Surefire way to drill a horn spout?

[deerstalkert]

when i was

I still by eye with a smaller bit. Slowly. Then I burn out the hole to a larger size with a special rod I heat up to red. If you think the hole is off, you can use the hot rod to correct it by pushing it in the opposite way of the path of the hole. Do this outside!

when i was a lad Sam, we killed horn growth on calves with a red iron. the smell still haunts me.
i get flashbacks just sanding a horn!

 

[S.Kenton]

Plug the hole that came out the side with a wood plug, re-drill the hole and get it right this time! That's the way I did it. Luckily it was a cheap yard sale horn and the plug isn't all that noticable.

One could also cut out a pice of horn and epoxy it in the hole. I’ve drilled a few out the side myself and that’s how I repair it.

 

[ZUG]

Here is a horn that I got a bit overzealous with the drill and came out the side of the horn. I patched the hole with JB Weld and will make a decoration to cover it up when the time comes.

 

[Beaverman2]

Here is a horn that I got a bit overzealous with the drill and came out the side of the horn. I patched the hole with JB Weld and will make a decoration to cover it up when the time comes.View attachment 287707

A period fix is to wrap it in wet raw hide or sew a wet patch around the horn and sew close to the horn body and let it dry.

 

[PathfinderNC]

Thanks pathfinder, I haven’t purchased another horn to work on yet, I’ll make sure to take yours and Luckys advice, now to work up the courage.

You will have better luck if you don’t have to drill a mile down the spout to hit the cavity. You will get it don’t worry
I am attaching some photos that give you an idea of how I approach it. I made a thread in the forum somewhere on one way of building a horn.

 

[PathfinderNC]

Here are the pics lol

 

[Lucky]

Last year after following instructions in the book of buckskinning and a couple YouTube videos, after careful evaluation and using a coat hanger to find the end of my horn I managed to drill through the side of 2 different horns… I managed to assemble a kit from @Lucky from powder horns and more, he offers a kit with the spout already drilled (cureton horn kit), it turned out excellt but I’d like to make a bison horn purely from scratch, so my question from you experienced horners, what’s your careful process to get a good drilled spout hole?

Buy a buffalo horn blank from me and at no extra charge I'll cut and drill the tip....

 

[Lucky]

Buy a buffalo horn blank from me and at no extra charge I'll cut and drill the tip....

Also, I cut the tip so there is only about 1 1/2 inches of solid tip to drill through. This allows me to go straight into the cavity. AND....if you drill through the side you have not ruined your horn. I have a book on all things horn made....I have one for sale on the website...it is a little pricey, but in the book it describes how they used to drill out the horn, then drill through that holes into the cavity and then plug the hole....it was a defined method for drilling tips in the 1700's. Don't throw your horns away....plug them and finish them out!

 

[S.Kenton]

Last year after following instructions in the book of buckskinning and a couple YouTube videos, after careful evaluation and using a coat hanger to find the end of my horn I managed to drill through the side of 2 different horns… I managed to assemble a kit from @Lucky from powder horns and more, he offers a kit with the spout already drilled (cureton horn kit), it turned out excellt but I’d like to make a bison horn purely from scratch, so my question from you experienced horners, what’s your careful process to get a good drilled spout hole?

One the very first steps I do, is grab a metal coat hanger, or a stiff bendable piece of wire and bend to shape the horn. Now, take that same piece of wire and push it down from the base plug end to the spout end, that will give you the approximate length of the cavity of the horn. By knowing this you can now see about how much you need to cut off, or how long of a drill bit you’ll need to enter the cavity from the pour spout end. That’s the safest way for me to tell you. I don’t think there is any surefire way to drill a horn that will give you perfect results every time. Just go slow…

 

[S.Kenton]

The horn shown was drilled through the side by me, then I repaired it using another piece of horn… I hate throwing away a good horn, especially when you’ve got time and money in it.

 

[R I Jerolmon]

One the very first steps I do, is grab a metal coat hanger, or a stiff bendable piece of wire and bend to shape the horn. Now, take that same piece of wire and push it down from the base plug end to the spout end, that will give you the approximate length of the cavity of the horn. By knowing this you can now see about how much you need to cut off, or how long of a drill bit you’ll need to enter the cavity from the pour spout end. That’s the safest way for me to tell you. I don’t think there is any surefire way to drill a horn that will give you perfect results every time. Just go slow…

If you wrap your hand around the neck of the horn you can often feel drill vibration and or heat prior to "drilling thru" stop ,plug ,start over. If you still manage to "drill thru" you will remember to go slower next time.

 

[Lucky]

Here are some pictures of how I drill the tip with a drill press. I use a 1/8 drill, then 1/4 inch and then a 3/4 inch pen mill to face the tip. Then I drill my final size hole.

 

[IanH]

Here are some pictures of how I drill the tip with a drill press. I use a 1/8 drill, then 1/4 inch and then a 3/4 inch pen mill to face the tip. Then I drill my final size hole.

You just gave me a great idea.....will be back after while with photos....

 

[IanH]

Dangit, I got distracted pressing another batch boom cookies and carving the right side forestock moulding on my Isaac Haines and forgot to mock this up.

Basically the idea is to sharpen the end of a metal rod like 3/8" rebar and then bend it just enough that it will go inside the horn all the way to the natural tip of the cavity, then clamp that rod in a drill press vise with the point exactly meeting the drill tip with the quill lowered, clamp down the vise securely, slip the horn over it, start drilling in the center of tue bobbed tip, and drill through until the drill point meets the stake point. Same concept as drilling a tang bolt hole so it meets the trigger plate in exactly the place you want it.

That's about as "foolproof" a way as I can think of to do it.

 

[Lucky]

Dangit, I got distracted pressing another batch boom cookies and carving the right side forestock moulding on my Isaac Haines and forgot to mock this up.

Basically the idea is to sharpen the end of a metal rod like 3/8" rebar and then bend it just enough that it will go inside the horn all the way to the natural tip of the cavity, then clamp that rod in a drill press vise with the point exactly meeting the drill tip with the quill lowered, clamp down the vise securely, slip the horn over it, start drilling in the center of tue bobbed tip, and drill through until the drill point meets the stake point. Same concept as drilling a tang bolt hole so it meets the trigger plate in exactly the place you want it.

That's about as "foolproof" a way as I can think of to do it.

I would need to see pictures....not very imaginative over here...LOL! But, sounds like a good idea...

 

[The Appalachian]

I would need to see pictures....not very imaginative over here...LOL! But, sounds like a good idea...

I can see that working VERY well if the steel rod is stiff enough to not bend under the pressure of the drill press. Thinking I need to try this method myself.

 

[Black_Feather]

I haven’t quite had the time to get the ball rolling on this project yet, but as you guys can see by lucky’s posts, his business model is top notch, I highly recommend if your looking to buy a horn kit or completed, powderhorns and more is the place to be. I ordered his standard cureton horn in an antique finish, I’m going to post up a review when it arrives.