All the powder horns I have kept for myself, I made in the late 70's and early 80's, and it shows, LOL. I wanted a large horn for myself for a 1750's-1770's impression, suitable for military or civilian purposes, and finished it this weekend. I had roughed it out a year ago (took the bark off and rough rasped it, cut the ends off) and I suppose I have another 10-12 hours in it since then to finish it. Susan may have a better notion, LOL. I like plain horns and noted that the Timothy Murphy horn at the Old Stone Fort in Schoharie, NY, is a large, plain horn of similar color. Seems every horn speaks to me regarding how to shape it, and I usually listen.
The horn is very large, about 17" along the outer curve, 3.25" across at the butt, and is a greenish tinted amber that is translucent in sunlight, but it has been kept thick enough to survive the roughest usage. I expect it will hold over a pound and a half of powder. The butt plug is white pine, and the spout plug is black locust. Both are stained with AQF and finished with Keith Casteel's oil.
I had a piece of very stout, burlap weight hemp fabric and chose this for the strap as the color was a nice match and they seemed to belong together. I sewed the strap as a tube but then unraveled the ends and braided the warp strands together in 2 braids to tie to the horn. The end for the butt plug is left long to adjust the strap for winter clothing. It is a right hand carry and hugs the body well. I hope this will be a good 30 year horn for me.
Open for critique- comments and constructive criticism are welcome.
