Coloring horn questions

[Mongo40]

Making a powder horn for my father for Christmas, I've only done a buff horn at this point, I got a nice white horn from Powderhornsandmore, I'm going to color it with Rit but would like to know what colors you mix to get the golden yellow antique look, or is there a wood stain your using for that color, also do you stain it then scrimshaw it or scrim it then stain, also is the water for the rit brought to a boil or just hot an let the horn soak. Sorry for all the questions but thanks anyway.
Chris

 

[omarick1948]

I always engrave the horn and then color dye it. A good mixture for a amber gold color is RIT yellow with a pinch of Rit ORANGE and pinch of Rit brown. You can adjust color as you want!

Bring water to full boil and turn off stove and immediately dump in RIT and stir. You can put horn into dye water at this time and check the horn every few minutes until the tone/color is what you want. I only leave my horns in the dye for no longer than 30 minutes total or less!

Rick

 

[Mongo40]

Thanks Rick I'll run by the grocery store an pick up the rit dye after work.

 

[4570tc]

Pictures Before and after!! PLEASE

 

[Mongo40]

Here's another question, once I've sanded an shaped it like I want it do I install the base plug then stain it or or stain it then install the base plug which will require me to heat it up some to get it in????

 

[paulvallandigham]

Any finish won't stand too much heat, so don't do it. Instead, if the portion of the plug that fits inside the horn is now difficult to put in, because of a build-up of stock finish, scrape away the stock finish, to ease the plug in.

Plugs are then held in with brads, tacks, nails, wooden pegs, etc. Depending on the style of the horn. Drill holes through the horn, and into the plug, for the tacks, before final assembly. The holes help you align the plug for a "custom" fit.

You can seal the area around the plug, by pouring in Wax. or Brewer's pitch, that is heated, swirling it around to coat the seams at the edges of the plug, and then pour out the rest before it solidifies.

Test the seal by blowing into the mouth of the horn after the plug is seated, tacked, and sealed. You should not find any air escaping from around the plug.

 

[Goldhunter]

Here's another question, once I've sanded an shaped it like I want it do I install the base plug then stain it or or stain it then install the base plug which will require me to heat it up some to get it in????

I always stain/finish the base plug after it's in the horn. But, I don't do any sealing (if needed) with beeswax until the very end.

For instance, you finish the plug and seal the edges with wax. Then you decide the dye the horn body and use the hot Rit berries method. Once you stick that horn into the hot water all your wax melts. That's why if I need beeswax it's the very last thing I do. But, I've found if I need to wax an area it's usually a not so clean gap on the outside of the horn (gap between plug and horn due to poor fitting on my part) and use beeswax to fill/seal those areas. I'm gettin better at fitting plugs with no gaps lately. The more you make the more you learn.

This is my method and YMMV.

:thumbsup:

 

[omarick1948]

Here's another question, once I've sanded an shaped it like I want it do I install the base plug then stain it or or stain it then install the base plug which will require me to heat it up some to get it in????

Chris,

I'll let you in on a little fitting secret that many Horners use, including myself to get a perfect butt plug (Yes!, that's what their called!)fit everytime!....Make sure that the diameter thickness of the base of the horn is the same all the way around the horn.

Make sure that the turned or natural shaped base is fit into the horn smuggly, but not TOO TIGHT!
Ideally, it should be just a hand pressed fit! If you have to pound on the plug with a mallet or hand tap on bench...It is too tight and could evenually split, as to much pressure is on the fibers of the horn and something has to give!

You shouldn't have to drip any bee's wax in the rim of your horn, if you put the bee's wax on the interior edge of the horn butt before pressing it in the base of the horn. You can pre-drill equally spaced brad sized holes, where your pegs will be to hold the butt plug in to hold everything in place, but only tap these brads in the butt plug base half way, so you can remove later!

One more hint!....Many and most Horners today don't bother with bee's wax sealing anymore!...... :shocked2: Personally, I use a high quality water-proof wood glue and just run a tiny bead around the inside rim of the wood butt plug and then I take a heat gun and warm the base of the horn well and press everything together and brad tack. After everything sets and dries, I pull the brads...drill my peg holes and peg each hole with a spot of glue on each peg tip!

Now for any PC police getting ready to jump me! I'll just add, that making powder horns today incooperates using many, many different things associated in powder horn making, from powder tools etc., and if you rather use bee's wax. By all means do! But using a quality modern glue that can't be seen anyway, is better than hoping your horn doesn't leak later!

Rick

 

[Mongo40]

I appreciate the advice, I know how to get the buttplug mounted just wasn't sure if I should mount it before coloring it or not as I've never colored one before. Thanks

 

[mattybock]

If I had to color it, I would wood stain it. RIT is a fine way, but I cannot justify spending 3 bucks on a one time use, but I can justify getting a 5 buck can of stain that I can use in the future. Just do a quick pass with a paper towel dipped in stain and wipe off right away. Do this repeatedly until you get the color you like.

 

[omarick1948]

Most of my horns I dye, I completely engrave and final finish the butt plug and dye the whole horn at once. What I mean by final finish is adding the wood dye or undyed wood and then add the clear top coat on the wood...let dry a couple days or more and then put the whole horn in the hot dye water for 10-30 minutes!

Rick

 

[gus13]

What I do is, fit the plug, then seal it usually with a waterproof epoxy. after that I stain the plug to whatever color I wish.If (and thats a big IF!)I'm gonna scrim it I do that as well. Then If I want to dye the horn body I do the whole thing. Whats also nice with the Rit is you just store it in a coffe can or milk jug, and you can use it for as long as you want, just add more water/ dye as needed to keep the colors "right" for you.

 

[omarick1948]

If I had to color it, I would wood stain it. RIT is a fine way, but I cannot justify spending 3 bucks on a one time use, but I can justify getting a 5 buck can of stain that I can use in the future. Just do a quick pass with a paper towel dipped in stain and wipe off right away. Do this repeatedly until you get the color you like.

Matt, Actually wood stain will not color stain horn, but only tint it. It makes a good antiquing coloration over RIT dye. If you want to be frugal, there are many other agents to color horn including: Onion skins,sumac,aqua fortis, potassium pamaginate[sic?] etc!

Rick :wink: