Tapered hole in Powder Horn question

[Artificer]

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.

Great information. Thank you.

Gus

 

[omarick1948]

Those Harbor Freight taper tools will work to some extent, but the angle is pretty radical for a stopper. JMHO

I like a taper of about 1 or 2 degrees. But that's just me!

Rick

 

[Artificer]

Those Harbor Freight taper tools will work to some extent, but the angle is pretty radical for a stopper. JMHO

I like a taper of about 1 or 2 degrees. But that's just me!

Rick

Rick,

Thank you for the further clarification. I did wonder about the amount of taper on those for use in a substance like horn. That small of a taper would not weaken the horn as much and would be extremely hard to see/notice.

I have a huge amount of experience at hand filing recoil lugs that had to have a minimum of 2 degrees inward taper on each side and back. I talked with an older and very experienced machinist about using a precision machinist's square to check that angle. He informed me that IF a human could see an angle and easily recognize it without using a precision angle finder, the angle had to be at least 2 degrees, if not more. I verified that on a number of those lugs/blocks and he was absolutely correct. So I did not need a precision angle finder to check the angle on the sides and backs of those recoil lugs. I just used a precision square next to the angle and if I could recognize the was an angle over a distance of about 3/4 inch length, that angle was indeed over 2 degrees.

Gus

 

[Pete G]

I use a sharpened file handle. Don't know the exact angle, but it is fairly low.

 

[omarick1948]

Good choice! I did many of my earlier powder horns taper with a file tang.

Rick :thumbsup:

 

[Elnathan]

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

There is one from Washington County, TN, probably 19th century, illustrated in Guns and Gunmaking Tools of Southern Appalachia, by John Irwin, (page 88) and presumably part of the collection of the Museum of Appalachia. Only one I've ever seen.

 

[Artificer]

Bet it originally belonged to a Fiddle player, if not a fiddle maker?

Gus