making a powder horn

[hellbent]

I am making my first powder horn, using a buffalo horn. After a week of filing,scraping and sanding I am ready for the plug. I know you have to boil the horn to soften in to fit over the plug. I have tapered the plug. How long must it boil to soften it up? Also How much will the horn stretch? The widest part of the horn measures 2 11/16, I made the plug 2and3/4inches and tapered down to 2 and 1/2 inches. Also do I need to put anything in the water to help soften it?
Thanks for any help.
Wayne

 

[JohnFH]

I found this site helpful
http://mman.home.att.net/PowderHornMaking.htm

 

[AeroncaTAL]

Forget about boiling it in water, you will not get the horn hot enough to permanently set the shape. Water boils at 212 degrees, you need between 330 and 350 degrees to do this. At this temp. the fibers loose their memory, and once sized and cooled with take the new shape. You can heat oil such as cooking oil and use a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature. This is tricky, as you can only heat the horn for a few seconds before you scorch it. Test the pliability of the horn with heavy gloves. Another option is a heat gun which is the method I use. Again use gloves. I run the heat gun across the horn, never leaving it on one spot for more than a second. Once the horn is soft and pliable, put it on the sizer. Once the sizer is in you can dunk it in water to immediately cool horn. The horn will set the shape.

Scott

 

[Rolfkt]

I've quite using hot oil to shape bison horns.
I can get the same results by boiling in water for 1 hour. Boiling water is hot enough to shape horn, but because the temperature is alot lower than hot oil, it takes longer to for the horn to reach shaping temp.It's safer than messing around with hot oil and there's no risk of burning the horn.

Best regards
Rolf

 

[dbiggers]

Forget about boiling it in water, you will not get the horn hot enough to permanently set the shape. Water boils at 212 degrees, you need between 330 and 350 degrees to do this. At this temp. the fibers loose their memory, and once sized and cooled with take the new shape. You can heat oil such as cooking oil and use a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature. This is tricky, as you can only heat the horn for a few seconds before you scorch it. Test the pliability of the horn with heavy gloves. Another option is a heat gun which is the method I use. Again use gloves. I run the heat gun across the horn, never leaving it on one spot for more than a second. Once the horn is soft and pliable, put it on the sizer. Once the sizer is in you can dunk it in water to immediately cool horn. The horn will set the shape.

Scott

I'd listen to this man here, he is an award winning horner and really knows his business. Scott has helped me turn out my first horn and i think its absolutely amazing, "MHO" of course. I don't have a heating gun so i used the hot oil method on my first horn and just a couple of days ago, on my 2nd. One of the many things Scott taught me was to check the thickness of your horn by holding it up to the light and run your fingers across it. If you can clearly see your fingers through the horn, then you should hold the horn in the oil at 350 degrees, for only 5 to 6 seconds. If its thicker 7 or 8 seconds, until its flexible. "DO NOT" let your oil get much over 350 degrees, or you "WILL" scorch the horn :shocked2:, the second it touches the oil. Actually once your oil reaches 350 degrees, turn off the heat.. :thumbsup:

I hope this helps, mainly talk to Scott, he will steer you straight. :wink:

Danny :hatsoff:

 

[Black Hand]

I have found that the kitchen oven also works quite well to soften horn. Just don't answer the phone....

 

[omarick1948]

How the heck you see thru a buffalo horn? :hmm:

 

[omarick1948]

I have found that the kitchen oven also works quite well to soften horn. Just don't answer the phone....

Work"n Buffalo horn is smelly enough, but if I tried to heat one in the kitchen oven. My wife would put "knuckle bumps" all over my head! :shake:

 

[dbiggers]

How the heck you see thru a buffalo horn? :hmm:

Well i guess i got a little carried away and forgot that he was referring to a buffalo horn. My humblest apologies sir, :blah: for my apparent oversite... :redface: Maybe my shared advise will help someone thats working on some horn other than a buffalo horn.. :thumbsup:

 

[paulvallandigham]

Put a strong flashlite- one of the LED lights available today--- INSIDE the horn, and see if the light is NOT visible, even through the dark Buffalo horn, in a dark room when your pupils dilate enough( 20-30 minutes) to be able to see well in the dark. ( Obviously, close the butt plug end of the horn with the light inside.)

 

[Black Hand]

I have found that the kitchen oven also works quite well to soften horn. Just don't answer the phone....

Work"n Buffalo horn is smelly enough, but if I tried to heat one in the kitchen oven. My wife would put "knuckle bumps" all over my head! :shake:

I guess I'm lucky!
My poor wife is used to strange smells coming from my projects and won't bother to look into strangely shaped random, unlabeled packages in the freezer.

 

[hellbent]

If I put the horn in the oven what do I do with my wife's Christmas presents? She Never opens it that's why I hide them there!!!! :wink:
Wayne

 

[AeroncaTAL]

You do beautiful work Rolf! :hatsoff: I'm glad you have success with heating the horn in water, though the times I tried it I wasn't satisfied with the results. Hot air works for me. :grin:
Scott

 

[Rolfkt]

Thanks Aeronca,water works for me if I boil the horn long enough. I use a 2 gallon pot.
I drill the hole in the spout (in the horn), placed in the pot , base down with the spout hanging over the edge. I keep the water at a roiling boil, with steam wisling out of the spout for one hour. If you just let the horn float in the water, the part that sticks above, won't soften enough.

When making a flat horn,after the first boil, I shove a wooden former(with a lead weight) in the horn as far as it will go by hand. The I chuck the horn with the former back into the pot and boil it again for 1/2 hour. I take it out and shove the former further in. I repeat this 3-4 times to get the former all the way in. I've done 2 this way and none have cracked or changed shape so far.

Best regards

Rolf

 

[longshot47]

Careful near that oven!
My experience: Post#463516 Horn Reborn

 

[hellbent]

Thanks guys!!! :hatsoff: I used the heat gun. Have a vouple of burns to prove it!!! Worked like a charm. Now I know why a nice horn can cost so much lots of work to doing one. I doubt I ever do another but now I know I can!
Wayne

 

[AeroncaTAL]

How long do you let the horn sit to dry out, especially doing a flat horn? The (one) time I've tried a flat horn it was by boiling in water. I let it sit in the press for about 12 hours, and it didn't hold its shape. I'm going to give it another try, not about to let it get the better of me... :grin:
Scott

 

[Rolfkt]

I left the former in the horns 3 days.This wasn't exactly planed. I did them on a friday, went away for the week end and came back on tuesday.

When rounding the bases on horns, I let them stay on the cone for 24 hours or more.

Best regards

Rolf

 

[AeroncaTAL]

Seems to work... :thumbsup:
Scott