Looking for pictures of bison powderhorns.

[Rolf]

I've ordered a 16"bison horn from "Moscow fur & hide".  I plan to make a fancy horn, with silver filigree fittings based on traditional silver work found on Norwegian national costums and knives. I've some rough ideas and done a few sketches. Instead of brass tacks of the base plug, I'd like to make silver filigree tacks, based on designs for silver buttons on men's waist coats.I hope to carve the spout octagon and inlet 4 silver filigree panels based on patterns I've used on knives. I got a few other ideas tossing around. The concept I'm using is what would the powderhorn look like if made for a homesick Norwegian immigrant
by a homesick immigrant Norwegian silversmith , timeline somewhere 1700 -1800.
The idea is to try to blend typical American and Norwegian elements. I know a horn like this has proably never exsisted, but is sounds like a fun thing to do.

If you got pictures of good bison powderhorns. please post them on this thread.

Best regards

Rolfkt

[Brian]

I don't have any pictures to provide you - but it sounds like a great idea!  Make sure you post some shots of it when you get it done.

[david50]

[Rolf]

Thanks for the picture David. How large is that horn? Could you measure the length along the largest curve and around the base? I have found pictures of some horns on the net. Most of them have very little carving on the spout, compared to what you can see on cow horns.

Is there a reasone for this?

Best regards

Rolfkt

[knappinman]

there is usually just as much horn to carve on the spout of Bison Horns as cow horns at least in my experience. So you definitely could carve them.  I think the reason you dont see a lot of fancy Bison horns is simply because historical examples are very bland and plain.  many of the original bison powder horns were made economically and sold cheaply and so were not usually fancy or embellished.  the other reason is that by the time powder horns made from Bison were common place, the styles had changed and the "golden age" horns didnt make it west as often as the cheap economical horns did.  someone please correct me if I am misinformed. 
Jason

[david50]

Rolfkt, it is 14" along the curve including the wood plug wich is about an inch thick. i would agree with knappinman,i think it just was'nt the style. but i aint no expert.

[G. Elsenbeck]

Rolfkt, here's a couple of bison horns that I would call eastern style.



Gary

[Rolf]

Thanks for the pictures Gary. Nice horns. Are they screwtips? How large are they?

Best regards

Rolfkt

[G. Elsenbeck]

Hi Rolfkt, both the large horns are in the 15-16 inch range and neither are screwtips.  I was playing around with the lathe practicing for some screwtips.  The first pic has a figured myrtle base with a granadillo tip and the second large one has osage orange (hedgeapple) for a base and an apple applied tip. 
If you don't already know by now bison horns are a bit different to work than cow, but when completed hold alot of powder and with the right woods look pretty good. They may not be historically accurate, but they do get the job done.
Good luck on your building and be sure to have pics to show when your're done.
Gary

[Rolf]

Thanks for the info ,Gary. I'll post pictures on the building on this thread as I go along. Hopefully I'll get the horn in to 2-4 weeks. Mailing things to Norway can take up to 8 weeks if your unlucky.

Best regards

Rolfkt

[54ball]

 Nicholas Cresswell was the son of a well to do British gentleman, who came to the Colonies in 1774.  He came to sew his wild oats and that he did.   As far as great accomplishments he had none but he kept a journal and that is his contribution to history.
 He traveled through Caintucky and made note of his highly decorated powder horn.  It was a posession that he was very proud of.  It was a bison/buffalo powder horn trimmed in silver.  I seem to remember it having a silver spout with silver trim around the butt.
 This according to the book Patriots of the American Revolution.  So at least one silver trimmed buffalo horn is documented. 
BTW his account is in the Tory section of the book.

[Clark Badgett]

Yes, buffalo horn was available in the east. There were even plenty of buffalo to get them off of.  The American Bison fourished on a substatial portion of the continent.

[Chuck Burrows]

William Clark's Buffalo Horn.....


Museum of the Fur Trade - picture in The Plains Rifle, by Charles Hanson


My own - built in 1973, the plug is wood with a deer antler cap..