Powder horn

[Flint50]

I've been workin' on a powder horn, got all the parts to fit just right, and the carvin' is done. What is the best way to polish the horn, and is a polished horn PC? Thanks

(I can hear the jokes now-Flint50 is polishing his horn :crackup

 

[Elnathan]

I've been workin' on a powder horn, got all the parts to fit just right, and the carvin' is done. What is the best way to polish the horn, and is a polished horn PC? Thanks

(I can hear the jokes now-Flint50 is polishing his horn :crackup

I used wet-and-dry sandpaper from an autobody shop (320-800 grit) to polish my first one. Worked very well. As for PC-ness, it depends on the quality of horn. Professionally scrimshawed ones were polished somewhat,I believe, though probably not to a mirror finish; while the little mountain horn my family owns was cut down with a rasp and then scraped to smooth it but not enough remove the scratches from the rasp. I am partial to scraping myself- it is smooth without being too shiny and leaves a distinctive surface of a zillion tiny flats- noticeable when the light is shining but otherwise invisible. Unless your horn is intended as a professional-grade, scraping is probably the most PC, though I cannot back that opinion up with personal observation.

 

[Jimrogers]

I believe original horn makers used powdered pumice, wet and using a piece of leather. I use a coarser grit (125)sandpaper with a sanding block and get finer until I get to about a 200 grit, and then finish with steel wool. You wind up with a look like this: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v617/SigMM/scrimreadylip.jpg

After engraving and staining, this is the finished product: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v617/SigMM/horn1.jpg

Many home built horns were merely scraped with glass until reasonable smooth and that was all. It will depend on what you want to depict as a reenactor.

 

[Deerstalker]

Hey, Lodge. Ever think about doing a build along or printing some directions to us less informed brothers on how you make a horn like that? What did you stain it with? I like your work!
Bryan

 

[Jimrogers]

Deerstalker, I'd be happy too. I no longer make horns for sale, but after years of experimenting I've got it pretty well worked out. Maybe I'll write it up and submit it to the site. I don't want to step on toes in case there are any here that make a living building horns. I did send in a tip on plugging a flat horn to a magazine (Buckskinner, I think..have to look at work tomorrow) and they are using it in their next issue.

By the way, I use potassium permanganate. Buy it from a chemical supply house. It's a great stain and poisonout to insects that eat horns. Mix a weaker solution for the body and a stronger one for the spout. That way you don't care if the spout is dark or not. Just stain it.

 

Deerstalker,

Here is a site to walk you through horn makeing

http://www.nmroyalrangers.org/FCF/making_a_powder_horn.htm

hope this gives you some help

Woody

 

[Griz]

I use a buffing wheel on a bench grinder with the red polishing stick. it will make a bright shine at first, but rub it in your hands for a while and it looks just right. Maybe not PC but it looks nice.

 

[pcrum]

I use a knife and scrape it as smooth as possible. Woodworking scrapers work even better. I'll sometimes use a little fine sandpaper to smoothe it out a little more. After that, I use a piece of leather with some red jewlers rouge rubbed into it. It will shine up nicely without that ultra mirror-like shine of a modern made horn.
For my F&I horn, (Big giant thing- holds 1-1/2 pounds) I just scraped it and then engraved my last name. The cool thing about it was I bought it at Ft niagra several years back, at an event. it was rough and still had the core in it. We boiled the cores out there over a fire, then spent the next several events scraping them by hand while we were sitting around camp. I did work down the plug at home however.

 

[RussB]

I use a buffing wheel on a bench grinder with the red polishing stick. it will make a bright shine at first, but rub it in your hands for a while and it looks just right. Maybe not PC but it looks nice.

That's the ticket if ya really wanta polish it! :redthumb:

That Red Rouge Stick at about 2000 RPM will make it shine like the proverbial dime.

I'm don't have a clue as to how PC this might be. But I do know "purty" when I see purty.
Stain...That's a personal choice. Some like it, some don't. Guess I'm wierd, because I like it on some horns, and some horns look better just polished up nicely.
Kinda hard to explain...perhaps it's the shape of the horn, the emblishments, or something...anyway, it just seems to me that a nice clean looking white horn can sometimes be very, very nice.

Russ

 

[Jimrogers]

Deerstalker,

Here is a site to walk you through horn makeing

http://www.nmroyalrangers.org/FCF/making_a_powder_horn.htm

hope this gives you some help

Woody

That's a great site. I do things a little different, but that'll get er done for you.

 

[Deerstalker]

Thanks for all the help. guys! Wonderful to have a site like this!
Br :RO:yan

 

[shmrck1]

Woodhick,
That is a great site, thanks for posting it.
snake-eyes eace: :thumbsup:

 

[musketman]

Deerstalker,

Here is a site to walk you through horn makeing

http://www.nmroyalrangers.org/FCF/making_a_powder_horn.htm

I added this web page to our General Reading, Trekking & Posting pictures Links... :thumbsup:

 

[blksmth52]

Flint50,
This is a horn I've been working on. I used a knife to scrape it smooth. Then dyed the spout with Fiebing's dark brown OIL dye (don't use an alchohol based dye). After which I very judiciously apply heat with a torch. Don't know exactly what the heat does, but it seems to keep the dye from rubbing off. I get pretty good results.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v671/SparkytheBlacksmith/DSC01075.jpg

Sparky

 

[blksmth52]

Lodgekiller,
Man that is one SWEET horn! I'm gonna have to try the potassium permanganate. Puts my work all to shame.
Sparky

 

[Dave Poss]

Lodgekiller and Sparky...after seeing your horns, I think I'll hide the horn I made in an old trunk and carry a flask! Beautiful workmanship guys. :thumbsup:

 

[blksmth52]

Lodgekiller and Sparky...after seeing your horns, I think I'll hide the horn I made in an old trunk and carry a flask! Beautiful workmanship guys. :thumbsup:

Longknife,
Don't sell yerself short. Just like anything that's worth doing, it takes practice. The old smith that taught me said: "Ya gotta burn up a ton o' iron for ya know what heat to work it at". Keep workin' at it. Besides, don't try to satisfy anyone but yourself.
Sparky

 

[Jimrogers]

Longknife, Sparky is exactly right. Everything takes practice. I still carry the first horn I ever made and it's homely as sin, but it's mine and I'm still proud of it to this day because I did the best I could at that time.

Besides, there is beauty in the plain. Just look through Madison Grants book siometime (POwderhorns and their architecture) 95% are plain horns but they represent the horns of their day-useful, practical, and personal.

 

[Darkhorse]

In 1976 I went to the slaughterhouse and bought a head with two horns. I cut one off, boiled it, scraped it with glass and fitted a a butt plug and tapered end plug. Both made of a piece of walnut I had laying around.
Its about as plain as can be and a lot smaller than most though not as small as a priming horn.
I still carry that old horn. It works just as good as ever.
I started out with production, store bought rifles. Now I own handmade rifles. I never owned a store bought horn.
Maybe after my next rifle I'll get around to making one of those nice looking F&I type horns.

 

[Bullwnkl]

I have made a few powder horns over the years as well as a number of stocks. My grand father was a furnature maker from Sweden and he passed on a few finishing tips. The one that I have found the most usefull is to polish a round surface the best tool after sanding is a hunk of bone. I have several bones all cut about 4 " in length and about 2" diameter. The bones are used to rub the object, in this case steer horn, to make then "SHINE' Horn and hard wood looks as though it already has a finish on it when you are done polishing. Different bones different shapes.Bones need to be cooked and clean...My dog must think im nuts stealing her bones before she gets them. Bones need to be free of bite marks, nicks, deep scratches. Try it you'll quit using steel wool.

Bullwnkl.