Powder horn base plug; Staple vs. wooden peg

[Brasilikilt]

Hey all

For a long time I thought the most PC way of attaching a strap to your powder horn's base plug was with a wooden peg, I think Fess Parker might have a great deal to do with that :grin:
More and more nowadays I see staples being used, but mainly with 18th century horns, and the wooden pegs more so with the 19th century horns.

Both ways work fine in my opinion, but I'm wondering why that is. You would think that you would see a fairly balanced mixture of each depending on the craftsman's taste, tools and what time he wanted to put into it.

Why is it that the nicest, most artistic powderhorns usually have a staple, while the more simple ones have a wooden peg? Seems like it would be the other way around as tapping in a staple seems like more of an afterthought as opposed to whittling a peg and drilling a hole for it.
Could it be that we are looking at powder horn fashion? People just do it one way or the other based on what they see everyone else doing?

I kinda feel like I'm asking a dumb question, but it's something I've been thinking about perhaps a bit too much :redface:

I look forward to reading your thoughts

Iain

 

[Swampman]

Rather than tapping the staple in, it works really well to go all the way through and clinch the ends before installing the base plug.

 

[Brasilikilt]

Rather than tapping the staple in, it works really well to go all the way through and clinch the ends before installing the base plug.

Wow! I've never had so much tension on my powder horn strap to feel a need to secure the staple quite that well!

I think my leather thongs would break before my staple would ever pull out

 

[Swampman]

I had never thought about it either, but a recent article in Muzzleloader by a master hornsmith that had studied a lot of originals, showed him doing it that way.

It would be really hard to rip it out. I have caugt my straps on limbs while running through the woods. It sure will stop you in a hurry.

 

[BLAHMAN]

Just tap in a staple...it's pretty strong as is.

Keep in mind, yer not going to play tug of war with an elephant!

 

[crockett]

We may be talking apples and oranges. I originally used a pretty heavy staple, I barbed the tips and have never had a problem. The magazine article mentioned shows a thin staple- like what you would use on paper( maybe a little heavier) and the metal goes through the plug and is crimped. The base plug is hollowed out some to reduce weight and increase powder capacity. So... the question becomes: what type staples were used on original horns? Thin, heavy, or both? Maybe some of our horn experts know (I don't).

 

[Swampman]

It looks pretty heavy to me. About 20 times the thickness of a common paper staple.

 

[Griz]

Crocket, I was not going to post on this subject, since I am very opinionated when it comes to horn building, but you inspired me to write a quick note. The books I have show both fine wire and heavy wire for a staple and some, but not very many with a turned knob for a strap. They even show some with a ball and ring, kinda like a dresser drawer knob that was made to hold the horn strap. I use a mechanics wire for both front and back staples on all my horns. It is fine enough to look delicate and yet heavy enough to do the job. After you get them drove in with just a 1/4" sticking out the wire is very strong over that short of a span. I have several that have a turned knob on the base cap for a strap also, but I think the staple looks more PC, just my opinion.
Just for my opinionated part, Did you read in that article that the master horner used "epoxy" to set his base cap in place :nono: That is not very PC. Really dissappointed me.

 

[talbert]

I have seen and handled a fair share of old horns
and that wooden "peg" is usually a turned extension of the plug itself...if Im imagining what you are refering to correctly...

Turning a peg is easy "if" you are lathe turning the plug...which implies you are molding the horn base round etc...this seems to be a feature of
later horns...and ones plain at that...barring
"Tansel" horns which usually are fancy with
turned pegs ...but are a later era horn in
general...(but even fancy turned plugs of the
screw-tip style etc...got the staple treatment.)

the golden age (mid 18th century) stuff was as likely to be highly engraved and
have a horn lobe or "staple" for retention...
(in addition Ive seen wire loops through
holes that pierce the edge of the horn and
plug...and the universal iron screw...some of
which are the hand made early style..)

All that said...I dont recall ever seeing a whittled peg set in a hole...(closest to that is the threaded "peg" on a concave plug on artillery
horns)...

just my observations...

Talbert