Horn questions

[BRUN]

When making a flat horn do you boil and clamp the horn to get this effect?And some horns I've seen look like they are curved with the shooters body.Does this style of carry benefit some how?I have a bison horn and a cow horn.Thinking of making the bison horn flat.Both horns are large.

 

[TAC2]

Brun.
Making Flat Powder Horns





Prepare horn as if making a round horn, file, sand, and scrape to as near uniform thickness of not more than 1/8" and preferably thinner. The thinner and more uniform thickness the horn the easier it will be to get to a flat shape. When I am ready to flatten a horn I prepare a mixture of about 6 cups water, 1/2 cup plain old vegetable oil, 1/4 cup of salt and 1 cup of vinegar. Bring the liquid to a boil, put the horn in the boiling liquid, cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 2 hours to make it pliable







Here is one that has been removed from the boiling mixture, placed in the vice with a former inserted into the horn and clamped between two pieces of wood as tight as possible. The former is made out of a 1" x 4" and shaped to fit as far inside the horn as possible. Remove the horn from the vice after it has cooled.
Horn removed from the vice and former still in horn. Horn with former removed. Horn measures 8 1/2 inches around outside of curve. Finished length will be just under 8" after some trimming.





Horn height at plug end is 2 1/2"

Polished horn with maple plug. For this article I consider it finished. Click on image for larger view.






if it all didnt come out here is the web site
[url] http://www.tctwest.net/~jpyle/flathorns.html[/url]
Hope this helps .
TAC2 :thumbsup:

ps. Sorry the pictures didnt come out.

 

[BRUN]

Great info.I appreciate it.