1st post/1st powder horns

[Sandy]

I've been lurking since last year soaking up information. Finally decided to post pics of my first two powder horns. The first one is an old cow horn that had been sitting around the shop getting chewed on by bugs. I needed to make a vent pick and a pan brush so I cut the tip off of the horn for one of them. After the tip was off I decided to try scraping the horn down to see how hard that was. the next thing I knew, I had a powder horn with an  oversize hole in the tip. A brass tip from TOTW solved that problem. The butt plug is cocobolo, not exactly HC but it was handy.



Since the first horn didn't look too bad, I started thinking about a second one. A friend had a small bison horn (about 10" on the outside curve) gathering dust so he let me have it. This one came out a little better and went a little easier. I had a chunk of mulberry and decided the yellow would go good with the black horn. I cold forged the staple in the butt plug from a cable staple.



Thanks to all for all the information you share. Maybe one day I'll get the guts to post pics of my first flintlock. It isn't pretty and the architecture is all wrong, but thanks to some lock tuning by Mark Elliot, it shoots. Thanks again for all the help you all provided even if you didn't know it.

[wattlebuster]

Very plain to see you have got the basic skill to turn out a horn an both look pretty good to me. Let me suggest Scott Sibley's 2 books on building powder horns. They will help you bunches. You could message Scott on this forum or find them in several diff retailers such as track of the wolf. They are very reasonably priced

[Mike from OK]

Well done! Those two are light years ahead of my own crude attempt. I "fitted" the base plug today. It actually came out decently horrible.

But I gleaned a little knowledge from my first attempt. So perhaps all is not lost.

I might even work up the nerve to share a few pictures of it in a post. Give me a day or two to let the indigestion settle...

Again, well done.

Mike

[Sandy]

I have both of the Sibley books. They were a great help, but it wasn't as easy as he makes it look. Guess that's because he knows what he's doing and has the right tools.

[rich pierce]

Nice contrast on that bison horn.  With any hardwood, it an help to scoop out the inside of the butt plug to save weight.

[skillman]

Very worthy horns. I have no doubt we will see more from you. Be sure to keep your first horn, or at least good pictures, to remind yourself of the journey as you progress.

Steve

[trentOH]

That yellow on black really pops!

[Sandy]

Unfortunately, mulberry, like bois d'arc, starts out bright yellow but eventually will turn yellowish tan to tan. Couldn't hollow it out much. Even with sharp tools it was tearing out. I had to finish turning the outside with the 60 grit gouge.

[cmakamson]

I wish my first attempts looked half that good.

[Silky921]

I really like the contrast of the mulberry to the black.  Pretty good start to your horn career.

[webradbury]

Heck of a lot better than my first horn! I don't show it to folks

[Sandy]

Sorry I didn't get back sooner. Thanks for all the comments.

[Cory Joe Stewart]

You certainly have the technique down.  I agree with the book references above. 

Cory Joe Stewart