Making a Powder Horn (Part 1)

[Newaygo77]

Excellent thread. Thanks!

 

[PathfinderNC]

This is a great thread, @PathfinderNC !

Thank you for the time and effort you have put into posting it. I have learned quite a lot!

I do have a couple of questions... What heat gun do you recommend? I don't own one and in fact have never even used one, but it is becoming increasingly obvious that I could use a heat gun on a variety of projects. I could use some advice.

Also, can you recommend a good source for horns? I am familiar with Powder Horns & More, but would like some additional options, if possible.

I'm looking forward to the next installment. Scrimshaw techniques have always been a mystery to me.

Best regards,

Notchy Bob

Hi Notchy Bob- I also get horns from Powder Horns and More, and also raw and unfinished ones from Crazy Crow. As for heat guns, I got mine from Home Depot or Lowes. I used to put my horns in boiling water to soften them, but I found the heat gun is easier and less fuss. Just be careful when heating horn because it can scorch and crack and sort-of melt at the edges if you go too hot, and if it’s not hot enough the horn will split or crack when your forcing the plug in.

 

[RJW47]

Next locate the exact position of the base plug (measure or use a light if the horn is translucent enough to see) and mark where your dowel pins will go. 1/8” diameter is ample for the job. Apply some wood glue to them and drive them in and cut/sand them flush. At this point I will pour water onto the plug and allow it to swell the wood, which it will do, ensuring a really good fit.

I want to do some scalloping along the shoulder of the horn body. I draw some guide-lines and sketch the areas out that I will grind away. I use a Dremel tool that does a good job for this.

Then a little work to carve and fit the spout plug.

With the Powder Horn now basically built, it’s time to clean it up and start decorating it (if wanted). I will be doing some scrimshawing on this one, but have no idea what designs or theme I will do yet. That will be my next adventure with this horn (Part 2).

Great series of instructional posts on horn finishing! Thanks for your contribution.

Best Regards

 

[S.Kenton]

Hey! You skipped the part about how you do your engrailing. I normally use a sharp gouge, but I have used a dremel as well… you have to be very careful with both.. they can screw up a nice horn really fast. Here’s one I done with a dremel and one I done with a gouge. Can you tell the difference? Thanks for tutorial!

 

[RJW47]

Hey! You skipped the part about how you do your engrailing. I normally use a sharp gouge, but I have used a dremel as well… you have to be very careful with both.. they can screw up a nice horn really fast. Here’s one I done with a dremel and one I done with a gouge. Can you tell the difference? Thanks for tutorial!

Ah, very nice!!

 

[MSW]

looks good ... if i could comment:

= i used a heat gun once and it was pretty much a disaster ... i keep the heat gun for thawing frozen pipes and such, but to soften a horn, i use a beat up old frydaddy (you can get them at yard sales and such, or, if you can't find one there, you can go to a big-box store like WalMart) ... it doesn't matter if you use cheap oil.

=measure the long and the short axis of the horn, and divide by two. chuck a bit of wood in your lathe, and turn it down so that you have a nice even taper from about a half inch bigger to about a half inch smaller than the magic number ...
i heat to about 375 and dip the horn in for about ten seconds, just to see what will happen. make sure you drill the hole for the plug before you dip&dunk - you don't want to splash oil that hot onto anything! ... hold for ten or twenty seconds and pull it out ... (you're wearing heavy leather gloves that you can get off in a hurry, right?) ... test for softness, and it probably won't be soft enough to manipulate yet, so keep doing the dip&dunk and eventually the horn will soften and you can insert the plug, thus forming it to a circular shape.

= if you don't own a lathe, for shame.... but all is not lost. you can use an irregular shape as described, and your horn will turn out fine. another method is to sand the big end flat and epoxy the plug onto the back of the horn ... then rasp away the wood you don't want and blend everything together with sandpaper folded onto a block ... this will bring the wood to the shape of the horn and i think it looks pretty cool, although it's not PC/HC. (i did one with a stripe of bloodwood between two pieces of maple - the effect is quite nice)

=boiling the horn in water only got me a clean horn, and a lot of boiled water... made the kitchen smell funny ... wife was pretty hacked off about it ... my experience ifs that you will need more than 212 degrees Fahrenheit to soften the horn.

= when doing the dip&dunk, watch for tiny little bubbles coming off of the sides... this means that you're getting close to delamination which will ruin the horn. go slow, and be careful ... keep kids and pets away from this process ...

= there's a cutting tool which yo can get from a luthier's supply place which will cut the exact same taper as a violin peg, so if you want to use violin pegs as stoppers, they will fit nice and tight... downside: if you are using a larger granulation of powder, you may have to go to a slightly bigger peg ... the bigger grains can cause 'bridging' across the hole. here's a link

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3843351203...1291&msclkid=6dd523386a251a2ece4a408183d16605e- bay ... probably not a super high quality tool but mine works OK.

= each of your ML guns should have (at minimum) their own powder horn
(there: i said it... it's a well known fact, and you read it on the internet, so it must be true) and now you just have to get a whole bunch of horns and get to work

= to hold the horn in place while i'm working on it, i put my horns on a canvas bag full of rice ... i've seen all manner of clever clamps and such, but the bag works for me ... a small sandbag would also work, i guess.

= go slow, enjoy the ride

 

[S.Kenton]

= if you don't own a lathe, for shame.... but all is not lost. you can use an irregular shape as described, and your horn will turn out fine. another method is to sand the big end flat and epoxy the plug onto the back of the horn ... then rasp away the wood you don't want and blend everything together with sandpaper folded onto a block ... this will bring the wood to the shape of the horn and i think it looks pretty cool, although it's not PC/HC.

I don’t understand, are you gluing a block of wood the large Butt area of the horn? Or inserting in and working it that way? I don’t glue or epoxy any of my horns, I’ve also had great success with boiling water, I’ve used a heat gun one time, but it’s too touchy, never used oil just because its too easy to bake the horn. I’ve built around 100-125 horns. I don’t make them too fancy… just usable and simple… but yet elegant like I’ve seen many originals. Just my two cents..

 

[S.Kenton]

Hey! You skipped the part about how you do your engrailing. I normally use a sharp gouge, but I have used a dremel as well… you have to be very careful with both.. they can screw up a nice horn really fast. Here’s one I done with a dremel and one I done with a gouge. Can you tell the difference? Thanks for tutorial!

Awww crap I just seen where you said how you do your engrailing..

 

[BadDaditood]

Pathfinder, how do you secure the horn while working on it? do you just free hand it or clamp it some how?
your work is an inspiration to all! artwork!

I have a book where the author pounded a big nail halfway into a stump, what was left sticking up made a stop to hold the horn still while shaping the lower half.
Not having a stump handy I clamped a dowel into a vise and it works great. I’ll “repurpose” a chunk of 6x6 and a 24d spike for my next horn.
I didn’t have any luck with boiling water either, I will use my heat gun next time.
Great tutorial! Thanks for the ideas!

https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/1330/1/BOOK-R18CPH

 

[TarponStalker]

This is a basic primer for making a Powder Horn.

Part 1 is the basic build.
Part 2 (coming next) will be the decorating (scrimshawing) and finishing.

Hope this is interesting!

The first step (after selecting a horn) was to locate the end of the hollow at the point of the horn. I just use a metal wire to do that. Then, after marking that point, I add about an inch or so of length to make the cut. This will allow material for some tip shaping and enough room to hold the plug snugly.

I then use a 1/4" drill bit and aim it down the horn to where it will hit the tip of the inside cavity.

Hi PathfinderNC.
Thank you for creating this tutorial for us. It’s time for me to try my hand at horn making.
I found a cow horn this week but it’s “in the raw”. I notice yours appear to be a little more finished.
Should I start by using sand paper to get rid of the rough finish?
Thanks.

 

[Kansas Jake]

I used a course sanding discs on a drill to get the initial roughness smoothed out on a Buffalo horn. Be sure to wear a dust mask when sanding. I didn’t and I coughed up crud for a week.

 

[PathfinderNC]

Hi PathfinderNC.
Thank you for creating this tutorial for us. It’s time for me to try my hand at horn making.
I found a cow horn this week but it’s “in the raw”. I notice yours appear to be a little more finished.
Should I start by using sand paper to get rid of the rough finish?
Thanks.View attachment 195027

Thanks- and when I work raw horns I actually use a rasp to get most of the heavy scaling off. There's a lot to remove!

 

[Scott]

I have a horn but I don't know if it's real. Is there a test. I'm afraid of static electricity if it's plastic.

 

[Philip Lebow]

New to horn making. Scraped and polished some buffalo horns. Where do you get horn pegs? I've seen them on old fancy horns, black and white.
I'm a machinist at heart. Do I need to make a small milling tool to make pegs?
A neophyte question.

 

[PathfinderNC]

What are “Horn Pegs”?

 

[Songwriter]

What are “Horn Pegs”?
I think he means the dowel pins.

 

[Thingamajiggy]

While working on the horn front, I keep it inserted on a steel bar through the spout hole. I file and rasp away with my right hand while holding it steady with my left. All the other work I just hold it while working on it. Glad you find it interesting!

Great thread, sorry I'm just finding it now. Having the spout hole secured in a rod is a fantastic idea, have been freehand wrestling my first horn. Will definitely reference this moving forward. Now I'll have to search for a part 2.

 

[PathfinderNC]

What are “Horn Pegs”?
I think he means the dowel pins.

Ahhh- they are 1/8" dowels.

 

[Two Feathers]

Sorry, whats a sticky?

PathfinderNC:
Thanks buddy. I didn't know WTH a sticky was either? :~)))
I've made a few horns over the last 50 years, but nothing like yours! Thank you for your tutelage.
God bless:
Two Feathers

 

[PathfinderNC]

PathfinderNC:
Thanks buddy. I didn't know WTH a sticky was either? :~)))
I've made a few horns over the last 50 years, but nothing like yours! Thank you for your tutelage.
God bless:
Two Feathers

You are very welcome