Powder horn repair

[Black Hand]

I, for one am actually looking forward ...to seeing what BlackHand is bringing to the table. He seems to have a great depth to his collections. It would be great to have him share such a resource with us all. :hatsoff:

Your sarcasm is apparent, even through the internet...

 

[Bagman]

Blackhand...

I will show the other period repairs for the Original Poster.

Again...you either can add to the discussion at hand...or prove that you have nothing on the table.

I welcome any real contribution that you might add to the discussion at hand!

 

[Black Hand]

I answered mudd turtle's question.

 

[Bagman]

You did...

You and I have been on both sides of this coin flip. Answer it PC or HC...or in the modern way.

My Apologies.

We seem to both be caught up in the two timelines...

Go figure

 

[Bagman]

Mudd Turtle,

There is a dry hide glue still being made. You can sometimes find it at archery builder supplies. It is a period type product. It's one drawback is it can be desolved by a long time soaking.
http://www.3riversarchery.com/hide-glue-for-primitive-bows-and-arrows.html

 

[Bagman]

Here is a early lobed horn with a wooden plug. Not sure if hide glue was used to hold the plug in place...but think it makes a good solid repair.

 

[Black Hand]

If I was to be limited to "natural" materials when fixing beetle holes:
If the holes were small (1/16" or smaller), I would use Cutlers resin (Beeswax, Resin and Charcoal dust).

 

[George]

I have used plain beeswax for that job, worked very well and has held up for years.

Spence

 

[Zonie]

I kinda like that round wooden plug in the second photo. It adds character.

It rather reminds me of celebrating an error rather than trying to hide it.

Of course this is not documented anywhere but I suspect, back in the day, a poor farmer or settler might well fix a horn with something simple like the wooden plug or with bees wax like George suggested rather than going to the work of making a new horn.

I know, if a simple fix was possible, that's the route I would take.

 

[Bagman]

Modern day horners have used pewter to simulate earlier style repairs in their new work. It's a interesting process. Not for the feint of heart. Having tried pouring pewter for inlays on wooden hafts...gives me great pause in attempting to use it for horn work.

Yet there are modern makers that can do such work. :hatsoff:

 

[Black Hand]

I need some help with repairing a powder horn that has beetle holes . What or how do professionals horn makers use to repair holes in their powder horns. Thanks in advance for any help. Mudd Turtle.

How did the powder horn repair turn out? Any pictures?

 

[Billnpatti]

I need some help with repairing a powder horn that has beetle holes . What or how do professionals horn makers use to repair holes in their powder horns. Thanks in advance for any help. Mudd Turtle.

Since you didn't ask about hc/pc methods, I assume you simply want an expedient repair. If that is the case, the super glue and epoxy methods would both seem to be just the ticket. I saw a method for repairing a nut on a stringed instrument. The nut is the small piece of plastic or ivory over which the strings are stretched just before they go onto the tuning pegs. That instrument repairman used a mixture of thin super glue and baking soda. He made a thick paste and applied it to the broken nut to fill in the broken part. The stuff set up very hard and he filed it to shape like it was ivory. Of course, such a mixture would be white and not match your horn. If that is not a concern, it might be another method to consider if using modern materials is okay with you.

BTW, while I have not actually tried it yet, I have thought of trying it as a method for making simulated ivory inlays. Just cut out the shape of the inlay in your wood, fill it with the paste mixture of super glue and baking soda. Then after it sets, sand it down flush the wood surface. I've got to get off my butt and give that a try. :thumbsup:

 

[Black Hand]

...simulated ivory inlays...

Antler or (bleached) bone would work well.

 

[Billnpatti]

Here's a you tube video of the super glue and baking soda being used to make a repair. In this case, it is on a model but the idea would be the same in any case. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7H1nHVj74E And, yes, you could use bone, horn or antler dust in place of the baking soda. I saw that also on another of the you tube repair videos. Another example of having more than one way to skin a cat. (My cat, Snots Elaine, doesn't like when I use that expression. :haha: )

 

[nhmoose]

Since this thread is beyond HC/PC Brownells Acra-Glass Gel would work great for inlays or filling horn holes as mixed it is white and can be dyed any color needed.

 

[omarick1948]

Since this thread is beyond HC/PC Brownells Acra-Glass Gel would work great for inlays or filling horn holes as mixed it is white and can be dyed any color needed.

BINGO!I was waiting for someone to mention this method. I have used it on a few repairs and you cannot see where the repair is located. Great stuff!

No not for the HC/PC Monitor's, but an invisible fix for saving your horn.

Rick

 

[Rifleman1776]

It is my philosophy repairs are not sins.
A visible repair is part of the story of the history of the item, be it rifle, horn, garment or whatever.

 

[Billnpatti]

It is my philosophy repairs are not sins.
A visible repair is part of the story of the history of the item, be it rifle, horn, garment or whatever.

I agree. If he had specified the method be hc/pc, I would not have bothered answering because I have no idea of how such repairs were made back in the day. But, since he did not specify that it be hc/pc, I just offered a cheap and easy repair that likely could be made to closely match the color of the horn. That mixture of baking soda and super glue really sets up hard like bone but tends to be white and could stick out like a sore thumb. Not a problem if being hc/pc is not an issue but for the hc/pc crowd, they may want to do it the old way and, due to my ignorance on that issue, I would be no help there. :idunno: :thumbsup:

 

[Artificer]

My Grandpa helped me drill out the spout on my first powder horn in 1972. Everything was fine before he wanted to run the drill bit back through "one last time" to clean out the hole. You guessed it, he went right through the side of the horn. He was ashamed and heartsick, because he almost never made mistakes like that.

My fix was putting some extremely heavy duty white epoxy over the hole and gluing a wood button head plug over it (that I had sanded to match the contour of the horn) - but that was before I knew of ways to fix it so the modern fix could not be detected.

That fix has remained rock solid all these years and I only ever once thought about going back and fixing it so it could not be seen. I decided the memory of Grandpa and me was too important to fix it HC/PC style.

Of course I do not use that horn for living histories or reenacting, but used it for many years when shooting different guns.

Gus

 

[Billnpatti]

I decided the memory of Grandpa and me was too important to fix it HC/PC style.

I fully understand. Memories like that with your grandpa are treasures. I, too, had a grandpa who taught me many things about guns and life in general. He and my grandma raised me after my dad was killed in WW II. He was my father figure and my idol. I have several things which belonged to him and they are treasures to me because they remind me of him. Keep that horn just as it is, it will be a reminder of your grandpa. :thumbsup: