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Author Topic: 18th Century Horn Book  (Read 7000 times)

Offline Carl Dumke

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18th Century Horn Book
« on: March 27, 2011, 09:19:54 PM »
Hello All,
I know it is not a longrifle, but it is period.  Just finished an 18th century horn book.  Since paper was expensive through the colonial period, items like this were used like flashcards for young students learning their letters or Bible verses.  It is about 8 inches long, 3 inches wide.  The base is dark-stained tiger maple.  On the handle is heated and pressed horn with some scratching of a bird and floral design.  the handle is polychrome using Higgins ink.  The parchment "lesson" is covered with hornglass--horn that has been heated, flattened & then separated along the grain.  It is then scraped smooth and then polished so that it looks like colored glass.  It is surrounded by thin strips of brass--thin enough to be cut by scissors and then fastened with small brass tacks.  The entire piece is then waxed.  Critiques?  Thanks! 




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Carl

Offline Tim Crosby

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Re: 18th Century Horn Book
« Reply #1 on: March 27, 2011, 09:30:40 PM »
 Outsanding! One of the neatest pieces I have ever seen.

 Tim C.
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Offline Beaverman

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Re: 18th Century Horn Book
« Reply #2 on: March 27, 2011, 10:02:07 PM »
Nicely done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Offline Kermit

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Re: 18th Century Horn Book
« Reply #3 on: March 27, 2011, 11:08:13 PM »
How about a tutorial on "hornglass?" I really like this piece.
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Codger

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Re: 18th Century Horn Book
« Reply #4 on: March 27, 2011, 11:39:11 PM »
  Very nice!  Outstanding work of art.  The level of talent on this board just blows me away!!  Thanks for sharing.
Don
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Offline skillman

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Re: 18th Century Horn Book
« Reply #5 on: March 28, 2011, 12:30:10 AM »
Beautiful Carl! Now if I could just read!
Pam says that when turned over it served to "encourage" learning. A dual purpose tool.

Steve
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Steve Skillman

Trkdriver99

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Re: 18th Century Horn Book
« Reply #6 on: March 28, 2011, 04:00:13 AM »
Wonderful Carl. That is great work.

Ronnie
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Offline Frank Barker

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Re: 18th Century Horn Book
« Reply #7 on: March 28, 2011, 04:25:25 AM »
Carl....This is beautiful, it is an outstanding representation of a combination of hand crafts that have been brought together in one gorgeous work of art. I like it !    Frank
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seesbirds

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Re: 18th Century Horn Book
« Reply #8 on: March 28, 2011, 04:06:03 PM »
Carl,

Beautiful work.  Well done!
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Offline G. Elsenbeck

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Re: 18th Century Horn Book
« Reply #9 on: March 30, 2011, 01:17:01 AM »
Simply,,,,,,love it.

gary
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Ahtuwisae

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Re: 18th Century Horn Book
« Reply #10 on: April 05, 2011, 05:43:36 PM »
impeccable work...nice book Carl
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Offline Jerry V Lape

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Re: 18th Century Horn Book
« Reply #11 on: April 05, 2011, 06:45:03 PM »
Carl, nice piece!  Do I understand correctly that the parchment with the lettering is covered by a transparent sheet of heated and separated horn?  If so I certainly didn't know before that horn could be that transparent.  Could you share more of the technique for arriving at the transparent state? 
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Offline T.C.Albert

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Re: 18th Century Horn Book
« Reply #12 on: April 05, 2011, 08:10:12 PM »
I may be dead wrong , but I think that the common word "lantern"...derived from the colonial term for the hand held portable light "lanthorn"...Lant-"horn"... because the panes were origionally made from sheaves of delaminated transparent horn as well...and yes, I would like to hear the best way to delaminate horn sheaves today in detail too...that horn book is really really neat...
TC
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Offline Tim Crosby

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Re: 18th Century Horn Book
« Reply #13 on: April 05, 2011, 08:57:56 PM »
  I saw this book at the show in Williamsburg on Saturday, it is truly amazing and a beautiful piece of work.  The work and time involved in the hornglass alone is quite an accomplishment in itself.
 

 Tim C.
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Offline Dennis Glazener

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Re: 18th Century Horn Book
« Reply #14 on: April 05, 2011, 10:44:03 PM »
Mark,
It was great to have a chance to see your handywork in person. Great work on the horn book as well as the map horn. Fantastic work!

Even better to have met you and your beautiful wife. Thanks for stopping by my table.
Dennis
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Offline Carl Dumke

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Re: 18th Century Horn Book
« Reply #15 on: April 06, 2011, 12:46:29 AM »
Quote from: T.C.Albert on April 05, 2011, 08:10:12 PM
I may be dead wrong , but I think that the common word "lantern"...derived from the colonial term for the hand held portable light "lanthorn"...Lant-"horn"... because the panes were origionally made from sheaves of delaminated transparent horn as well...and yes, I would like to hear the best way to delaminate horn sheaves today in detail too...that horn book is really really neat...
TC
TC, you are absolutely correct.  I appreciate all of the kind words.  I still think it could have been better, but that is my type "A" coming out. The process is a little time consuming and it took me a year of on/off again work.  The biggest problem is getting a piece of horn big enough and clear enough to make the pane--which can be a pain.  I went through 4-5 pieces of horn to get to a clear, translucent section.  The polychrome scrimshaw on the handle was very easy once I got some hints from one of the HCH Masters--let me know if anyone is interested in that process as well. 

I will try to provide some pics as I have a piece of horn that I have already flattened and can talk you through the process from there.  Cheers,
 
« Last Edit: April 06, 2011, 12:48:01 AM by Carl Dumke »
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Carl
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