TUTORIAL Attaching a cow horn nose cap.

[David Price]

First of all, find a good solid piece of cow horn.  One with no cracks at all.



Cut the horn in half, and shape the inside to fit the barrel.  The next thing to do is cut a little slot in the bottom of the horn and a matching slot in the bottom of the wood.





Now make a little plate out of brass, that will fit into this mortise, drill some holes in it and counter sink them as you see in the picture.





I like to drill extra holes in the end of the stock and the end of the horn.  It is probably not needed but I like to do it. 

I like to cut up some fiberglass cloth into very tiny pieces to add to the glass bedding.  I don't buy that expensive glassed bedding,I just use Resin that you can buy at the automotive store.  I heat the barrel until a candle will melt on it and cover the area where it will be glass bedded.  After the resin in mixed with the hardner I add the shredded glass cloth.  Pour that mixture into the barrel channel.  Try not to put too much in like I did, but if you do  its not really a problem, it just makes a mess.







Now let the resin harden.  Give it about twenty minutes  and cut the excess off with a knife while it is still rubbery.  I like to let it set over nite and then rasp it off to match the wood.







Here is the finished product.


I hope this will help someone.

David Price

[smylee grouch]

Outstanding. This looks so much better than my past mishaps. Thanks for taking the time to help us all.

[smart dog]

Hi Dave,
Thanks a bunch for a neat method.  I hope you do more of these short tutorials and after they have some exposure to forum members in the "Gunbuilding" section, we will move them to the tutorial section to make them permanently and more easily accessible.  Please do as many as you see fit.

dave

[longcruise]

That's a great explanation of the process.  I will say that I don't think I've ever seen a cow horn that thick!

[Rolf]

Anybody know where you can buy cow horn that thick?

Best regards
Rolf

[Mike Brooks]

That's water buffalo, not cow.

[Gaeckle]

David,

Did you add a dye to the resin? The resin under normal conditions is not brown in color. Good tutorial, by the way.

[David Price]

Mike Brooks,
That is cow horn.  Quite a while ago, could be fifteen years, a friend and I purchased a box of horns at Dixon'.  The box was four feet high and four feet wide and it was full of cow horns.  If I remember correctly we got it from Roland Cadel.  When I got it home we opened it up and dumped it on the ground.  We picked out all the horns that we thought would make powder horns, and there many, most of the rest that were thick and heavy we threw away into  the trash.  I did save a few, and the one in the picture is one that I saved.  I wish I had saved more.

Gaeckle
You are correct.  The color that I used was purchased at a paint supply store.  It is a universal color, meaning that it will color both oil and water based paint.   I used black with just a touch of burnt umber.   I tried the powdered that Woodcraft uses for coloring dye and found that the resin wouldn't harden.

[BOB HILL]

Very helpful tutorial. Thanks David.     Bob

[Gaeckle]

Gaeckle
You are correct.  The color that I used was purchased at a paint supply store.  It is a universal color, meaning that it will color both oil and water based paint.   I used black with just a touch of burnt umber.   I tried the powdered that Woodcraft uses for coloring dye and found that the resin wouldn't harden.

I think a good water color from a tube, or acrylic would work as well, I've used these with acraglass and it works. Thanks.

[Kingsburyarms]

Great tutorial, I like the way you re enforced the cap with not only the plate but the holes in the ends, having the resin make "pins" as well. Does Cow horn take any stain?, or is it too solid to add any color to it?  The dark color really stands out.

Looking forward to the next tutorial! -

Jon

[Mike Brooks]

Traditionally English guns used water buff, that's why I said what I said, I should have looked closer, unusual to find cow horn that thick. The traditional way of mounting these is much easier BTW. No pins or glass bedding, just a little old fashioned glue.

[Justin Urbantas]

Traditionally English guns used water buff, that's why I said what I said, I should have looked closer, unusual to find cow horn that thick. The traditional way of mounting these is much easier BTW. No pins or glass bedding, just a little old fashioned glue.

What's the traditional method, and what glue do you use?

[Daryl]

Good write up & tutorial, David.

Taylor did this one.




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[Mike Brooks]

Traditionally English guns used water buff, that's why I said what I said, I should have looked closer, unusual to find cow horn that thick. The traditional way of mounting these is much easier BTW. No pins or glass bedding, just a little old fashioned glue.

What's the traditional method, and what glue do you use?

I think Taylor Sapergia did a tutorial on the traditional method , it may still be here somewhere if photo bucket didn't take the pictures away. Just depends how you want to do it I guess, how the old timers did it or how you can use modern methods to do it. I suppose both produce the same visual results.
 For the traditional method the old timers probably used hide glue.