Before & after powder horns

[tom mesa]

I have wondered what some of the great powder horns looked like before the masters got hold of them. I'm going to show what I use ,they don't turn out like the great one on this forum, but I can still make usable horns from them.

 

[TDM]

Fully functional! I like them.

 

[ronaldrothb49]

I have wondered what some of the great powder horns looked like before the masters got hold of them. I'm going to show what I use ,they don't turn out like the great one on this forum, but I can still make usable horns from them.

This is what I like for a horn. I truly admire the guys who make a work of art from a horn and even have a beautiful horn that I won at a blanket shoot. I much prefer a horn like this and if it has scrimshaw I like it to look like someone sitting around a campfire crudely scratching on it.

 

[nhmoose]

The artwork amazes me. The shapes and colors no problem but the artwork they do is astounding mine are like stick figures. Talent needs to be encouraged but hard to get anyone to pay for the value.

 

[tom mesa]

Fully functional! I like them.

Thanks,they do function well. Thanks for looking at my horns.

 

[tom mesa]

This is what I like for a horn. I truly admire the guys who make a work of art from a horn and even have a beautiful horn that I won at a blanket shoot. I much prefer a horn like this and if it has scrimshaw I like it to look like someone sitting around a campfire crudely scratching on it.

This is as fancy as I ever get making powder horns.

 

[IanH]

Step one after scabbing off the loose, flakey stuff is put them on a serious diet.

Then shape the tip, drill the hole, even out the taper, make the surface uniform, take out the dips and humps, cut the plug end at the appropriate angle for the cross-sectional shape of the horn, and do the detail work.

I didn't take a good before picture of this one but it thinned down well enough to be translucent and was circular enough at the back for a turned plug:

 

[Brazos John]

...even out the taper, make the surface uniform, take out the dips and humps,...

How do you do this?
What tools do you use?
How do you form the rings on the horn for the lanyard?
What else should I ask?
I've got a rough buff horn, but I don't know where to start...

 

[IanH]

I use a 4x36" belt sander for most of the reduction and shaping, then blend with a medium file and finally smooth with backed sandpaper although a cabinet scraper could also be used to remove the file marks.

I file in the rings by hand with a rat tail file and smooth with sandpaper wrapped around same.

Butt plug is turned and finishe on a lathe.

Search PathfinderNC for horn making instructions, he has a three part series posted here somewhere with a lot of good information, particularly about drilling the hole and finishing.

 

[Alexitt]

+1 for Pathfinders series... He does a very good job of explaining the basic procedure, wish I'd seen his before I started doing them but picked up some good tips to make it a bit easier... Mine tend to be pretty simple and not very ornate but they work and that's the part that counts, oh and buffalo is my preferred medium as it's pretty forgiving most of the time... Here's some of the ones I've done... Oh, I also really like the flat horns...

 

[IanH]

I tend to prefer simple and elegant horns, too. Also have a Buffalo horn "fetish", they're just too cool and a lot can be done with the material. One I made holds 3/4# of powder....it gets used with the trade guns that are powder hungry.

 

[Alexitt]

I tend to prefer simple and elegant horns, too. Also have a Buffalo horn "fetish", they're just too cool and a lot can be done with the material. One I made holds 3/4# of powder....it gets used with the trade guns that are powder hungry.

Yeah, those bigger horns will definitely let you shoot most all day... And just to keep it straight in my noggin, only 2F in the plugged horns and 3F in the brass tipped...