my experience on horn, wood and other natural material. I am now in the wild of Mongolia, looking for natural material and hopefully they can be useful for eyewear manufacturing. All natural material has it own beautiful color and pattern creates by GOD.

Horn is a beautiful material to work with but very difficult for manufacturing. There are some important tips for adjustment and maintenance:

1. Only use CR-39 lens.
2. The lens must cut in exact rim groove size.
3. For horn frame adjustment/lens insertion---always wet horn frame with baby oil or corn oil, then heat with hot air up to 200 C evenly til the material is completed "soft". Then hold the horn frame for air dry with thick oiled cotton clothes.
4. Never soak horn frames in ultrasonic cleaning machine, neither water.
5. Never bend horn frame in cold. It will crack!!

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There are many instereing material can be used on eyewear-----the fosil of oak tree tumor. Very beutiful natural color. Some of them has "cat's eyes". The material is very flexible, can be bent and adjust. Chinese bamboo is a great material because the flexibility. One of the special wood only available from the trees in Vietnam smells really good! Anyway, optical industry is very interesting. Anything can be useful.

[JERRY HUANG]

Sorry! This computer in Mongolia does not function well. I am experiencing some difficulty to correct errors.

[Adam Simmonds]

Jerry -

Thanks for your reply - most of it anyway - are you going to Silmo?

If so, maybe we can hook up.

[Diane]

JERRY HUANG said:
Sorry! This computer in Mongolia does not function well. I am experiencing some difficulty to correct errors.

Actually Jerry,

I thought it was pretty cool. Couldn't read it, but it was cool anyway.

Diane

[LENNY]

#6 looks like Mongolian!
I cant understand it even thoe everybody tells me i look like Mongolian!!

[JERRY HUANG]

Ohhh....So hot in the morning and cold at night here. I try to post some pictures here I took with camel if the computer here works tomorrow.

#6. Soak the horn frame in baby oil or corn oil for several hours once every 4 months to ensure the durability of horn material.

Yes, horn temple will contour to human facial form after 4 weeks or wearing because horn temple will abort the heat from human body and form the curverature.

Anther goody of genuine horn frame-----It actually low down our blood pressure because it doen't abort heat from sunlight, unlike acete and metal frames.

Huffman, Design Natural (Germany), Wood Optik (Gold and Wood )from France, and Swiss-Horn (Swissland) and Eyetailor from USA all make great genuine horn frames.

Huffman has the best horn color and Eyetailor has the best price and technology.

Yes, Adam. Marc (Canadian Wood) and I will be at Silmo with product samples. It will be my pleasure to show you the collection there and I will bring you some Mongolina lamb coupons,too.:D

[optispares]

:bbg:

. I try to post some pictures here I took with camel if the computer here works tomorrow.

:bbg: wouldn't it have been easier with a camera:bbg:

[Adam Simmonds]

Jerry - sorry to sound thick, but is Canadian Wood an exhibitor and, if so, do you know the hall and stand number?

[harry a saake]

:D Adam, canadian wood is the company owned by Dr. Marc Fortier from Sherbrooke, Quebec , Canada, an optometrist who has some very unique frames made of various woods, that are treated so they can be bent and adjusted.

[AEOC]

Jerry,

Can you tell me the reason why only CR-39 in a horn frame? Thanks.

Matt

[QDO1]

unless the expansion coeficient is too large (very unlikley) there is no reason

[JERRY HUANG]

Jerry,

Can you tell me the reason why only CR-39 in a horn frame? Thanks.

Matt

The weight of horn is too light! Need to put more weight on the frame front.
Only buy horn/wood/bamboo frames with spring hinges.:cheers:

[JERRY HUANG]

Wooops! I must be so drunk when I was in Mongolia!

[JERRY HUANG]

#3
10-07-2002, 09:23 AM
JERRY HUANG vbmenu_register("postmenu_42461", true);
OptiWizard
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: San Marino, CALIFORNIA. U.S.A.
Posts: 375


Hi Adam,

It is my pleasure to share my experience on horn, wood and other natural material. I am now in the wild of Mongolia, looking for natural material and hopefully they can be useful for eyewear manufacturing. All natural material has it own beautiful color and pattern creates by GOD.

Horn is a beautiful material to work with but very difficult for manufacturing. There are some important tips for adjustment and maintenance:

1. Only use CR-39 lens.
2. The lens must cut in exact rim groove size.
3. For horn frame adjustment/lens insertion---always wet horn frame with baby oil or corn oil, then heat with hot air up to 200 C evenly til the material is completed "soft". Then hold the horn frame for air dry with thick oiled cotton clothes.
4. Never soak horn frames in ultrasonic cleaning machine, neither water.
5. Never bend horn frame in cold. It will crack!!

6.　Ｃｌｅａｎ　ｈｏｒｎ　ｆｒａｍｅ　ｗｉｔｈ　ｏ ｉｌ　ｏｎｌｙ．
７．　Ｓｏａｋ　ｅｎｔｉｒｅ　ｈｏｒｎ　ｆｒａｍｅ 　ｉｎ　ｏｉｌ　ｓｅｖｅｒａｌ　ｈｏｕｒｓ　ｏｎｃ ｅ　ｅｖｅｒｙ　ｆｏｕｒ　ｍｏｎｔｈ．

Ｙｅｓ，　ｈｏｒｎ　ｆｒａｍｅ　ｗｉｌｌ　ｃｏｎｔ ｏｕｒ　ｔｏ　ｈｕｍａｎ　ｆａｃｉａｌ　ｆｏｒｍ　 ｉｔｓｅｌｆ　ａｆｔｅｒ　４　ｗｅｅｋｓ　ｏｆ　ｗ ｅａｒｉｎｇ　ｂｅｃａｕｓｅ　ｏｆ　ｔｈｅ　ｈｕｍ ａｎ　ｂｏｄｙ　ｔｅｍｐｅｒａｔｕｒｅ．　　

Ａｆｔｅｒ　ａ　ｐｅｒｉｏｄ　ｏｆ　ｗｅａｒｉｎｇ ，　ｔｈｅ　ｈｏｒｎ　ｆｒａｍｅ　ｗｉｌｌ　ｔｕｒ ｎ　ｍａｔｔｅ　ｆｉｎｉｓｈ　ｏｎ　ｔｈｅ　ｉｎｓ ｉｄｅ　ｏｆ　ｔｅｍｐｌｅ．　　Ｉｔ　ｉｓ　ｎｏｒ ｍａｌ　ａｎｄ　ｉｔ　ａｃｔｕａｌｌｙ　ｇｒａｂ　 ｏｎ　ｔｈｅ　ｆａｃｅ　ｗｅｌｌ　ｔｈａｔ　ｗａｙ ．

Ａｎｏｔｈｅｒ　ｇｏｏｄｙ　ｏｆ　ｈｏｒｎ　ｆｒａ ｍｅＩｔ　ａｃｔｕａｌｌｙ　ｄｅｃｒｅａｓｅ 　ｂｌｏｏｄ　ｐｒｅｓｓｕｒｅ　ｂｅｃａｕｓｅ　ｉ ｔ　ｄｏｅｓｎ＇ｔ　ｃｒｅａｔｅ　ｈｅａｔ　ｕｎｌ ｉｋｅ　ｍｅｔａｌ　ｏｒ　ｐｌａｓｔｉｃ．　　

Ｂｅｓｔ　ｓｕｐｐｌｉｅｒＨｕｆｆｍａｎ　 （Ｇｅｒｍａｎｙ），　Ｇｏｌｄ　ａｎｄ　Ｗｏｏｄ　 （Ｗｏｏｄｏｐｔｉｃｋ，　Ｆｒａｎｃｅ），　Ｄｅｓ ｉｇｎ　Ｎａｔｕｒｅ，　ａｎｄ　Ｅｙｅｔａｉｌｏｒ 　（Ｐｒｏｕｎｄｌｙ　ｔｏ　ｍａｋｅ　ａｎｙｔｈｉ ｎｇ　ｉｎ　Ａｍｅｒｉｃａ）．　　Ｂｅｓｔ　ｈｏｒ ｎ　ｍａｔｅｒｉａｌＨｕｆｆｍａｎ，Ｇｅｒｍ ａｎｙ．　　　Ｂｅｓｔ　ｐｒｉｃｅ　ａｎｄ　ｂｅｓ ｔ　ｔｅｃｈｎｏｌｏｇｙＥｙｅｔａｉｌｏｒ ，　ＵＳＡ．　　　

There are many instereing material can be used on eyewear-----the fosil of oak tree tumor. Very beutiful natural color. Some of them has "cat's eyes". The material is very flexible, can be bent and adjust. Chinese bamboo is a great material because the flexibility. One of the special wood only available from the trees in Vietnam smells really good! Anyway, optical industry is very interesting. Anything can be useful.

[Chairtime]

I once ate at a Mongolian restaurant where you picked raw food from a buffet and handed it to the grill man who cooked it right in front of you. Very tasty!

[kimsonvu]

Actually, many producer in buffalo horn don't offer many kind of color natural from horn!I will change that!

Horn have many color and vein than white and black! :D

[cocoisland58]

How do they get these Buffalo horns and how can you be sure they are Buffalo? I quite honestly sounds rather disgusting and no I don't belong to PETA.

[rinselberg]

How do they get these Buffalo horns and how can you be sure they are Buffalo? It ... sounds rather disgusting and no I don't belong to PETA.

In 1993, China officially banned trade or import of water buffalo horn - water buffalo being the main source of this material. I think that must have been overturned, because I find that more recently, China has been trying to encourage the use of buffalo horn as a substitute for rhinoceros horn - rhinoceros, of course, being a globally endangered species. There was (and no doubt, still is) a large Asiatic demand for horn to be ground up and used as an aphrodisiac or some other kind of "medicine".

From Hoffman Natural Eyewear:

The production of ... [natural] horn frames uses predominantly the horn of the water buffalo. The water buffalo in Asia is a domesticated animal, comparable to our cattle. This animal does not fall into the category or is under the protection of endangered species.

This animal is utilized throughout the world in agriculture in many regions of the world today. They are trained as four-legged tractors to plow and harvest fields and to pumping water. The water buffalo is almost vital in the areas of cultivation in the rice plantations of Asia. Milk and leather is also supplied from these animals.

The horns are ... by-product used for exclusive natural products. ... The horns of a water buffalo reach up to two meters in length. But only a small part of it can actually be used in raw material for producing an eyeglass frame ...

I was surprised by how little I was able to find with Google on the natural horn trade.

I would think that most of the buffalo that are cultivated for horn end up on someone's dinner plate as buffalo meat - or go to zoos, aquariums and wildlife parks as food for captive or park predators like lions and tigers. Not to mention pythons and other large constrictors, alligators and crocodiles, raptors, giant monitor lizards, piranhas - perhaps even the larger aquarium sharks such as tigers, makos, hammerheads, bull sharks, reef sharks and the very occasional young great white. Water buffalo meat, side by side with the usual shark exhibit fare on Friday nights - the "Surf and Turf" special. (Did I overlook any possibilities ..?)

In addition to the attractiveness (to some people) of horn frames, they are said to be hypoallergenic - good for those who are sensitive to certain other frame materials.



Who is this man? Find out at OptiBoard's Word Of The Day!

[kimsonvu]

How do they get these Buffalo horns and how can you be sure they are Buffalo? I quite honestly sounds rather disgusting and no I don't belong to PETA.

I will post image and show it for you !My company can produce like Germany producer!

Also,we have many horn color here !Wait for my news and image in this forums!

Now,you can see some image here.
http://www.handicraft-vn.com/gallery...eglass+frames/

[Chris Ryser]

How do they get these Buffalo horns and how can you be sure they are Buffalo? I quite honestly sounds rather disgusting................

When you purchase the horns you will know. Like in the old days one could recognize elephant trunks and turtle shells.

[DocInChina]

I would think that most of the buffalo that are cultivated for horn end up on someone's dinner plate as buffalo meat

You are correct. The beef we eat in China is actually buffalo and the horn we use for our eyewear production is also from Chinese buffalo. Bet that makes you hungry!

Just got back from another trip to Changzhou. The more I go there the more I like it. Went to a place called Dinosaur Park. Alot of dinosaur theme rides as well as museums on this rather large park grounds. They have a really nice 5 star hotel, 18 hole golf course and great food.

Hey Fezz, had some local Changzhou suds and guess what color it was....Green! Not only did it taste great, but it was less filling. :cheers:
I am seriously considering moving to Changzhou and commuting to Danyang everyday. It is a larger city with lots of shopping, dining and movie theaters.

Doc

[kimsonvu]

I just update some new image of female eyeglass frame from my buffalo horn for you see at here:

http://www.handicraft-vn.com/gallery...eglass+frames/

[Barry Santini]

I really can see no advantage to Buffalo horn as a material for eyewear frames.

Now, If minds were engaged fully, I think there are many unexplored synthetic options that would deliver on what John Q *really* wants in an eyeglass frame...assuming of course, that the Majors don't try to make these innovations yet another boutique price point, Like (poorly made) titamium has become.

IMHO, I see Buffalo horn and tortoise shell as completely superfluous to what the eyewear industry really needs in newer, frame materials.

In this economy, what we do not need is yet more boutique price points.

Barry

(now covering his head!)