Bob and Robert Hill Horn

[Marcruger]

I'll let Bob or Robert describe this horn, but here are the photos.  Robert did the file work and engraving, and made the cane brush and copper pick.  Bob did the rest.  God Bless,   Marc

[Marcruger]

The multi-talented Robert Hill V.

[Tim Crosby]

 Nice job, they look right, like they belong. One suggestion, try putting a touch of Bluing on the pins.

   Tim

[BOB HILL]

These pieces are to go with a set that Jack Hubbard and many other very talented folks are putting together. It was supposed to have aN aged homespun look. I’m sure y’all will hear about this project soon. We are proud to be part of it.
Thanks,Tim. I did blue the pins when I blued  the nails in the plug. I think I rubbed it off when I waxed it. Jack already has it. Maybe he will darken them before he sends them on.

[Marcruger]

Hey Bob, did you use AF to get that aged tan color?  BriWax on top?  I like that the scraping shows as it gives a warm feel. 

[BOB HILL]

Thanks, Marc I’m glad you like the color. This time I used onion skin to dye the horn and followed with BriWax.
Bob

[msellers]

I really like how this turned out. Am going to have to try the onion skin dye in the future.
Mike

[Kary]

Man that did turn out very nice! Can u share the process in which the onion skin dye is made and applied? Thanks!

[BOB HILL]

Thanks for the kind words. After Robert finished his engraving and file work. We boiled about a cup of skins from a bag of yellow onions in about three cups of water until it got a nice dark color then added about a cup of vinegar. The vinegar acts as a mordant. I cut a liter soft drink bottle of at the neck and weighted the horn down and poured the dye around it and let it soak. After it dried, we then applied some walnut stain and waxed after the stain dried. Hope you find this helpful.

[Kary]

Thanks for the instructions Bob, I’ve copied them and will attempt it on my next horn. Thanks again!
Kary

[BOB HILL]

Kary, don’t be afraid to experiment with it. You can get more color if wanted by making it stronger. I wanted it to look aged like the old horns I have, but not dyed. I have no set process to most of what I do. I just stop when I get where I want to be. Hope I have not made this sound confusing. The best of luck.
Bob