Thanks for the compliment mike, rollingb, I coated the whole horn, base plug and all with brown fieblings leather dye. I used my heat gun to attempt to set the dye. Then I carded it back. After heating the dye on the base plug, I buffed it back with some 0000 steel wool and repeated, when I got the tint I desired, I let it dry and polished it with a coarse rag. Then applied some mink oil and drilled the holes for the staple. For some reason I really like the simple utilitarian horns and that’s what I make. I’ve made some really fancy ones... but I like the simple ones that the common, every day folk would have used. Thanks again for the comments!