new powder horn

[joeboleo1]

Just got a new horn as a gift -- never had one before. It is already assembled. The only question I have is the stopper is a little too long. I am planning on cutting and shaping with a dremel to make a nicer fit. Wanted to get ideas before I go ahead. Should the stopper fit fairly tight to horn, as far as right up to the large part of stopper? Also, once I have refit it, is there anything I should do in particular to protect the bare wood of stopper. Coat it with anything? Appreciate any help.

 

[Chiefs50]

I carve my own "stopper" out of pine and soak them in boiled linseed oil until they sink. Then I dry them in the sun and finish them off with a couple coats of well-rubbed in beeswax or Johnson's paste wax. I try to shape the portion of the "stem" so that, while conforming to the taper of the hole drilled in the neck of the horn, there is a minimum amount of stem exposed. If there is too much, it provides the leverage that can increase chances of breaking the stem.
Anyway, that's what I do.

 

[paulvallandigham]

You can buy a tapered peg reamer from Ace Hardware for about 20-30 dollars. Then buy a violin peg( use on the neck of the violin to wind the srings around and raise and lower the pitch to tune each string. One peg for each of the 4 strings.) They make very nice stoppers, and the tapered peg reamer will allow you to make the hole in the neck of the horn the right size and diameter. The pegs are ebony, but you can finish them with any good oil finish, such as tung oil. A little wax on them will help keep them easy to clean and keep your fingerprints from transferring sulfure to the surface of the peg where it can eat into the wood when it becomes sulfuric acid by mixing with air. Always tie a " keeper " string to the neck of your stopper and the other end to the horn, or the strap or string used to carry the horn over your shoulder, so you don't lose your stopper, if for any reason it works loose. If you set the tie to the right length, you can take the stopper out, but it cannot fall out on its own, while hanging from your shoulder. ( Hence the term, " Keeper ".)

 

[J.D.]

This is an old wive's tale. BP DOES NOT FORM SULFURIC ACID by absorbing moisture from the air. Sulfuric acid is NOT formed upon firing, either.

 

[nuttbush]

Check out the Track of the Wolf websight. They have several type stoppers for horns, including three different sizes of the violin stoppers mentioned above.
Gene

 

[paulvallandigham]

Correct, to a point. But BP has sulfur in it. If you shoot in a damp climate, like we have here in the midwest most of the summer, the moisture in the air combines with the sulfur residues in the barrel to form sulfuric acid. It takes time, which is why we clean our gun barrels after shooting, and don't let it wait. The problem is worse along the Gulf Coast, where humidity there make me look like I am living in a desert. So, there is some truth to that " Old Wive's Tale, afterall. ( I don't have this problem shooting in below freezing temperatures, or in our winters here. The relative humidity is so low that a gun can be left for hours, and maybe days before being cleaned. However, if you take it inside a warmed house, you had better tend to the cleaning. Just the condensation of moisture on the inside of the cold barrel taken into a warm moist environment will be enough to start rust. )

 

[joeboleo1]

Thanks to all who replied. Will get to it right away---appreciate the ideas.