First attempt at a Powder Horn

[Tradbow]

Beautiful horn. Really like the color.

 

[Hatman/2nd line]

That is a wonderful job on that horn, I've tried to carve/scrimshaw and it turns out awful compared to yours!

 

[Hatman/2nd line]

How did you add the color on the writing?

 

[The Appalachian]

How did you add the color on the writing?

That was part of the learning curve. I already had some direction on this from a pro horn maker so on his advice I did it prior to the hot dye bath. The India ink is waterproof and color fast so the hot dye bath didn't affect it at all.

The first step I swabbed and dabbed India Ink over each line and each picture trying not to get it everywhere. I used a Qtip. Then after it dried completely over night I used a 000 scotch brite pad and scrubbed the horn down so just the letters and pictures showed. This was fine but there was a faint black stain around everything. I could have kept scrubbing I suppose to get thst stain off but I kind of liked that faint black shadow as I could envision it would make it look aged once the dye was applied.

So I took a second step and covered the whole horn with a thin swab of India Ink and let it dry overnight. Then I scrubbed it down again and I was right. That left a very faint translucent black stain over the whole horn. It definitely adds to the aged look with it dyed.

 

[Hatman/2nd line]

That was part of the learning curve. I already had some direction on this from a pro horn maker so on his advice I did it prior to the hot dye bath. The India ink is waterproof and color fast so the hot dye bath didn't affect it at all.

The first step I swabbed and dabbed India Ink over each line and each picture trying not to get it everywhere. I used a Qtip. Then after it dried completely over night I used a 000 scotch brite pad and scrubbed the horn down so just the letters and pictures showed. This was fine but there was a faint black stain around everything. I could have kept scrubbing I suppose to get thst stain off but I kind of liked that faint black shadow as I could envision it would make it look aged once the dye was applied.

So I took a second step and covered the whole horn with a thin swab of India Ink and let it dry overnight. Then I scrubbed it down again and I was right. That left a very faint translucent black stain over the whole horn. It definitely adds to the aged look with it dyed.

Thanks a lot , that was one of the problems I was having. I used a felt tip pen but trying to get the overages off it actually took some of the scratching off. I just might go over it again, thanks again!