Horn Craft - Cuttack, Orissa
Tools and raw materials used for Horn Craft are as follows:
• Horns: Horns of different animals like deer and buffalo are used in the making of these artifacts. Hollowed horns are used in the making of artifacts like bird's wings, smaller parts in other bigger artifacts etc. and the horns that aren’t hollow are used to create the body of the elephant, the peg that separates the toes on sandals and other such artifacts.
• Coal: This is another important raw material used in the making process of these artifacts. It is mainly used to polish and give a jet-black look to these artifacts.
• Files: Different grades of files are used to smoothen the artifacts as well as in the shaping of these artifacts. Semicircular and circular files are used to smoothen the artifacts with small groves.
• Hammer and Chisel: These are the two of the main tools used to do the rough shaping for most of these artifacts. The chisel is also used to reduce the thickness of the horn so that it can fit into the motor.
• Hacksaw: This is used to cut the horns into required lengths and sizes.
• Table saws: They are used to cut thick and bigger horns to required sizes and lengths.
• Drilling machines: These are used to drill holes into these horns. In many cases hand powered drilling machines are used as the hollow horns are delicate and may break at the force of electric powered drilling machines.
• Motor: A motor is used to rotate these artifacts at high speeds while they are carved with the help of files, also the buffing and polishing process is completed this way for certain artifacts.
• Buffing machine: These machines are specifically used to give the final finished products a shiny and glossy surface. They are mainly used while creating artifacts, which are made of many different pieces.
