Elk tooth as a horn stopper?

[Sean Gadhar]

I am making a European Mount of an elk my wife killed, and ended up boiling the lower jaw as well :idunno:

Anyway, in cleaning up I found a front tooth loose in the lower jaw, pulled it, then the others.



To me they looks like they would make dandy stoppers for a powder horn. Has anyone tried this?

 

[trent/OH]

I've never tried it, but I like the idea. They may be too slippery to stay put unless you rough it up just a touch.

And when somebody asks "What IS that stopper?", just say this open ended sentence..."Well, I used to play hockey...."

 

[omarick1948]

I guess one could use them for a stopper plug, but in my experience, soft wood stoppers work much better as they give a slight bit to hold tight and grab in the horn. Tooth, I believe would be like using antler, bone or horn and be to hard to give that slight bit and have more of the "Log splitting wedge" effect. Most spout damage that I have seen and sometimes been able to repair is from people using or building a powder horn with antler or horn stoppers.

Just saying,
Rick

 

[Stophel]

I have found that horn is very easy to crack when putting pressure on it from the inside. A stopper that is too hard and cannot compress can crack the spout end of the horn. I once made a stopper out of horn... even had a measure made into it. I cracked the spout of the powder horn in short order. The stopper has to be able to squeeze inward when you push it in tight, otherwise, it will force the "squeeze" outward, and horn does not like to be squeezed outward. :wink:

 

[Sean Gadhar]

:hatsoff: thank guys. That makes sense to me, too hard to be repeatedly pushed into horn. :hmm: I'm going to hang on to them as I feel they would work as something.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I guess one could use them for a stopper plug, but in my experience, soft wood stoppers work much better as they give a slight bit to hold tight and grab in the horn. Tooth, I believe would be like using antler, bone or horn and be to hard to give that slight bit and have more of the "Log splitting wedge" effect. Most spout damage that I have seen and sometimes been able to repair is from people using or building a powder horn with antler or horn stoppers.

Right on point. Worth repeating.

I guess one could use them for a stopper plug, but in my experience, soft wood stoppers work much better as they give a slight bit to hold tight and grab in the horn. Tooth, I believe would be like using antler, bone or horn and be to hard to give that slight bit and have more of the "Log splitting wedge" effect. Most spout damage that I have seen and sometimes been able to repair is from people using or building a powder horn with antler or horn stoppers.

Plus a major rule of ml life is: the prettier your horn stopper is, the sooner it will get lost. :shocked2: Use the tooth for a necklace or sumptin.

 

[Brokennock]

The largest one looks like it would make s good toggle style button or fastener on a small elk skin bag or pouch.

 

[eggwelder]

try a brass ferrule or wire wrap around the horn spout to keep it from splitting. both my horns have brass from empty casings cut down and used as ferrules. not sure how HC that is, but my spouts don`t split.

 

[Grizzly Adams]

I too was sort of thinking some sort of ferrule would be a good idea.

 

[omarick1948]

You could use some sort of internal tubing for a liner in a contemporary designed powder horn, but it wouldn't necessarily be HC/PC for someone wanting a traditional common style powder horn and more trouble than it's worth. If you can't live without a metal tip on that spout. Pour a pewter tip or band inlay near the end of the spout end. ___ To each there own!

 

[Sean Gadhar]

:idunno: I think I'll put them in a little tackle box with all the buttons and bits of bone and antler I have , hang on to them for 5-10 years, endure the wife's "what are you ever going to do with that". Then when I can't remember where I put them.....THEN I will come up with a cool use for them :haha:

 

[rushlake1]

I vote use the tooth as a stopper...
wire wrap the spout neck.
cover with sewn rawhide .Win-Win...
Only you will know the wire is there.
Would love to use one as a stopper...
Scratch a map of the area where your wife shot her elk on the horn and gift it to her.... :thumbsup:
Hand made gifts are treasures..!
Good memories forever.

 

[MSW]

hadn't thought about the splitting issue ... hmmm ... but how 'bout gluing a bit of tapered wood to the end of the tooth? ... this way, you diminish the risk of splitting the mouth of the horn, and you still get the cool stopper.

 

[CrackStock]

I guess one could use them for a stopper plug, but in my experience, soft wood stoppers work much better as they give a slight bit to hold tight and grab in the horn. Tooth, I believe would be like using antler, bone or horn and be to hard to give that slight bit and have more of the "Log splitting wedge" effect. Most spout damage that I have seen and sometimes been able to repair is from people using or building a powder horn with antler or horn stoppers.

Just saying,
Rick

I agree here. Be careful to not split the mouth of the horn by shoving an improper stopper in there. Seriously, it will not hold well and can damage the tip. If you plan to use a hard piece for decorative reasons, why not put soft wood inside to act as the stopper?
Here is a piece of horn turned to the shape of an acorn with a piece of wood put inside to act as a stopper. There is a threaded hole inside the acorn body and the wood is turned to taper at each end and twisted into the acorn body. Works well.

 

[MSW]

that horn / wood stopper looks really cool!

 

[CrackStock]

Thanks - it was done with a piece of a tip that we had cut off and had no idea what to do with. After looking at it, the best use seemed to be an acorn.

From there inserting a bit of wood seemed like the thing to do for a decorative stopper.

 

[jackley]

Here's a salt horn I found at Turkey Foot Traders. They use teeth for stoppers in their salt horns.



Jerry

 

[MSW]

interesting looking horns ... curious - they didn't say what kind (i.e. species) teeth were used?