First horn, bag, and straps

[TinStar]

These are pics of my first horn, bag, and straps.
Sorry the pics were not better; but my digital camera will soon find itself in front of the bullseye at one of range sessions!
Made the bag from the front pocket of one of those old Utica Duxback small game coats, likely 50 years old. Re-stiched it to practice hand sewing and dyed it with Rit. Made the brass rings and the antler button. Straps were Rit dyed also.
I have some new canvas on hand and hope to make a better one from scratch. This was mainly practice, but I liked it. I have also bought a good leather shooting bag from a supplier.
Got the horn from Powder Horns and More. Hats off to you real artists out there. Scrimshaw is tough. The horn came out a little crude looking but that's ok as it will pair up with a trade gun alright. Did a blend of Christian and Iroquois symbols on it and tried a Scripture verse. Wasn't easy but it was fun to do. The straps were made of Rit dyed cheap jute cord I did on my homemade inkle loom.

TinStar
Soli Deo Gloria!

 

[TinStar]

Forgot to mention that the dark, heavy vertical line on the bottom left beam of the Cross was there in the horn and I could not sand/scrap it out. So that's where I decided to make the Cross.
Any tips on how to deal with these discolored/marked areas?

TinStar
Soli Deo Gloria!

 

[Hawken Dan]

My hat off to you. Looks good. Like you said not easy to do
Mine is still been worked on.

 

[S.Kenton]

that sure is a nice get up! I like the horn, particularly the scallops. NOW.. if it were mine I'd stain it to look old... I also like your creativity on the bag and straps..I'd be proud to have made it all!

 

[ncmtmike]

Nice work,wish I could make things

 

[omarick1948]

Nice first powder horn and your entry in the world of scratching on horn! __ It gets addictive!

What you did with the cross area dark streak in the horn is something that I try to do from time to time. __ A little "camo" job so to speak! .. Well done!

Rick :thumbsup:

 

[hawkthrower]

Very nicely done set. What you did with the cross was a great idea and something all of us who make horns run into, as Rick said.
Its getting increasingly harder to find perfect white horns so if you can work in an element of your design to hide it its a winning situation. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Ron

 

[TinStar]

Thanks all for the nice comments. And you guys are right....this is addictive. Already have ideas floatin' round in my semi-empty head!
(Course wifey don't know it yet )
Plan to make a canvas bag from scratch and get some good pearl cotton for the strap and put it all together while the snow flies!

TinStar
Soli Deo Gloria!

 

[CrackStock]

Looks good. Were the tip and strap retention lip turned or are you that good at scraping/filing? Either way, nicely done.

I would camo the other side of the cross to mimic the natural mark in the horn or I would have centered it on the cross. Generally speaking, horns have marks where they have them. Just work around them.

I like how your borders and letters flow with the natural curve of the horn. Vines also look good traveling along other artistic paths but wander within the guideline of the golden mean. Pencil this out on a horn or two to work up something pleasing. Just think through the starting and ending points and work up some graceful curves to make it interesting.

I like that you are trying your hand at a number of items and also doing the straps. This is addictive and fun. Sounds like you do plan to continue. Keep going and push yourself.

Hope to see you at Dixon's someday soon!

CS

 

[TinStar]

CrackStock,

I did all the work using files, razor knives, sand paper, and an Exacto saw. The antler tip for the plug was filed too and then pinned with a finishing nail along with glue. I drilled out the horn for the plug and then used a reamer I bought for $20 and it really helped as I used it as a guide for filing the plug to the correct size.
One thing that did get me a little upset was the dye on the flats area. While I was filing I noticed some white areas under the light brown. A few of these were on the edge of one or two flats. When I held the horn in boiling hot Rit dye for minutes and for several times they were covered up. However when I lightly applied some paste wax they showed through in two spots a little.

TinStar
Soli Deo Gloria!

 

[CrackStock]

As to the bare spots, this could be a place more polished or a bit of oil blocking absorption of the stain.

Look up potassium permanganate to use as horn, bone and wood stain. It will go on purple and end brown. The final color is set by how strong the solution is, how much you swab on and how long you leave it on. You need to clean well and carefully or you will get light splotches. If you see light spot, keep swabbing more dye and it might cut through the offending impurity.

CS

 

[TinStar]

Thanks for the tip friend!!

TinStar

 

[TinStar]

Thanks for the tip friend!!

TinStar
Soli Deo Gloria!

 

[omarick1948]

You can eliminate any light or white color coming through the color, by using a strong mixture of your darker spout color using the RIT dye. PP works OK for a while, but gradually fades from the sun light. This is a UV problem that has plagued many a horner maker for years!

Rick

 

[TinStar]

Thanks horner. Next time around I will do that.

TinStar
Soli Deo Gloria!

 

[Rick Son]

Nice darn work! ~Daniel Bones~

 

[TinStar]

Now; ya jus gotta love that Chief!!!

TinStar
Soli Deo Gloria!

 

[hanshi]

If that's your first, then by your third you'll be a master. Excellent work.

 

[Don]

Thats great work, especially for a first effort. My projects always come out crude looking.

Don