My Grandma Smith Died in 1996.

[Josh Smith]

Prior to that, Grandma and Grandpa Smith would go to Texas each winter, leaving around a week after Thanksgiving and generally returning some three or four months later.

Before they would leave, they would ask us what we wanted from Mexico. They would park their fifth wheel at a campground near the border and cross over to tour and shop.

I generally end up with bullwhips and pesos. However, one year they surprised my brother and me with mounted bull horns.

Those hung in my room at home, then the house I managed to get while in college, and in every apartment and house after that.

They were getting pretty ragged, and I hung them up in the garage above the metal kitchen table which belonged to my Grandma and Grandpa Burkhardt. On that table I set up a lead furnace my Grandpa Smith had given me, and with a few other items I purchased, proceeded to produce bullets for my .45acp.

Those bull horns were something to look at, but I never could bring myself to throw them out.

This morning I had an idea. Knowing that they'd go sooner or later, one way or another, I began work on something I simply don't have the money to buy while I'm laid off:

Conceived at 4am this morning, I sawed one off, washed it up, and with judicious application of files, 2000 grit wet sandpaper, and a fine toothed hacksaw, I'm well on my way to having a powder horn.

This evening I will take a walk in the woods and find a good, seasoned limb the right size around, and make the bottom. I'll likely tea or coffee stain the wood, work the warmed horn around it, and secure it with tacks or with wooden pegs - I've not decided yet.

Though I'd like to do the linseed oil thing with the wood, I'll need the powder horn before those many weeks are up. I think I will therefore cheat and use varnish on this one; after all, I have another horn to save. The varnish will serve to seal the horn around the wood as well.

If I haven't tossed a broken bullwhip, I'll use a strand from it as a leather carry sling. Here's to hoping as I do think I tossed it.

Not having a violin key handy (thank God there are no violins around here!), I am debating whether to keep the .22 shell in place. While it is brass, I don't want metallic cartridges around my muzzleloading stuff. I may see if my dad still has his olde guitar from the '70s, and if I might have a key off of that to use.

I'd rather not use wood or cork due to their propensities to change size with humidity.

Now, I just have to figure out what to use for a powder measure. I'm sure I'll dig through the stuff I inherited from all four grandparents and stay with that theme.

It's not the best powder horn I've ever seen, but for not ever having done this before (and really not being good at woodworking), I think it's turning out OK.

Josh

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

That looks pretty good if you ask me. I like your connections to the horn and everything else you are thinking of using. :thumbsup:

 

[Hawk962]

That looks great! Please post more pics when you are able. By the way, river cane makes a good powder measurer if you have any growing nearby.

 

[colmoultrie]

Violin pegs are wood as well. Soft wood makes a good plug. It does swell or shrink, but if it's softer than the horn, it generally won't crack the horn, while a hard material might.

 

[ny griz]

:thumbsup: Real nice, :thumbsup: good job.Griz

 

[necchi]

Very cool idea, you'll end up with something that has cherished memories.

Not having a violin key handy,,,,,,
"This evening I will take a walk in the woods and find a good, seasoned limb the right size around, and make the bottom."

Well there ya go, find another nice seasoned piece and whittle a violin key,, :thumbsup:
Ya might wanna make the hole a bit bigger than that .22 shell size,,it'll pour really slow if the holes too small

 

[hawk]

:thumbsup:

 

[Josh Smith]

Thanks folks.

Does the bottom look OK to you, or does it look like it needs to be blended more with the curve of the rest of the horn?

Thanks again,

Josh

 

[anvil1231]

Very nice Josh...and you will have memories to go with it. :hatsoff:

 

[Josh Smith]

Hello,

I finished it up last night.

Everything on this came from my Grandparents Smith, save for the powder measure, the measure's lanyard, and the wood - that came from a nice hardwood limb I found in a woodpile.

If I ever hint at this having been easy, somebody smack me. I found that this horn, at least, demanded more than the standard amount of attention commonly given to horns, and a few processes had to be added or modified.

The rear...

I'm especially proud of this plug. It's sealed to waterproof and is nearly air tight. I used nothing modern; all glue used to seal it was made from horn pieces.

The front attachements...

I am not good at making plugs, especially when I'm close to being done. But, it works for now, until I can find a banjo key.

The measure is a metallic .410 shell, cut down to throw about 50 to 60gns BP by volume. At least this is what cross referencing with Lee dippers says. I'll have to double check. It will also be getting one that will throw 70-80gns and maybe one to throw 25. I should be covered for all loads I'd ever use (25, 50, 75 and 100gns).

And I managed to crack it a bit.

Though it's only a hairline crack, the drill bit I was using caught and cracked the horn. Barely noticeable and of no real consequence, I still know it's there and it'll bug me.

And a final shot, with the rifle.

This is the first horn I've made; I have enough raw material for one more, then I'll have to find a source for horns.

I figure two of these per sidelock should be sufficient, so it'll be a while until I build a third.

Thanks,

Josh

 

[Troy Allen Christianson]

Great looking horn! I picked up a few violin tuning pegs at the local music store. They are relatively inexpensive and work great. I think they are made of ebony. keep up the good work. :thumbsup:

 

[50cal.cliff]

Great looking build and the story to go with it is priceless! :thumbsup:
If you are worried about the crack going further fill it with CA (superglue). Once it dries you can sand the area and the repair will almost disappear but the CA that is in the crack will hold it well!

 

[saber]

you can get violen keys off e-bay for 4.00 buck if you went one or just whittle one out

 

[Chilidog]

Fine work Josh. And having made it with the history you have is really special. I know your Grandparents would be proud. And you have special memories each time to look at it. :hatsoff:

 

[Boomer]

Well howdy Josh, fancy "meeting" you here! :thumbsup:

 

[MSW]

nice looking horn!

if you're concerned about the 'violin peg' issue, remember two points: (1) the pegs are usually made of ebony (the only wood which will sink if immersed in water- there's your worthless trivia for the day). ebony is also used for oboes, several woodwinds and other musical instruments. the pegs can be had from flea-bay, or Track of the Wolf. it is one of the most dimensionally stable woods available. (2) if there's a hole drilled in the peg, there was a string run thropugh it at one time or another and it was used for its intended function. if there's no hole in the shaft, it was never in a violin.

you may want to get the Silbey's book from Track- it's about twenty bucks if memory serves. the nice thing about making horns is that it doesn't require a bunch of fancy equipment or expensive doo- dads.

best of luck with the laid- off thing, BTDT, and there's a lot of it going around, which i jknow doesn't make it any easier for those who are outside looking in.

 

[paulvallandigham]

I bought a long, tapered, " Peg reamer" at my local Ace-Tru-Value Hardware store for less than $20.00. If its not in stock( on the shelf) in your local store, ask the manager about ordering one for you.

Find Pegs at string instrument repair shops( Any music store can tell you where the nearest such repairman is located), or thru some of the suppliers listed here on Links, like Dixie Gun Works, or Track of the Wolf.

If you know any string players, they often have several old pegs they have replaced over the years they will give you, or sell for pennies on the dollar.

You can also buy Ebony from places like Woodcraft.( They sell it in short lengths for people who want to turn out bodies for ink pens.) A small lathe, and even some drill presses, can be used to let you cut the taper on the pegs.

 

[MSW]

the reamer has a slightly different taper than the reamer used by violin makers. you can use the woodworker reamer, but you won't get as good a seal/fit as you would like.

if you live in or near a city (try to avoid them myself, but sometimes 'ya just gotta go...') you can probably find a violin maker who has the correct reamer.

i called my guy (a very accomodating fellow here in Bratleboro Vermont, who does great repairs, has excellent prices, and will steer you in the right direction if he doesn't have what you need - by the way, he makes a really great sounding viola, if you've got the coin) and he said, 'sure, just bring it down and we'll take a look at it.

so i brought the horn in to the violin shop, and chatted with him and some of the customers, and then i broke down and bought some gut strings (which i learned to play on in the first place and- yes i know wire wound strings stay in tune longer and require little if any break-in, but gut just sounds so much more mellow- tirade on this later in the post, so stay tuned) and then i chatted with some of the customers when they asked whazzat and pointed to the horn- obviously not some sort of esoteric musical instrument, and next thing i knew half the afternoon was gone, and he got out his reamer and worked the horn so the peg fit

just so.

in case you're wondering, he was kind enough to look in his catalogue of really super cool luthier gadget tools and the reamer which fits the taper of a violin peg is very expensive (i remember well over a hundred dollars).

now about 'gut' strings: they have nothing to do with cats, but they are made of 'gut,' in specific sheep intestines which have been very carefully cleaned and cut into narrow strips. some of the really fancy ones (as you would see on a high- end viola de gamba, f'rinstance) are actually braided. the tone is more mellow and somewhat more muted than wirewound strings, and it harder to pull a lot of volume from a violin if you use gut. the real trade off is the 'speed' - the rate at which the string responds to very subtle changes in finger pressure which will slightly adjust the pitch. this is something which most people will recognise if they hear it, but wouldn't know why it was different, and some instruments are better suited to wirewound strings and some sound better with guy. also, gut will drift in pitch as the string gets warm or cools off, and with changes in humidity, whereas wirewound strings will usually not do this.

there, that's your worthless trivia for the day.

you could, of course, try to chuck the peg in your drill press or lathe, but (as i did) you may just ruin a bunch of violin pegs.

at any rate, make good smoke!

 

[aloyalistdawg]

Very nice, to be honest I have always loved plain simple and very usable equipment, I made one of my favorites out of buffalo horn... left it black and even the worm or bug chew marks in it..
Cheers looks great
Aloyalist Dawg :hatsoff: