First Horn

[Potsy]

Started this a few years ago.  Finished it a couple weeks ago.   Hesitate to post it on here, given the quality and workmanship of what the guys here are capable of, but, I figured everybody starts somewhere.
I studied Scott & Cathy Sibley's book quite a bit.  Walnut plug and Stopper. 

There are a few things I'll do differently next time.  Obviously.  Next time, I'll use pins instead of finish nails, as the heads are rather proud and I don't like the look as much I though I would.  I'll also do a better job of laying out the horn beforehand, as there are some things I would have liked to have turned out differently.  Now that I've done my first "scrimshaw" work (if I dare call it that), I have a better idea how it looks when finished, and I can approach it with a bit more planning and care.

Honestly though, it turned out quite a bit better than I though it would.

I even chucked a .22BR case in the lathe the other day and turned off the back end of it for a handy and not terrible looking brass funnel.

[Mike from OK]

Excellent work!

Much better than my first attempt.

Mike

[Bob McBride]

Fine work. I see some Sibley in it. Post the next one for sure. Congrats. Love it.

[Greg Pennell]

Looks pretty good to me!  I sure wish my first horn turned out as nice. I think you’ll find that like most other aspects of this hobby, you can’t just do one...

Greg

[Curtis Makamson]

Whatever you do, don't get rid of that horn.  That's the one you want to keep.  The first horn will be the foundation upon which all of the other horns you do will be built.  You will be looking back at that first one to compare it to the current one upon which you are working.

[G. Elsenbeck]

Way looking better than my first one, but be careful, working horn can be addictive. 
Happy horning,Gary

[Tim Crosby]

 That is nice for a first time, each one you do you will improve on. If you don't like the heads, take a pair of end or side cutters and ease the nail out just a bit, clip the head off and tap it back in. If you can pull them out far enough so that once the head is gone you can file it flat before tapping it back in. Makes for a little cleaner job.

   Tun C.

[120RIR]

Think like a real estate agent.  Those finishing nail heads are a "unique design feature" as opposed to a negative point.  That being said, I haven't made a horn in probably 40 years (during the bicentennial era) but your first try sure beats my initial attempt!

[Marcruger]

A drop of cold blue on thiose nail heads will blend them in a bit. 

I like the boldness of your engraving.  Keep that moving forward.  It really "pops". 

God Bless,   Marc

[Potsy]

Thanks fellas!

I took a pretty long hiatus from the whole longrifle thing and am trying to step back into it during the quarantine.  I had another buried on my workbench out in the shop that I had started laying out a few years ago, when I found it something had chewed it up pretty bad, so I chunked it.  I have another that was a bit nicer horn that I was saving for when I had more experience, I need to dig it out.

I'm also going to try to get up to Friendship (if they have it) and buy a few more.

Yes, it is addictive, and I have better tools now than I did then.........

[Bull Shannon]

You've done remarkably well and as long as that horn is airtight and it hangs where you like it, use it with priide.

[tglinn]

Looks a heck of a lot better then my first horn nice job!!