Buildin my first powder horn (bison horn)

[omarick1948]

Rick, thats what I meant, the epoxie is a little overkill when bending staples except I drill holes for mine instead of burning them through, cant stand the smell of burning horn!

Beaverman, I knew what you meant, just adding my two cents worth! Let you in on a secret! I dab a spot of glue on my staples too, before bending the staple ends! .... Nothing like the smell of burning horn in the morning air! :barf:
Take care,
Rick

 

[mikemeteor]

OK fellers, I finished it up today.
First thing I found out is you really do need to file a channel for your strap, if you're tieing one on, otherwise it continualy slips down the taper and off the horn.
I suspect they figured that out in the 1700s - I'm just a little slow. :wink:
So here's the hanging strap I whipped up out of leather lacing, tied into a channel I filed in the horn.
The ring is just a hardened masonry nail heated and bent to shape.
This will be fastened to my possibles bag strap in some fashion.
The spout plug strap is just threaded back and forth into the ring strap - nothing fancy. I'm no weaver !

Then I went for the decorative "nailheads".
Brace yourself fellers, you need to be comfortable in your man-suit to pursue this.
My wife is a bead crafter, so, under cover of darkness, I raided her bead kit and found a few stone-looking things called "jasper".
Also found a bag of thin silver wire thingies with a little heads on each one - no idea what they're called or what they're for.
Stuck the wire through the bead (I'll call 'em stones from now on :wink and cut it off on the back side.
Drilled holes around the horn base, just the right size, applied a drop of epoxy in the holes and tapped in the stones with the little silver cap facing out.

Now I know these may be a bit over-the-top for some - not sure I'd do it again myself, but it ain't too bad and it's done now.
Remember they have no function, just decoration, so you can forget 'em if you want.

Then I drilled and epoxied in my homemade staple on the top of the base plug (masonry nail again).

Oiled it all up again and I'm think I'm done. Gotta get the shoulder strap and bag going now.
You can see I left several inches of laceing hang out after tieing the strap on the horn. Tied a few knots in them for looks - that about as sophisticated as my leathercraft gets !

 

[MSW]

great looking horn! i, too, like the inlay! thanks for all the photos

 

[ladysmithtrading]

MM, nothing wrong with that horn my friend, well done!

 

[omarick1948]

I really like that fishing reel and inlay attachment idea in the last photo!.... Just spoof'n!...Nice job!

Rick

 

[mikemeteor]

:rotf:
good one Rick!
I didn't even catch that.
Guess it could be a fishin' horn when the huntin' gets slow.
:rotf:

 

[Goldhunter]

MM, great job on that horn! I've done one buff horn and that was enough for now! :rotf: They are nice but IMO alot more work.

That came out great, and I love that inlay. :thumbsup:

 

[mikemeteor]

thanks fellers.

it might be obvious, but, if you're thinkin of the doing inlay thing, it's a whole bunch easier to cut the inlay in the wood BEFORE you mount the plug on the horn, and even BEFORE you cut the oversized plug shape from the source board.

Its more stable cutting the inlay on a bigger slab of wood that you can clamp and hold how you need to.
Seems like it'd be dang near impossible to do it once its on the horn.

 

[neal b]

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

neal

 

[onepaw]

very nice, i have one to build, and now i think i can...great job