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I have a Horn that has cracks in it. How do I fix them and stop any more cracking?
Cracks in Horn
- Thread starter peashooterJoe
- Start date
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It is necessary to drill a round hole at the end of the crack, about 1/8" in diameter. This stops the crack from running further. Then you have to decide how to plug it. W/o removing the plug, your options are limited. Period correct methods include:
Sliding a heated ring of horn over the small end and down to cover the hole- making it a "banded" horn. Does not hurt to plug the hole first and use cutler's resin etc.
Plugging the hole with a twisted wad of tow or small peg (with a domed cap) and smearing melted cutler's resin (mix of charcoal, pine pitch, and tallow or beeswax)on the plug and crack
Like above but covering the whole mess with a brass sheet metal band or patch, even tacked into place at the butt end. Use plenty of cutler's resin.
Here is a picture of a mended horn I made apurpose, with plenty of cutler's resin.
Then of course you can mix clear epoxy with horn sanding dust and plug a hole if you don't need to use old methods.
Sliding a heated ring of horn over the small end and down to cover the hole- making it a "banded" horn. Does not hurt to plug the hole first and use cutler's resin etc.
Plugging the hole with a twisted wad of tow or small peg (with a domed cap) and smearing melted cutler's resin (mix of charcoal, pine pitch, and tallow or beeswax)on the plug and crack
Like above but covering the whole mess with a brass sheet metal band or patch, even tacked into place at the butt end. Use plenty of cutler's resin.
Here is a picture of a mended horn I made apurpose, with plenty of cutler's resin.
Then of course you can mix clear epoxy with horn sanding dust and plug a hole if you don't need to use old methods.
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Rich, thanks for the reply. The cracks aren't all the way thru( no leaks I blew in it and holds pressure)), just on the outside(some curling out and others with grain). It is an old completed solid white horn I picked up to try scrimshawing on.
Black Hand
Cannon
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Can you scrape past the cracks? This may be the only way to get them to where they won't show in a scrimmed horn.
- Joined
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Not sure if I can go that far on scraping. May wind up just repair with no scrimshawing on it. Rich what is cutlers Resin? Thanks PeashooterJoe..
Cutler's resin is about 4 parts pine pitch, 1 part charcoal finely ground, and 1 part beeswax. I made some using pitch I got off a tree (about a cup and a half of raw pitch pieces, pretty rough looking). I heated the pitch in a tin can (need 3 soup or vegetable cans for this operation), strained off the sticks and bark and bug bits by pouring it through another tin can with holes poked in the bottom. Then I ground some charcoal from an old fire and added some of that powder. Then I added a lump of beeswax. Heat it all and stir- be careful to avoid a flash fire. When it is melted and pretty homogeneous, let it start to cool off the fire and glom some onto the ends of clean sticks (like popsicle sticks, but primitive, of course!). When it cools you have glue sticks that can be taken with you anywhere to fasten things. Just heat before a fire till it gets almost runny and smear it on whatever needs fixing.
