Scrimshawed Powder Horn

[Coyote_Kyle]

Hello, here's something I've been working on over the past few weeks. This is my first time properly working with horn (spoiler - it was a success). After all the very positive comments on the moose antler I posted here, I've decided I'll be listing this one for sale. Anyways, thought y'all would enjoy some pics of the process I took.
This horn is one of only a few I have, and was pretty beat up to begin with. But after sanding it, the horn ended up taking a pretty good polish, so I decided to go ahead with a design.
Here's the horn after polishing.

 

[Coyote_Kyle]

For the design, I went with an older illustration of a Continental Soldier priming his musket, from a reference I found. This is also my first time scrimshawing a detailed image of a person.

A nice action shot of myself carving the flag in the background

 

[Coyote_Kyle]

Winged skull motif on the reverse, during application of India ink

 

[Coyote_Kyle]

And, after many hours of work, the horn is finished. This older beat up horn really cleaned up nicely, and I'm very satisfied with the result. I managed to breath new life into a less than perfect horn, and gave it some real character.


Anyone here that has done scrimshaw on horn before, I had a few questions I was wondering about. First of all, I've seen some much bolder, darker, and deeper lines on others' work, but mine always ends up very fine, with some lines being almost erased upon final polish. So what's your preferred tool?
Second, I found it difficult to get the india ink to polish off the smooth surface, as it tended to stay on the surface in spite of the fine sandpaper I use to polish. I've never had this happen to such an extent with bone (my usual material of choice) or the two bits of Ivory I was lucky to work with. Does this happen often, or is there a better way to ink horns?

Thanks for looking, hope you all enjoy viewing my work! Senior year of high school doesn't leave much time for scrimshaw, so I enjoy when I can find time to do a piece like this.

 

[Tumbledown]

How polished was the horn when you started? I have had horns polished to a glossy finish, and they were very difficult to scrim well. The tool has a tendency to slip too easily. Last one I did was scrape the entire surface with a blade, which helped immensely.

For basic scrim work, a scribe and the back edge of an X-acto knife work well. The X-acto tip will inevitably break, and grinding a slight back edge to the tip actually works better.

Sanding might not get it smooth enough, leaving enough "grain" for the ink to settle into around your work. I'm able to buff it off with light pressure using #0000 steel wool.

I think you've done remarkably well.

Just remember horn and bone dust are toxic. Hand tools are ok, but if you grind, sand, or saw and generate dust, wear a good mask. The dust gets in the lungs and stays there. Over time, it can lead to emphysema. Not so much a hazard for a 50s something who has only done a few, but you're young, and you have enough talent to make this a lifelong pursuit.

 

[PathfinderNC]

I use sharpened and beveled nails for my scrimshaw engraving, one thin and one thinner. To widen the lines I scrape away that area needing widening. Also my lines are rather deeply cut.
I use a calligraphy dipping pen ( fine nib) to apply ink only into the etched lines. An exacto knife to scrape away and remove any excess.
I have a little thread in here called “Making a Powder Horn: Scrimshawing”
that has some visuals of my technique. https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/making-a-powder-horn-scrimshaw.157267/

You’re off to a very good start.

 

[Coyote_Kyle]

Thanks for the input! I carve once the surface is very glossy. It get's slippery, but I'd be worried that if it's rougher the ink may soak more into the horn. I guess would need to fashion some thicker tools to get bolder lines, I may do this eventually.

 

[PathfinderNC]

Thanks for the input! I carve once the surface is very glossy. It get's slippery, but I'd be worried that if it's rougher the ink may soak more into the horn. I guess would need to fashion some thicker tools to get bolder lines, I may do this eventually.

A light sanding of the horn surface ( I use 400 grit) gives tooth to the surface, which inhibits slipping, in my own experience. Ink doesn’t seep out of my lines into the surface. But experiment with various techniques to find one that works best for you.