What do they feed cows in Brazil? Scales/Handles

[bigfatross]

Hi Gang,
At risk of showing my intelligence, I have a question that has been floating around in my melon for a while.
What is the difference between Bull or Cow in Brazil, and Bull or Cow horn in Wisconsin?
I'm not an expert on Cattle, I know there are different types of Bull / Cow Angus, Brown Swiss, Belgian Blue, Milking Shorthorn the list goes on and on.
Is a Brazilian (I'm referring to a cow, not something a woman gets ) a breed of cow? OR is it literally Cattle from Brazil?

Which leads me to a few other questions:
Does light horn come from a lighter color Bull / Cow ?
Do some breed of Bull / Cow have thicker horns then other breeds that make it more desirable scales for knife making?
Why does "Brazilian Horn" seem to be more higher end then regular horn?
How do you tell the difference between "Brazilian Horn" and regular Horn?
Thanks in advance on any thoughts answers or photos.

[guy0783]

I'm intrigued by your question also.

I know that stag comes from deer antler and that Sambar stag is desirable due to the antler being much more dense, and having more character, than say an American white tail antler. Sambar stag comes from the Sambar deer breed.

Probably a similar situation with Brazilian horn, but I look forward to hearing the answer. It is interesting.

[Bill DeShivs]

The difference between a bull and cow is the same in Brazil as anywhere else.

[Pima Pants]

As a follow up to Bill's answer, I know that a Brazilian is a huge number... a lot more than a million.

[bigfatross]

As a follow up to Bill's answer, I know that a Brazilian is a huge number... a lot more than a million.[/quote]ima Pants,
LOL

The difference between a bull and cow is the same in Brazil as anywhere else.

Hi Bill,
That's what I thought.
So when someone is selling a knife as "Brazilian horn scales" the horn could have very well came from a cow in Wisconsin.
So there really is no difference between "Brazilian horn scales" OR "horn scales" it is all the same.
Kind a like when Henry Ford made his first cars (his cars only came in black) he said,
"You can have any color car you want as long as it is black".

[Bill DeShivs]

I didn't say that.
Horns from Brazil have traditionally been more colorful than the norm.

[krakenten]

Once there were a lot of knives with green horn scales-some people thought it was jade(the saps!). Am I correct in my recollection that this was water buffalo horn?

I haven't seen one in ages. I always preferred green acrylic scales(remember those Japanese knives with the pictures of animals under a layer of clear plastic, they came in black, red, green and white, I'd get a green one every time-often because the green ones sold last).

I miss those old folding guard frog stickers-imagine them as automatic knives?

[Bill DeShivs]

Probably cow horn. Caribao is usually black/brown

[krakenten]

So where do we get green horn? Or not get it, since I don't see it any more?
There are sometimes shortages of stag horn because the Indian government embargoes it to punish the locals for setting grass fires to find the horns-stag horn is naturally shed each year.

In the Middle Ages, stag horn was sometimes shaved flat and used to simulate ivory.

Strange world, innit? And thanks, Bill, you always have the answer!

[Bill DeShivs]

Green horn- young cows?

[bigfatross]

So where do we get green horn? Or not get it, since I don't see it any more?
There are sometimes shortages of stag horn because the Indian government embargoes it to punish the locals for setting grass fires to find the horns-stag horn is naturally shed each year.

In the Middle Ages, stag horn was sometimes shaved flat and used to simulate ivory.

Strange world, innit? And thanks, Bill, you always have the answer!

Man oh man,
All these breeds of cattle from all over the world
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cattle_breeds)
and the Indo OR Indu Brazilian cattle have top billing for the nicest looking horn.
I wonder if somebody here knows one of the Italian knife makers e mail address to ask them.
Or maybe a Knife maker supplier would know.

[ILikeStilettos]

Hey bigfatross!

There are lots of terms in switchblade collecting that are normal English words appropriated into the parlance with sketchy reasoning. With scales there are terms for both the species of critter; like bovine, ram or buffalo and still others which attempt to describe coloration and figuring into a single term; like French Point, waterfall, and Brazilian. There is no clean rule for what is what, it's highly subjective. Supposedly, the prettiest cow horn with splashes of white, gray and or caramel is called Brazilian because years ago cows from Brazil were the likely source. Some even say that it is no longer available because the animals are raised for quick harvest and no longer yield that pretty horn. It's not a matter of species, locale, or diet, but rather luck and opinion. Longhorn steers raised in Texas have horns which are white and hollow near the head, but darken and narrow at the solid tip. One animal will have pretty horns, running to translucent greens, while another is unremarkable black. The guy producing scales will select based on what he finds and how it is cut to take advantage of color and markings. During polishing it changes, the pretty color or pattern may be a thin layer, which gets lost during shaping. Obviously, the more aesthetically pleasing the end result, the higher the cost to obtain. Look at the knives in my avatar, those are all Brazilian, the first on the left is 50-60 years old, the other two are new. #2 was sourced from Lucio Di Bon in Italy, #3 was cut from longhorn just a year or two ago.

[daddyloko]

Does anyone here know where the reddish/purple horn comes from? That seems to be another of a rarity. I remember Merlin had made a few beautiful picklocks using that horn, but I don't recall where it come from.

[Bill DeShivs]

Translucent horn can be colored from the back side. It's an old trick.

[bigfatross]

Hey bigfatross!

There are lots of terms in switchblade collecting that are normal English words appropriated into the parlance with sketchy reasoning. With scales there are terms for both the species of critter; like bovine, ram or buffalo and still others which attempt to describe coloration and figuring into a single term; like French Point, waterfall, and Brazilian. There is no clean rule for what is what, it's highly subjective. Supposedly, the prettiest cow horn with splashes of white, gray and or caramel is called Brazilian because years ago cows from Brazil were the likely source. Some even say that it is no longer available because the animals are raised for quick harvest and no longer yield that pretty horn. It's not a matter of species, locale, or diet, but rather luck and opinion. Longhorn steers raised in Texas have horns which are white and hollow near the head, but darken and narrow at the solid tip. One animal will have pretty horns, running to translucent greens, while another is unremarkable black. The guy producing scales will select based on what he finds and how it is cut to take advantage of color and markings. During polishing it changes, the pretty color or pattern may be a thin layer, which gets lost during shaping. Obviously, the more aesthetically pleasing the end result, the higher the cost to obtain. Look at the knives in my avatar, those are all Brazilian, the first on the left is 50-60 years old, the other two are new. #2 was sourced from Lucio Di Bon in Italy, #3 was cut from longhorn just a year or two ago.

Hi ILikeStilettos,
Thanks for chiming in on this, that was very informative. Looks like you have some nice ones there!