need horn help, please

[omark]

ive made a couple of horns and ive used fitted baseplugs. this time i decided to try it like the big boys and boil the horn and use a cone. the base came out pretty good, but the horn split real bad up the neck on 2 sides. should i have boiled just the base instead of the whole horn , or what?  was this just a bad horn??  ???thank you all in advance, as i know i will get very good, helpful input here. i havent been here too long, but i sure enjoy the comeraderie and good will by everyone.

[Randy Hedden]

There is no need to boil the whole horn unless maybe if you were trying to make a flat horn. I just put the butt end into the hot oil when rounding the horn for a butt plug. I think maybe your horn had a hidden flaw in it that made the spout split. Horners who use a dye bath to dye their horns submerge the whole horn in boiling hot dye water with no ill effects on the horn.

Randy Hedden

www.harddogrifles.com

[omark]

thanks randy          mark

[Tim Crosby]

  I go along with what Randy said but I use water, it takes longer than oil. I am going to try lard on some here shortly.
 Your horn may not be a total loss, you could seal it with staples or cover it with rawhide. If nothing else it will be a learning experience.

Tim C.

[Randy Hedden]

Mark,

For sure try a repair on the horn. Depending on where the split is, you might be able to glue it and then wrap it with brass or copper wire or rawhide as Tim said. Several different ways to repair a split or crack on a horn.

Randy Hedden

www.harddogrifles.com

[Tim Crosby]

 Copper wire, neat idea. Hadn't thought of that one, I'll add it to my list.

Thanks, Tim C.

[omark]

guys, i do appreciate the input. thought id fill you in on more particulars. it wasnt going to be a fancy horn, but it had some interesting coloration.very blacktip to a black grey then to a kind of cream, that was thin enough to see the powder easily. i had made a beehive base plug out of curly maple stained with vinegar/ iron, with a threaded acorn. it was about 9 inches outside curve. it split on the outside curve about 4 1/2 inches and on the inside curve it split about 3 1/2 inches. i did use water to boil it in but it sounds like that didnt have much to do with it. looks like ill probably make a salt horn out of the base and buttons or touch hole pick handles out of the rest. thanking everyone again.           mark              then again i think ill see if i have any copper wire

[G. Elsenbeck]

I suspect what may have happened is two fold.  First, could the horn have been scraped too thin, especially the rim area?  Secondly, was the sizer you used driven into the horn too much? 
Ask me how I know, chuckle.  Been there done that.
Also, how about wrapping some soaked veg tanned leather around that area of the horn, drawing nice and tight then using a curved needle and thread sew yer seam.  Repairs like this were often done on original horns. Heck, you can even decorate the leather when you're done.  Might work in this case.
Gary

[omark]

gary, the horn was plenty thick in the neck, it was thin at the base, and the base didnt crack. it was from the pour spout down about halfway. i drilled the cracks to keep them from going any further. then i will use some 2 tube pine pitch to seal them up. then thinking about either kaking a screw tip or applied tip, then using rawhide, leather or copper wire to cover the exposed portion of the cracks.    thank you and everyone else that has responded, some real good ideas.