Horn forming question for you horn experts.

[Clark Badgett]

I know horns can be made round and even flattened, but has anyone ever taken a 5 or 6" piece of horn, and completely straightened it while keeping it round?

[John Proud]

Sure. Start with a piece with as little cure as you can find as that makes the task easier. Measure the top and bottom inside diameters and the length. Make a wooden form matching those dimensions with some extra length. Heat the horn to the point that you can only touch it for a brief instant (a bit below 350). You can use a heat gun or hot oil of some kind, I use lard. When you have it hot, force the form into it. Let it cool and you should have a straight piece of round horn. It does take some practice so don't get discouraged on the first try!     

[Mark Elliott]

So that is how you make those nice containers.   I am making a couple right now for the first time and had a devil of a time finding horn sections I could turn reasonably straight.   Now I know.   Thanks for the original question and the answer.

[Clark Badgett]

WOW, those are really nice.

[Daryl]

Beautiful indeed.

[old george]

Yes indeeed those are so neat.

george

[John Proud]

I should have mentioned that it is unlikely that they will be perfectly round after this stage since the horn piece wasn't smoothed up before the tapered wedge was driven in. Chuck it up before you remove the wedge ( I use a steb center in the lathe headstock) and turn it round. But you can also turn a spigot on the wedge when you make it and chuck up on that. Take the wedge out, rechuck it and turn the inside to smooth it up. Practice, practice, practice and don't get discouraged. I have found many ways not to do something. 

[Mark Elliott]

John,

Could you post a photo of the form you use?

Thanks,

Mark

[John Proud]

Here is a picture of the form I use. The shorter one I use to round out powder horns and small horn pieces. The pencil lines are there to help with alignment. The left end shows the "spigot" that goes in the lathe chuck. By the way, the easiest way to get that sizer out of a powder horn is to chuck it up tightly, then tap the end of the  spout end of the horn. It will lever the horn off the sizer in a flash.
The larger sizer is an example of what I would use for a horn box as discussed in a previous comment. If you are making multiple boxes start with the largest one. Turn the sizer down for the next smaller one and so on until you finish the batch of boxes. Best way I have found to get the sizer in the horn box piece is to open your vice just enough to catch the edges of the small end of the horn. Insert the sizer and give it a good wack! Reverse this proceedure by opening up the vice to just catch the edges of the large end of the piece.

[Mark Elliott]

John,  I don't see a photo.

[John Proud]

Photo should be here now. Thanks Mark.

[Mark Elliott]

John,

On the wedge,  it looks like the sides are cut off of the smaller 2/3s of the wedge.   Do you put those in the horn and then drive the wedge into them or do you just use the wedge as it is?

Thanks,

Mark

[Joey R]

What temperature do you heat the lard to to shape the horn? Nice horn boxes also!

[John Proud]

The wedge is a straight taper, nothing cut off the sides. I think you are looking at a stain line, not a cut. Some times to get a tighter fit, I will cut a saw kerf in the base and drive a wedge in it to expand it a bit.

I set the temp. in my Walmart fry pot to 320 degrees with a candy thermometer. The thermostat reading are highly unreliable. If I am doing only a few boxes, I use a heat gun and heat each one as I go. Get then hot enough that you can only touch them for a split second. Tap them on the work bench, the sound gets duller as you get then up to temp.

[Joey R]

Thanks much John