Scrimshawed Priming Horn

[Randy Hedden]

I just recently finished this scrimshawed F&I period priming horn as a mate to a primary horn that I sold to a gentleman in Virginia. The pictures are not the best, but you will get the idea. The white in the engrailing is dried wax that hadn't been removed when I took the pictures.

Randy Hedden

www.harddogrifles.com

[elk killer]

Randy nice stuff

[Dave Marsh]

Randy, really nice horn. 

[Tim Crosby]

 Neat horn Randy. How big is it?

Thanks, Tim C.

[Rolf]

Nice horn Randy.I like the idea of a matching set of horns. What size is it? (Length of horn. diameter of butt plug).

Best regards

Rolfkt

[Randy Hedden]

The horn has been sent and already received by the gentleman who ordered it. I didn't measure it before I sent it. but it is probably 5-1/2" to 6" long and I have no idea of what it measures at the butt. I made it big enough and with a staple in the butt so that it could be hung on a strap along with the primary horn or just carried in a shooting pouch.

Randy Hedden

www.harddogrifles.com

[G. Elsenbeck]

very nice.

[Z. Buck]

i dont know very much about period embeishmen on horns, how common was the use of color? what colors where used? was it regional? just something  i havent seen very often and i like my stuff to be a little different, and this piqued my interest, thanks in advance for any info, Zack

[Randy Hedden]

i dont know very much about period embeishmen on horns, how common was the use of color? what colors where used? was it regional? just something  i havent seen very often and i like my stuff to be a little different, and this piqued my interest, thanks in advance for any info, Zack

Zack,

If you are talking about the addition of colors to different details of scrimshaw work, it is called polychrome. If you look at old original horns you will sometimes see different details colored in with red, blue, yellow or green. I wouldn't say it was common, but there are enough original horns with the coloring to know that it was done. One place you see it a lot is on Tansel family made horns and I think especially on horns made by Timothy Tansel. Originally the dyes used to color the scrimshaw details were made using nitric acid and various metals and coloring agents.

If you go to the thread started by Larry Pletcher about the horn making class at Conner Prairie you can see a picture of a Tansel powder horn made by Art De Camp with yellow dye used to color some of the scrimshaw details.

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=1521.0

If you go to my website you can see the primary horn that I made the priming horn to mate with. It is the first horn pictured on my powder horn page.

www.harddogrifles.com

I am not an expert on coloring horns like this, but maybe Art De Camp or Shelby Gallien will see this and have more information, ideas or thoughts on the matter. Maybe Larry Pletcher picked up some information on polychrome dyeing of horns at Conner Prairie??

Randy Hedden

www.harddogrifles.com

[Larry Pletcher]

Maybe Larry Pletcher picked up some information on polychrome dyeing of horns at Conner Prairie??

Randy Hedden

www.harddogrifles.com

Hi Randy,
The horn class did cover the use of color.  The Tansel horns we studied (both Art's and originals) had the shields and the banner of the Federal Eagle colored.  Art did a demo of this using what I'm used to calling Aquafortis.  He applied it to the area, allowed it to dry and "gently" heated it as one would do on a maple gun stock.  The color came out as heat was applied.  It reminded me of watching Wallace do the gun stock in  "The Gunsmith of Williamsburg" film.  When my eagle is done I'd like to try it.  So far though, my eagle isn't quite deserving of a colored shield.   We're coming slow but sure.

I hope Art jumps in here and fills the gaps that I left.

Regards,
Pletch

[Leatherbelly]

 Geez Randy,
   Now you got me thinking,dangit!...a matching primer?
 That's a real cool combo,I like it.