Listed below is just a small range of the products available, please contact your local agent for more details.

Select a Horn Range to view:

 

 Horn Examples
It should be stressed at the outset, that Horns we use for the manufacture of buttons, are obtained from either animals that have died from natural causes, or from slaughterhouses. No animals are bred or slaughtered for their Horns. Horns or Tusks from endangered species are NEVER used. On many occasions a representative from James Grove & Sons will fly out to meet a supplier and check that the materials have been sourced in the manner stated above.
Hand sorting. The Horns are sourced from the Continents of Asia, Africa, South America and Australasia. They come from Buffalo and Ox, each yielding their own unique colours and configurations.

The Horns are hollow from most of there way from the base to towards the tip, so the first job, when preparing them for button manufacture, is to cut off the tip where the hollow ends, using circular or band saws. From the tip, slices are cut, which are used to either make irregular shaped buttons, or for blanks to be diced out for the making of conventional shapes. The remainder of the tip is then used for making toggles for Duffle coats or similar items of apparel. The hollows are cutting open lengthways, and then pressed flat in a hydraulic press, and it is from these "flats" that the discs are cut to also make finished buttons. All the operations so far have been done by hand. The shape of the button and the drilling is then determined by turning operations on automatic turning machines. The final finish of the buttons (matt, polished, dead centre, polished rim, etc.) is produced by various barrel finishing operations, using compounds specially developed for the purpose.

 

 Horn Examples
In all cases, irrespective of the raw material used, stringent quality control checks are made during manufacture, and again at the final inspection stage, where buttons are sorted and packed. The sorting operation on Real Horn buttons is of particular importance, as the degree of variation with the natural material, has to be kept within strict tolerances.
Buffalo and Ox horn