Powder Horn measurement question

[Mark Elliott]

I have a question for you horners.     Do you measure a powder horn around the outside curve or tip to tip including the stopper?   I usually do, but I think that throws off comparisons as original horns rarely have stoppers.    I am just wondering if there are any standards for how to measure a horn?

[Tim Crosby]

 Mark, if there is a standard it is news to me. I have heard of, tip-to-tip measurement(TTT), around the outside curve(ATOC), Long Axis(Out side curve) and Overall length(Tip-to-tip). I think the Tip-to-tip gives a person an idea of how the horn will fit a bag, if they do not have it in hand. I have started giving both TTT and ATOC measurements. I do measure to the end of the finial but do not add the stopper in.

  Tim

Reference: Bone Tipped & Banded Horns, Dr. Jay Hopkins  Vol I pg.6

                Pennsylvania "Horns of the Trade" Screw tip Powder Horns and Their Architecture,
                     Art DeCamp Introduction pg. XXIV 
 

[John Proud]

For uniformity, I measure along the outside curve. However, considering twist into the question along with curvature and the base size, I don't see how any one measurement can adequately characterize a horn.

I have never seen two horns exactly alike. Granted the pair off the same cow can nearly alike, but always in my experience with some difference, however minor.

Because of this, making a copy of an original horn can be a huge challenge in locating a horn to start the project, sometimes taking longer to find just the "right" one than to make it into a powder horn.

John