Any Scrimshanders Here?

[GobblerKnob]

I posted this elsewhere, but only received 1 response. There has to be others who can answer my question or at least point me in the right direction (I hope).
I am looking for any information on the art of scrimshaw. I'm really looking for some good reference material that I can purchase as opposed to initially asking someone a lot of questions.
I'd like to learn to do this myself as well as teach my son how. He has expressed a desire to do something relating to 18th Century Americana and I thought this might be a likely path. I know it takes patience and an artistic knack and he has both.
Any help would be appreciated. Rick

 

[Stumpkiller]

You mean the real stuff? Or the "Early Americana" kind that looks like the artwork kids send in to the local weatherman to get flashed on the morning news?
(Examples of crappy kid's art http://maddox.xmission.com/irule.html )

I've done powder horns (the latter kind of artwork) and such with just a needle or a #11 X-acto knife. You can either rub a paste made out of blackpowder and water in or use India Ink to kake the lines stand out. I don't have a book, just some magazine articles at the time.

I practiced on plastic until I got a feel for what was involved.

Scrimshaw.com - some instructions

I sat down with one of the Book of Buckskinning series (on engraving) and copied some of the designs in that chapter. The idea is the same whether it is brass or horn.

Here's one you'll like. Take a pin and scratch it on a knife handle while looking at a photo and SHAZAM! a photographis quality scrimshaw work appears. A bit ove simplified for thumb-fists like myself, but . . .

How To Scrimshaw


Lots of M/L suppliers sell this pamphlet for $6.95.

Don't know if it's any help??

Scrimshaw Technique

This page looks good in my quick look-over. *sigh* These guys make it look so easy.

 

[fatboy]

Not me I havnt tried it yet. Dont quite have that artistic ability. One of these days perhaps. I read some where that Ron and cathy Sibly were working on a book to be out soon but may be a bit pricey

 

[2172]

There's a "how to build a powder horn " book advertised in the muzzleloading magazines that is pretty helpful on the basics. Back in January, Musketman posted some pretty good photos of horns, the thread was "Things from the past". I've collected some pictures from these sites:
http://www.triplejtrade.com/17a.jpg,
http://www.historyhost.com/colonialhornexamples.htm
http://www.scrimshawartist.com/pl.html
see also, pg's 43,44 of Muzzleloader for July/August '04, the cover of the same for Sept/Oct '03 and the covers of Muzzleblasts for Sept '03, August '04.
I have zip artistic ability..I can copy, can't originate, so I'm building up a file of these pictures to give me guidance.
As to tools, I've used anything that I can scratch with. Am currently using an old wood pencil, split and the "lead" taken out, a leather sewing needle put in in its place, and the whole glued back to gether. I've had better luck with the India Ink than the mixture of black powder in solution, but that may be the way I mixed the latter. Hank

 

[Rabbit]

Like Hank I cannot draw so I save every pic I come across that might be good to scrimshaw onto a horn. I place carbon paper on the back of the pic, tape it onto the horn and then "draw" it on. I do this for the main picture. From there I can usually fill in the background, etc. I use a diamond pointed awl I purchased years ago from, I believe, TOTW and I also use an exacto knife. As far as filling in the scrimshaw I use indellable magic markers and the remove the excess with 0000 steel wool.

 

I don't know what kind'a pitchers'n designs you fellas like on yore horns, but I prefer anythin thet would'a been found on a horn 150+ years ago.

An 8 point buck, a buffler, and etc. thet I sumtimes see on a pilgrim's horn at rendezvous, looks way to "modern/tacky" fer my taste. :imo:

I scrimshaw maps on my horns so I can find my way home after a week at rendezvous drink'n rum and whiskey!! :: :haha:

YMHS
rollingb

 

[Zonie]

quote: "I scrimshaw maps on my horns so I can find my way home after a week at rendezvous drink'n rum and whiskey!!"
______________________________________________________________

Rollinb, Ah knew that! At's why when ye wer fillin yer tankard wit anothar draught o rum, Ah went an scrimshawed at lit'l trail at went oer that 3000 foot mountin, an down thru that river, an up that nother bluff, an down that cliff face, un thru at stinky swamp afore it turned back ta camp so ye would end up rite bak whar ye started!! ::

Whan som'one asked whar ye were aftur two days Ah jus said "oh, he are just out thar a-lookin at som o mother natures work. He autter be back long 'bout sundown tomarree. ::

Hel, Ah didn't thin it would take ye all summer ta get back or I would'a left out that part what led ye inter that she bears cave an the poisen oak patch! :crackup: :crackup: :crackup:

As fer tha pitchers what are drawn on em pouder horns, frum what Ah've seen, tha closer it looks like somethin what were drawn by a thurd grader, tha more realistic it are.

 

Zonie,.... :crackup: Next time ya scrimshaw one'a them maps on ma'horn don't smooth them lines up after yore done,.. I can feel'em a liddle better with my fingers if'n theys left a'mite "rough"!! (works jest like "brail" :haha

Good thing ya din't scrimshaw one'a them "monster bucks" on'er, or I'd STILL be out ther wunnder'n 'round!! :crackup:

YMHS
rollingb

 

[gordy]

Most horns I've made I use relief carveing.I have done a few in scrimshaw but I like the carveing better.Now there are going to be some that say no-one ever "carved" a horn only scrimshawed them for the last 150 years or so.Well I've seen at least two old horns that were "carved" both were French.The carveing was lightly done but they were carved 'not' scrimshawed.As to the quality of much of the work on the old horns in collections such as Fort Ti.N.Y. The work was primitive and crude.For every horn that looked like the ones done by Don or David wright(Muzzleloading Mag/Books of Buckskining),You'll find 10 that resemble those kids work.Most patriot soldiers didn't have access to any kind of good instruments to scrimshaw.Don't be afraid to experment,like all things it takes practice :thumbsup:

 

[2172]

I've used that carbon paper technique..it works...I agree that stuff should be appropriate to the time, not just the subject, but the style...I've used a Federal shield, but it is one I found on a US history book published in the 1840's...I cheat because I found an eagle rubber stamp at a craft store, and use it to guide me...I stamp the horn, by rolling on the stamp...given that there weren't that many really good artists back when, any more than now, I'll try some free hand stuff...the Stars and Stripes in the eagle's talons, a coat of arms...I'm big on messages, and have put a couple of bible quotes on, as well as the "liberty or death" kind of stuff, and "John Doe, his horn"...about the latter...our use of the apostrophe in the possessive is probably a contraction of "his"..we leave out the "hi"...
I keep promising myself to use a map on a horn, trouble is, most go for prizes in the shoots, and I don't know who will win, to make the map appropriate...Hank

 

[GobblerKnob]

Thank ye, Boys! This was the kind o' stuff I was hankerin' fer! My most humble apologies to those I may have offended by posting the same thread twice!
Rick

 

[Ohio Rusty]

I've only done 2 horns for myself, so I am no expert. A couple of things I discovered was when doing lettering, make a small indent (hole) at the top and bottom, and left and right of the ends of the letter. Take the letter 'T' fr'nstance. I would make 4 indents, three along the top, and one where the bottom of the T stops. What that did for me was if I slipped, the tool would hit the indent and stop, instead of sliding along and making a line longer than I wanted to make. Slipping is easy to do !! I hope I explained that well enough to understand. The other thing I did was after I drew my image on the horn in pencil, I gave the pencil image on the horn several good coats of hairspray and let it dry. Now I could work the image without my hand or palm wiping away the image I drew. At the finish, I stained the work with india ink. The only place the india ink filled in was in the lines that were scrimshawed. The hair spray protected the open areas of the horn from the stain. I went over the horn with 0000 steel wool to remove the hair spray. That is the only way I could figure out how to get the ink into the lines as a pen tip was waaay to big, and it didn't fill in the lines evenly. Trial and error method.
Ohio Rusty

 

[2172]

Rusty, for only two horns, you've got some good ideas...I like the tiny holes at key spots in the letters...the hair spray, too. I use Johnson's paste wax before I start, and it works about the same way..ink only where I've scratch through the wax..Hank

 

[Bill S]

If your using a newer type of horn that has some sheen to it,,,can you dull that or add something to give it that historical "patina"? Also would you scrimshaw it first and then "age" IT, OR VICE A VERSA?
Thanks,
Bill Two Turkey :thumbsup:

 

Two Turkey,.... You can remove tha "sheen" of a highly polished horn with fine steel wool. I soak my horns in "tea" fer'a aged appearance then scrimshaw. After scrimshaw'n, I lightly buff agin with fine steel wool to remove tha liddle rough edges of tha lines.

YMHS
rollingb

 

[2172]

Two Turkey, I've aged a couple of horns using the product "Old Bones" I think Dixie carries it...Hank

 

[Jack Walker]

I have also found that leather dyes have given me good aged effect.