We’ve tried a few different horn-making methods but some are easier than others. No matter what you use, first make sure you size your horns correctly:
Resin. Our Signless, Kankri, and Disciple horns were slush cast from resin and filled with foam. As a result they are basically indestructible and can be reproduced easily. However they were a giant pain in the butt to make and took a long time. This was our first horn attempt and isn’t really recommended.
Paperclay. Feferi, Psiioniic, and Porrim’s horns started out as a tinfoil core and were then wrapped with paperclay. The paperclay must then be sanded smooth or your horns will look lumpy. These horns dry faster than model magic, crack less while drying, and take paint amazingly well. They’re sturdy but any sharp edges may crack if you drop them.
Model Magic. Our other horns are made from this. Like the paperclay horns, they all begin with a foil core before the model magic is added on top. I do not recommend skipping the foil core - MM doesn’t do will when it gets thick so you want to keep your layers thin. Depending on your clay thickness, you should give this as much time to dry as you can (ideally a week) or you run the risk of your horns never fully hardening. Once hard, sand to remove lumps and then fill in any cracks before sanding again. Most cracks can be filled with spackle, but for very deep cracks, try using white glue. Make sure you seal with modgepodge or glue before painting. They will likely not get crushed as easily as paperclay - however paint and edges may still flake off if you drop them.
Foam. For really big horns (like Condesce horns), model magic or paper clay will be too heavy, even with a core, so you’ll need to get creative and look into other options. One option is to use pink insulation foam, using a method we outlined here.
All of our horns are attached by either using barrettes or the headband-screw method. If you are making small horns (ie, Vantas, Sollux, Pyrope, or Nepeta), you can glue a medium-sized silver craft barrette to the bottom of each and then snap them into your wig. Do not try this with larger horns though and be sure to catch a large amount of wig netting in your barrette, or else they may flop forward. If you are making larger horns, go pick up some of these:
Lots of people have different screw preferences; however we prefer using office supply store screw posts because they’re meant to screw on and off and won’t be damaged with many removals. One half of the screw should be secured inside the horn by digging out a trench and then filling it with hot glue. The other half is pushed up through the headband (our bands are about an inch wide) after drilling a small hole. Put the headband on your head, put the wig on over it, and then screw your horn into the other screw half that is sticking up through the wig fiber. Just be careful not to over-tighten the horn and accidentally loosen the screw from the glue.
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