Author Topic: Cow Horn Hat Racks\ A Powderhorn Source???  (Read 5588 times)

Online Majorjoel

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Cow Horn Hat Racks\ A Powderhorn Source???
« on: September 09, 2008, 02:31:45 AM »
Some old cow horn hat and coat hangers I picked up from a yard sale on the cheap. I know they're not the best white for scrim work but should make adaquate plain powder horns. Most are polished smooth and the brown ones are a color I haven't run across before. I have had these laying around for a couple of years and the twenty bucks spent has already been forgotten. Over the weekend I found one similar at an antique shop and it was priced at 150.00!!   [ftp][/ftp]   
Joel Hall


Offline T.C.Albert

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Re: Cow Horn Hat Racks\ A Powderhorn Source???
« Reply #2 on: September 09, 2008, 05:12:25 AM »
yes...great horns, except the last set pictured not so much, it has no real curve if Im loking at it correctly...
the small set with the "U" curl look like a bugger to drill, but well worth the effort, if you happen to love "U"
curved horns as much as I do...they make a simply beautiful screw or southern banded applied tip horn.
And the set bound in red look like they would make up some great horns too.

If they can be had reasonably, I use such hat racks from time to time myself...especially if they are old buffalo horns...but as you say, as an antique. a set in good shape is worth quite a bit as a collectable
so I generally only cut up the sets that are in poor condition.

This is being hotly debated else where on our board, but if done right and carefully, alot of the patina can be saved when you make up horns from such finds as well...I find that always helps a bag I pair them with market better...and most of the shaping and smoothing is already done, especially if you go the screw or aplied tip route...just dont boil fit the end plug or you will biol the patina right off up to the depth of the water you use...I always carefully dry fit and plug ones like this...you can still achieve a close, air tight fit. 
T.Albert
« Last Edit: September 09, 2008, 05:18:27 AM by T.C.Albert »
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Offline G. Elsenbeck

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Re: Cow Horn Hat Racks\ A Powderhorn Source???
« Reply #3 on: September 09, 2008, 03:50:00 PM »
I agree with T.C. except I would add that the last set of horns would probably make a very nice pair of flat horns if there's just the one curve.
Overall, very nice find indeed.
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Offline Tim Crosby

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Re: Cow Horn Hat Racks\ A Powderhorn Source???
« Reply #4 on: September 09, 2008, 04:30:04 PM »
 When I see matched sets like that the first thing that comes to mind is, double horn.   And the straighter ones would make nice utility horns or cut them into rings for banded horns.

Tim C.

Sam Everly

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Re: Cow Horn Hat Racks\ A Powderhorn Source???
« Reply #5 on: September 09, 2008, 05:13:12 PM »
I can remember my granddad had a chair made out of horns. It was black leather and had about 16 horns. Today it would be worth about $3000 to $4000. He went to the local dump all the time and he had all kinds of GOOD junk !!! I guess that is where me and my dad get it from . I turned one of the extra bed rooms into the Collection room . I have seen some of the bison horn racks before but never thought of them as powder horns in the rough !     

Offline LynnC

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Re: Cow Horn Hat Racks\ A Powderhorn Source???
« Reply #6 on: September 09, 2008, 05:31:04 PM »
These hat racks turn up at auctions around here a few times a year.  They rarely bring much - generaly less than 20 bucks.  I've made several powder horns from them.  Mostly plain and simple types.

I always tell folks that a set would look good on the hood of their Cadilac or Pick-Up!  Not mine of course!............................Lynn
The price of eggs got so darn high, I bought chickens......