Rework of old Horns...

[gizamo]

It is a learning experience, isn't it.  You really have to pay attention to older horns. Especially doing restoration work.  Flea market finds that cost only a few bucks are great practice pieces.  

This one was $5....





I faceted it, did some file work, cut and reshaped the plug end, and finally cut the original base plug away.  Heated the horn and put it in my press.... Stained it and made the spout plug.

It is now ready for engraving.




Giz

[Mark Elliott]

I guess this proves why you really need to be suspicious when buying antiques.    By the way,  nice work!    At the very least, you turned $5 into a couple hundred dollars or more.

[skillman]

That came out well Giz. I've never done that with an existing powder horn but I have used several from wall mounts. You know the type where both horns are joined together with leather or some such connecting the two. I've had success with a couple but the others were very dried out and not worth working on. The chance you take I guess. I've gotten to where I use a good horn that matches my project so I know going in what I'll get at the other end.

Steve

[Artificer]

Wow, Giz, hard to believe that is the same horn in both photo's.  Nice work.

Was the horn off white under the original grey color? 

Years ago I purchased a horn at a flea market or "Junque Shoppe" for a couple bucks and it was so cheap I didn't look at it that closely.  I had been very selective of a couple of items and it was laying close to the counter.  When I spotted it, I off handedly asked what they wanted for it and since it was so cheap, I added it to the other items.  THEN after getting home, I spotted it was threaded on the spout end.  I think it was one of the cheap horns fitted with a cheap mouth piece, though the mouth piece was long gone.  So I didn't do anything with it.  May have to hunt it back out and look at it again.

Gus

[TradT]

That is pretty sharp looking! It will be a great looking horn.

[Rkymtn57]

Very nice !

[gizamo]

Gus,

The horn was actually a very light green. I ended up wetting it a few times before staining. Used some alcohol dye in medium brown and buffed it back out with steel wool.  Tip area was treated in the same manner with a dark brown Fieblings.  I used a heat gun and warmed it up before applying the dye to that section. Then set the dye with dubbin.

Giz

[Artificer]

Gus,

The horn was actually a very light green. I ended up wetting it a few times before staining. Used some alcohol dye in medium brown and buffed it back out with steel wool.  Tip area was treated in the same manner with a dark brown Fieblings.  I used a heat gun and warmed it up before applying the dye to that section. Then set the dye with dubbin.

Giz

Giz,

Thanks for that info, but what I was wondering about was if the greenish colored horn was off white under the outer greenish cast on the rear of the horn?   IOW, did the outer color sort of oxidize to greenish cast and was still off white underneath the greenish cast? 

The reason I ask is because I’ve never reworked an older horn where the outer color changed from off white color to another “patina color.” 
Gus

[gizamo]

The color was throughout the outer layers....

Probably as a result of copper acetate when the horn was originally boiled and cured.

Giz

[Artificer]

Thanks Giz,

Then there might be hope for one or two old horns I have.

Gus

[gizamo]

Wonder how much design effort went into the originals? They must of free handed their layouts. Curious what tools they might have used...just musing.

I rubbed the above horn with powdered carbon.  Used a needle to do the designs...then a stitching awl to scratch the flat horn.

First pass pics of progress, using this method.

 

[iloco]

Wish I had some talent to do scrimshawing like that.
 That is a nice horn.  You have done great with it.

What is the length of the horn.

[gizamo]

A tad over 7"....

[davec2]

Gizamo,

Great horn.  I have had some good luck in re-working old / cheap horns.  Mostly because I'm lazy and most of the hard work (thinning, shaping, cleaning, etc.) is already done.

I posted this one a while back:

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=21886.0

[gizamo]

Dave,

I remember that horn well....  mostly I remember wondering if there is anything you do not do exceptionally well! 

I like your analogy to being lazy....it is true that starting off with a decent old horn saves a bunch of work. And, you get to give an old one new life.

Giz

[Kalhoon]

Gizamo, That is just great work on that horn