powder horn finish

[tnlonghunter]

I'm close to finishing my first powder horn. When it came from TOTW it had that shiny, polished finish on it. Of course, now that it's been scraped and dyed, that finish is gone. How would I go about putting some kind of durable, protective finish on it?

 

[LRB]

You don't need one, but laquer would hold up pretty well.

 

[BrownBear]

How fine have you sanded it? I've taken mine down to a really fine sheen using nothing but 4/0 steel wool after sanding with 400, then 600. I put on wax afterwards a few times, but truly couldn't tell the difference. Not saying that's "right" but I've seen no sign of problems even after long days in the wet.

 

[rkmeyer]

Minwax furniture wax is very durable. I also use it on my guns and a container will last for a very long time (a little goes a long way).
Dusty :wink:

 

[AeroncaTAL]

I rub my horns with bees wax and buff to a nice shine.

 

[tnlonghunter]

melted or regular?

 

[omarick1948]

Two to three coats of Johnson's Paste Wax and then hand buff it with cotton flannel! Tough hard finish and lasts!

Rick

 

[No.4shot]

Two to three coats of Johnson's Paste Wax and then hand buff it with cotton flannel! Tough hard finish and lasts!

Rick

Thats what I do too.

 

[tnlonghunter]

Well, alright then. I'll give that a try. The neck is dyed dark brown and the body left white-ish with some scrimshaw. Other than scraping and sanding with very fine paper (600 grit) and some 0000 steel wool, is there any other preparation I should do to it before the wax and polish?

 

[AeroncaTAL]

melted or regular?

Sometimes I will heat it with a hair dryer and let it melt before rubbing with a cloth...
Scott