First Scrimshaw Attempt

[Idahomie]

This is my first attempt at scrimshaw on horn. After five hours of holding a sail needle in a 3” pin vice, I don’t think my hand will ever uncramp! I’ll likely do a decorative border of some sort and add some more artwork or a slogan or two… heck, what’s a powder horn without “Liberty or Death” scrawled on it, anyway?

I’d appreciate any feedback or tips you can provide. Thanks in advance!

 

[Moleman]

Well done, I like it.,,

 

[oldramrod]

better than I could do!

 

[LANEY REECE]

GOOD JOB BUD.

 

[Codger Craig Wilcox]

Doing a great job!

 

[longcruise]

I'm impressed

 

[springfield art]

This is my first attempt at scrimshaw on horn. After five hours of holding a sail needle in a 3” pin vice, I don’t think my hand will ever uncramp! I’ll likely do a decorative border of some sort and add some more artwork or a slogan or two… heck, what’s a powder horn without “Liberty or Death” scrawled on it, anyway?

I’d appreciate any feedback or tips you can provide. Thanks in advance!

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A comfortable, hand-filling wooden handle makes the etching easier! Nice 1st try!

 

[Idahomie]

A comfortable, hand-filling wooden handle makes the etching easier! Nice 1st try!

Thanks for the tip! I’m thinking about making a handle and affixing it to my scribe. I’ve considered making some tools out of old files and drill bits also.

 

[Idahomie]

Thanks for the kind comments, everyone! I took a little break from scrimshaw to do some simple carving on the horn’s cap.

 

[Idahomie]

Some more rainy day scrim. I think I’m going to add a border and call it good! I’m pretty pleased with how the skull and crossbones turned out. I discovered that sticking the brass hardware in a container with a little vinegar and salt helped the tarnishing process along a bit.

 

[2 shots]

 

[oldwood]

Looks good 2 me.

 

[Idahomie]

I wasn’t too happy with the crosshatching on my soldier silhouettes, so I decided to carve them out using a push engraver. Unfortunately, I went a little deeper than I had intended! I’m working on scalloping the spout and adding my wife and children’s names around it. We’ve got four kids, so this is no easy feat!

 

[Idahomie]

I added some of October Country’s toning solution to give the horn that 200+ year old look. I also suspended the brass hardware over some ammonia to hasten the development of patina.

 

[Idahomie]

At last, it is finished! I don’t even want to know how many hours I have into this thing. While it’s far from perfect, I’m pretty pleased overall with my first powder horn scrimshaw attempt.

 

[Gtrubicon]

I think its absolutely beautiful

 

[MAPMFF]

Nicely done!

 

[Omahkapi'si]

Looks good.

 

[Whitworth]

That looks great, well done Sir

 

[WALT53]

Looks good.

For your first attempt you did well looks good couple more and you’ll be a pro at it .