Tapered hole in Powder Horn question

[Artificer]

The thread about the horn submitted to Dixon's for judging reminded me of a question I would like to ask.

For those who use a tapered hole for the plug, do you use a tapered reamer after initially drilling the hole? If so, what do you use? I imagine during the period they may have used a tapered square reamer or a tapered half round reamer?

Gus

 

[BrownBear]

For those who use a tapered hole for the plug, do you use a tapered reamer after initially drilling the hole? If so, what do you use? I imagine during the period they may have used a tapered square reamer or a tapered half round reamer?

I bet it was simpler than that. After much futzing around, I settled on the tip end of rat tail files. Perfect taper. Drill the straight hole first, then pick a file that will just enter. Takes a matter of minutes. If I wanted to speed up the process, it would be a small matter to chuck it into a drill motor.

 

[Artificer]

Good suggestion. Have plenty of rat tail files to choose from. Thanks.

Gus

 

[matt denison]

" bet it was simpler than that. After much futzing around, I settled on the tip end of rat tail files. Perfect taper. Drill the straight hole first, then pick a file that will just enter. Takes a matter of minutes. If I wanted to speed up the process, it would be a small matter to chuck it into a drill motor. "

Brilliant !!

 

[MSW]

Brown Bear, I like your suggestion much better than my violin maker's (which was to purchase a taper which exactly matched that of a violin peg) wicked expensive, especially for a one- off tool!...

thanks for the tip - I will remember it for next time :hatsoff:

 

[Black Hand]

I bought a reamer at the hardware store for a few $. In the horn I carry, the hole is not tapered but I have impregnated the plug with beeswax - it is impervious to moisture and unlikely to swell (at least it hasn't over the last 10 or more years that I've carried it in all weather conditions).

 

[pondoro]

Brown Bear, I like your suggestion much better than my violin maker's (which was to purchase a taper which exactly matched that of a violin peg) wicked expensive, especially for a one- off tool!...

thanks for the tip - I will remember it for next time :hatsoff:

I made my own tapered violin pegs and made tapered holes with a reamer made from one half of a pair of scissors, predrilling a straight pilot hole. The scissors cost $2 at Wally's. You do not modify the sharp side of the scissors blade, you grind the dull side until the blade is the correct taper. By the fourth hole the reamer was getting dull, but I only needed four.

Getting the pegs tapered exactly right was easy but tedious, I sat in an easy chair for three hours with the pegs, a file, a dial calipers and a pencil. I had a beach towel on my lap to catch the filings and a football game on TV. It took one football game to make four pegs. The (straight) holes get drilled to the smallest diameter before reaming. The straight pegs start out at the largest diameter before filing.

One peg for a horn should only take one quarter of a football game.

 

[Artificer]

Was this the kind of reamer you purchased?
https://www.pricefalls.com/product/general-tools-131-reamer-scdrv-hndle18in-1-131/82328196

Gus

 

[Black Hand]

Looks more like this: http://acehardwaremaldives.com/product/tools/26306/#.V61FujWYJEA

 

[Artificer]

Thank you.

Gus

 

[MSW]

hmmm... both of these are 1/8 to 1/2 inch, so I suspect that the taper is the same or pretty close to it. this taper was too steep for my violin peg trick...


I like the scissors thing - gotta give that a try



well, I just checked out flea- bay, and there are violin peg reamers for about $28 ... free ship from (guess where) the PRC...

I guess the 'dumb question" is are violin pegs HC/PC, or is this a modern adaptation?

 

[Black Hand]

They had violins at the time, though I don't know whether the pegs were used in commercial horns. The reality is that a horn could be made by hand using a knife and maybe a drill and the plug formed to fit whatever opening there was.

 

[colmoultrie]

Everyone seems to say that a soft wood is better for the peg, in case it expands, so it doesn't crack the horn tip, and then they go out and use an ebony violin peg - a really hard wood. I haven't found it too difficult to make my own peg out of pine:

One advantage is that as the pine is soft, you can press-fit the plug to the hole. Others could do better, but this works for me.

 

[bubba.50]

I've only made a few horns but, I always just wallered the hole out a bit with the drill to get a bit of taper & then make the plug from a scrap of walnut or some such.

 

[ohio ramrod]

As a retired tool and die maker it was no problem for me to make my own tapered reamers. :idunno:

 

[omarick1948]

As a modern society, we tend to lean more towards a "quick fix", more than taking the time to do it correctly. Seems like a lot of horn makers are using Violin pegs because they look good as a powder horn stopper and are readily available, but in reality, I have never seen an original powder horn with a genuine Violin peg used for the stopper. Ebony and Rosewood tree's scare in North America, I guess? If you don't care about being absolutely HC/PC correct, it doesn't matter, but if you want to get it right. Carve you a nice tapered stopper out of soft wood.

p.s. __ Before I bought a regular Violin peg reamer, I tapered many, many powder horn spout holes with a hot tapered spike tool I made and filed a taper on for the purpose. Easy to make and works fine!

Rick

 

[Artificer]

Rick,

I was hoping you would answer and thanks for the information.

Would I be wrong to assume a period "Horner" in the trade would have had his own taper reamer and turned the stoppers on either a spring pole or wheel driven lathe?

Gus

 

[CrackStock]

I turn stoppers on a lathe or file them by hand. Either way makes a very nice stopper.

As to getting a tapered hole, my source was:

Tapered Reamer

CS

 

[omarick1948]

Gus,
Tapered reamers go way back in history. For factory made horns, taper reamers would of been common. I really can't say if stoppers were turned on a lathe or simply carved and sanded smooth to a taper. I'm pretty sure that the process for stoppers would of been assigned to a craftsman to do the tapering and fitting of the stopper along with other duties of construction. I have seen and handled some originals without a tapered hole. The majority of stoppers for the oldest of powder horns we see today are later replacements.

 

[Artificer]

I turn stoppers on a lathe or file them by hand. Either way makes a very nice stopper.

As to getting a tapered hole, my source was:

Tapered Reamer

CS

Wow, that is inexpensive enough even for someone like me. Thanks for the tip.

Gus