Horn plug problem

[woodse guy]

I have powder leaking in between the large plug and the horn. Will bees wax work to seal this up or should I use some thing else?

 

[omarick1948]

Warm some bee's wax and rub it with your thumb around the seam of the base and the horn. Warm up this seam with a hair dryer and then rub some more wax into that seam. ... Should end your problem!

Rick

 

[woodse guy]

Do I need to try and pull the nails out or just use the hair drier to get the wax to go in the seam.

 

[Capt. Jas.]

If you have powder leaking out, you need to refit a plug to the horn.

 

[2172]

I''d try Horner's solution first.Hank

 

[gordy]

If powder is actually able to pass throught the opening , it must be quite large? I use beeswax on my horns as a matter of safty , but it sounds as Capt.Jas. suggest , you need to replace or repair the plug. One thing to rember is wood will expand and contract with humidity. If the weather has been dry or wet for an extended period the wood plug could expand or contract enough to make it oval? If the horn walls have stiffened-up from age it won,t adjust to the movement of the plug.
Soft woods such as spruce and pine will expand as much as 10% acroos the grain, this feature nis what keeps wooden boats afloat.I always test my horns for leaks by glowing in the spout and there should be no air excaping anywhere. If air can get out moisture can get in , and if powder is passing out you have a fused bomb on your hip.
:hmm: :thumbsup:

 

[omarick1948]

Woodse, Common sense should automatically tell us, that if a powder horn is leaking black powder, we should empty the horn and get the needed repair, just as you are inquiring about, or use the horn as a wall hanger and buy a new horn! ... Many of the cheap imported powder horns like the big sporting goods stores and other suppliers sell usually are just basically junk and not sealed very good, if at all! ... I have seen examples that leaked air so bad that made me think that you could throw a cat through it! .. I know, that's an over statement in jest, but I think that I made my point!

I'm not saying that you have one of these imported powder horns, but if a Horner made it. Take it back to them and have them repair it right and SAFE! ... A reputable Horner would want a satisfied and above all, a SAFE client!

Rick :thumbsup:

 

[ladysmithtrading]

Woodse, Common sense should automatically tell us, that if a powder horn is leaking black powder, we should empty the horn and get the needed repair, just as you are inquiring about, or use the horn as a wall hanger and buy a new horn! ... Many of the cheap imported powder horns like the big sporting goods stores and other suppliers sell usually are just basically junk and not sealed very good, if at all! ... I have seen examples that leaked air so bad that made me think that you could throw a cat through it! .. I know, that's an over statement in jest, but I think that I made my point!

I'm not saying that you have one of these imported powder horns, but if a Horner made it. Take it back to them and have them repair it right and SAFE! ... A reputable Horner would want a satisfied and above all, a SAFE client!

Rick :thumbsup:

Well said Rick! :thumbsup:

 

[BrownBear]

Just a quick aside, no matter the source of the horn. A buddy of mine got one of the cheap imports and it leaked like a pepper shaker. I pulled the pins, heated the plug and and a chunk of beeswax with a hair drier, then rubbed the edge of the plug all around with the beeswax to coat it well.

In the process of rubbing, of course the beeswax cooled some and was clumpy in places. Heated it again with the hair drier and heated the horn opening too, then shoved the plug in place and replaced the pins. Once in place I heated the joint some more, rubbed with beeswax, heated again, and smoothed the surface with my finger tip.

Didn't look bad at all, in fact basically invisible. Took about 15 minutes all told. That was maybe 5 years ago and the horn is stills sealed after lots of use.

 

[woodse guy]

I got the horn with the gun about 18 years ago. If it is a cheap horn I can not say I don't know how old it was before I got it any way. My guess is that over the years it may have just dried out more? Not sure that it is possible. The small end is threaded and has a little button on it that you can use to let the powder out with, I really like using that compared to the wood plug that my brother has on his horn. I have seen some of the kits that you can put together your self are they any good?

 

[paulvallandigham]

Track has been selling that kind of stuff- as have many other suppliers, for years. That " button" you mention is a valve, and valves need to be taken apart and cleaned periodically of black powder dust that adheres to the valve components as the result of condensation of moisture inside the valve. The BP "crud" will build up and eventually keep the valve from closing properly. Not only will you have BP dribbling out on the ground making a fuse to your powder horn waiting to be lit but it will let moisture into the horn to foul the powder there.

You may not like the plug in your brother's horn, but its traditional, and has NONE of the faults of that brass/steel valve on your horn- which is not traditional at all. There is a reason that traditional horns used plugs made of WOOD- not brass.

Not everyone is truly interested in being historically correct, of course. But, it seems very incongruous to be carrying a HC Flintlock rifle, and then have a cheap, 20th century horn with a modern button valve on it hanging over your hip. If I were you, I would shop for a better horn. Or make one yourself. :hatsoff:

 

[tg]

I have forces epoxy into tghe seam then wioed the surface clean and it worked for me, may not always work but it can, same for the small end plug if it gets looose I just paint a coat of epoxy then sand to fit as needed, do consider your personal usage and your presence in crowds and around fires and your general habits when deciding on repairing or replacing any powder holding vessel, the horn I fixed was only used for hunting and not on trail walks or club shoots or 'vous

 

[woodse guy]

How do these kits rate.
http://www.powderhornsandmore.com/index.html

 

[omarick1948]

Top quality! .... John's a good man to deal with and he'll answer your questions!

Rick :thumbsup:

 

[ohio ramrod]

When building horns I always use beeswax to fill any gaps. My procedure is to rough fit the plug with a 2 degree taper. Heat the horn and plug in an oven and then rub the plug heavily with beeswax and insert the plug into the horn. I have never had any complaints. To fill gaps in a horn that has had powder in it . I would not recomend applying heat to the horn, since powder dust may be traped in gaps. I recomend you get a piece of horn and sand a pile of dust, mix it with an clear epoxy or super glue and work the mixture into the gap. If you don't want to go the "modern way" you could melt beeswax and try pouring it into the gap. And then pressing in any extra. Beeswax is soft at 150 degrees which is bareable to your hands for short periods. :idunno: :idunno:

 

[phoenix511]

I'll add my second to Horner75.

I've purchased many in their box of 10 specials, each horn is cleaned and I've not found any that were not useable due to cracks or holes, and all are cleaned and polished.

There are some finished horns around that sell for less than these raw horns, but they probably come from India or SE Asia with colors that I don't find attractive.

 

[MSW]

I'll throw in with the consensus: powderhorns&more are great folks, and they sell a first rate product at reasonable (i think) prices.

there are a number of good books and DVDs out there, too. making your own powder horn appeared daunting at first, but i've made a few and they turned out really well (that is to say, nobody pointed and giggled) and they're all nice & tight.

the coolest tools are the ones you make yourself.

 

[woodse guy]

Horns are on the way

 

[woodse guy]

Well so far John and Linda are above par on customer service. The horn that I ordered to make a flat horn out of for my flint lock was already sold but had not been removed for the site yet. So instead of calling and asking what I wanted to do they sent me two replacement horns instead. Can't gripe about customer service like that. :hatsoff: