First horn attempt

[Dwshotwell]

My first horn attempt. I know it isn’t great but it was a lot of fun. I’m going to look for better raw material before I try again. This one came out of a flea market bargain bin at a fly wheeler event.

[Tim Crosby]

 The architecture, butt and file work look good for a first try. Watch out...they are addictive.

    Tim C.

[Cory Joe Stewart]

Looks great.  The process for making every horn is basically the same, what changes designs is how much of whatever method you use.  This is a great first horn. 

Cory Joe Stewart

[Yazel.xring]

Nice job, it’ll hold a lot of powder!

[Top Jaw]

Nice level of work for a first Horn! And we probably all agree a better Horn would’ve given you an even better result.

A couple pieces of “free advice” here. Divide your horn up into 5ths. Make the body 3/5 and the neck 2/5. That will give the horn a more pleasing proportion.

This is a personal choice thing but I prefer a smaller diameter and smaller width staple in my horns. A lot of originals from F&I and Rev Wars have pretty slim looking staples.

Lastly, I try to work the tips of my horn down as slender as I can to make them flow better from an architectural point and make filling a measure or priming from the horn easier. So I always start with a quarter inch pour hole unless it’s for a Fowler and 2F or 1F powder - or the horn isn’t pouring very well.   Smaller hole equals a more slender Tip.  Plus I always taper my pour hole which makes it a little bit bigger anyway. All my two cents. Take it for what it’s worth.  Nice work on the horn!   Much better than my first one!



Some slenderizing on tips.

[Frozen Run]

Nice job on your first horn!

A neat tip I learned on a recent NMLRA youtube video is to have some sort of system for designating what type of powder you store in that horn. In the video, he used the number of leather cords that tie his strap into the staple, so 3 cords meant the horn was for storing 3F powder. They accredited Bob mcBride at BlackpowderTV for the handy tip. You could also just pencil it in on the plug but having that extra way to designate it is useful.     

[Dwshotwell]

Thanks everyone. Top Jaw, in particular thanks for the advice on proportions. I just looked at pictures and more or less winged it. I thought my divisions were off a bit but having some guidelines like 5ths will help on the next. I could "slenderize" the tip on this one, but I think I may leave it as - is and find a new horn. My son is quite artistic and liked the idea of trying his hand at scrimshaw after looking at some pictures, so I may try to find some more fitting horns as a palette.

In the meantime, this horn meets the immediate need of having something to go with my rifle!

And yes, horn work was surprisingly satisfying and definitely addictive.

Thanks.

[Yazel.xring]

Nice job on your first horn!

A neat tip I learned on a recent NMLRA youtube video is to have some sort of system for designating what type of powder you store in that horn. In the video, he used the number of leather cords that tie his strap into the staple, so 3 cords meant the horn was for storing 3F powder. You could also just pencil it in on the plug but having that extra way to designate it is useful.     

Credit for that idea goes to Bob mcBride at BlackpowderTV, it’s a wonderful system, I just had to share it

[Top Jaw]

The 3/5ths ratio is  known by a few names.  Most common is the “golden mean”.  It supposedly is a natural occurring ratio that shows up a lot in nature. And there’s some evidence it may have been used in laying out buildings and objects in prior times, and possibly original longrifles and horns. (There is a book on the subject). 

Regardless, there does seem to be something about that ratio that is pleasing to the eye and the flow of an object. So wherever you can incorporate it in your artistic creations, they will have a better overall flow and vibe to them. 

[Dwshotwell]

I vaguely remember learning about the Golden Mean in an art class in Jr. High. I should have paid more attention (that can be said of most subjects when I was that age). I believe that same concept is tied to the curves / spirals in Baroque and Rococo art but I  could be mistaken.