AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Contemporary Accoutrements => Topic started by: C. Cash on November 24, 2009, 08:26:33 PM
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Is it normal for cracks to appear in the dyed tips of powder horns? I will get a photo if this is more helpful. There are 4-5 hairline cracks in mine that run along the length off the dyed tip.
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Are you sure they are cracks and not scratches that the dye brought out? To answer you question, yes dye will bring out cracks that you could not see but it will not cause them.
Tim C.
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Are you sure they are cracks and not scratches that the dye brought out? To answer you question, yes dye will bring out cracks that you could not see but it will not cause them.
Tim C.
Thanks for you info Tim. Still not sure. I have posted some photos which I hope turn out. I don't mind if a few scratches are showing, but if there is the possibility that moisture or fire could eventually get in I would be concerned. Edit: they don't show up on my photos too well, but they are about as deep as the scratches on the scrimshaw, and not sure if they go below the surface.
(https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb96%2FCCash%2FDSC_0766.jpg&hash=ab60de409eb6e568d0dd0de27b54b2f5d690e47f)
(https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb96%2FCCash%2FDSC_0768.jpg&hash=d94cd1c45ce2e56264e1d36774614efa7bbf7ba9)
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They may be stress cracks or from growth.
Tim C.
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Could I have tightened the rawhide too tight? That's about all I've done.
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The cracks probably don't go all the way through to the inside of the horn and should just be considered surface cracks. They will probably not go any deeper with use of the horn. I would just give the horn a good paste waxing or apply beeswax and rub it in. If you blow into the spout of the horn you would be able to feel air coming out of the cracks if they go into the interior of the horn. If you are a smoker and blow smoke into the spout of the horn you will see smoke exiting the horn wherever there is a leak.
Sometimes boiling a horn, like in Rit dye, can cause delaminations of the horn to appear, but I believe the delaminations were already there before the dying and were just accentuated by the dying. Delaminations sometimes occur when the end grain of any part of the horn is subjected to a hot dye bath. I recently made a large F&I style lip horn and when dying the spout and throat area the raised ring between the spout and throat areas delaminated in several spots. On this horn the only fix I can see is to file the raised ring off the horn, redye the throat and spout area and install a separate band of horn and pin it onto the horn body.
Randy Hedden
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Thank you Randy. I think you are right about the depth of the cracks.....some exist near the mouth of the spout and you can see that they don't go down into the horn itself. I might see if any air comes out, then paste wax and call it done. If I am lucky, I will get to rub those cracks out over many years of use, before the final roll call. ;D
Many thanks to you fellas for your expertise on this. This is an amazing group of folks. Chris
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I've had a few open up like that. I think it comes from the heat from the dye process. Kind of disaappointed me at first, but now with a little use and wear they just add chracter. Sort of like wrinkles in your skin .... "Character Lines"
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"Character Lines" Yeah, I like that. I got lots and lots of "Character"!!! ;D
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Little cracks that come out after you boil the horn won't leak any powder out , but you might pour a little sticky varnish down the spout and shake it up and down and around and pour out the excess and let it dry for a couple of days , that should seal them and make it air tight . You might have to do it every couple of years to make sure that it is still air tight , and it should be fine . I have a horn that did that to only once and it is good after three years of using all the time , in all kinds of weather ...Mike Norin
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Thank you fellas for your help! Much appreciated.