New old horn

[TN Longhunter]

At a recent gun show in Ohio I picked up this horn. Good price, great condition and still useable. Instead of a solid staple it has a twisted wire staple in the walnut butt. All suggest a late period horn and a 1853 date on the horn would confirm that if real. Date is questionable if for no reasons then why carve a date when nothing else on the horn, why such a small date and as this was a working tool why date it at all? Beyond the date issue it just feels right in your hand.

[walks with gun]

   So simple, but a very nicely shaped horn,  the date thing has me a little skeptical but I really like this early looking horn.   It would be great with any rifle or on a wall.   Congrats.
 

[Rick Sheets]

I don't think I would ever trust a date completely, even on some great horns with good provenance. The date could be commemorative in nature- meaning the date could have meaning, but not necessarily the date of the making or engraving of the horn.

I do like this horn! It has very nice lines and looks good for use or display.

[walks with gun]

    I wish more of today's horn makers would follow these clean simple lines when making and selling horns on-line.

[Treebeard]

Congrats on a excellent find. My best find so far is a flat horn which I presume is from the mid to late 19th century. Very plain with no marks. Your find gives me encouragement to keep looking.

[Tim Crosby]

I don't think I would ever trust a date completely, even on some great horns with good provenance. The date could be commemorative in nature- meaning the date could have meaning, but not necessarily the date of the making or engraving of the horn.

I do like this horn! It has very nice lines and looks good for use or display.

 A. True

 B. Just don't enter it at Dixon's with that twisted staple .

   Tim C.

[TN Longhunter]

Ok Tim, there has to be a story about twisted staples. Let's have it.

[rich pierce]

"Needs to see originals"

[Tim Crosby]

Ok Tim, there has to be a story about twisted staples. Let's have it.

 By fairly good authority, rumor has it that twisted staples are not expectable by some judges.

"Twisted staples do not add anything significant, since they are covered and can cause undue strap ware."

 Also, what Rich said.

  Tim C.

 
 

[BOB HILL]

[/quote

"Twisted staples do not add anything significant, since they are covered and can cause undue strap ware."

This has always been my thoughts on the decorative twisted staples. Saw no practical reason for doing it. It looks like they may have twisted the wire on this horn to get thicker material for the staple not as a decorative touch.    Bob

 

[Black Hand]

It looks like they may have twisted the wire on this horn to get thicker material for the staple not as a decorative touch.    Bob

How would twisting make any difference ?
Visually thicker or thinner in profile - the wire is still the same thickness and probably less strong because of the stress introduced by twisting.

[BOB HILL]

I may not have stated that clearly. It looked to me like they had twisted more that one piece together to end up with a thicker staple. Two pieces twisted would be twice as thick. Hard to tell without it in hand.     Bob

[Black Hand]

If you look closer, the staple appears to be made of 3-4 wires wrapped around each other...

[TN Longhunter]

It has one heavy wire as a staple with a smaller gauge wire wrapped around it. Both are set in the wood. As this is an old original horn (by all indications) I guess the Dixon panel needs to be educated about twisted wire staples.

[Black Hand]

I guess the Dixon panel needs to be educated about twisted wire staples.

This is not what one sees on modern-made horns when there is a twisted staple.
The modern ones are square in cross-section and twisted to give a spiral look to the 4 edges, while this staple is multiple smaller round wires twisted about each other. They are not the same...

[Tim Crosby]

 Yea, I enlarged it and can see the extra wire now, maybe sometime in its life somebody thought it needed strengthening. Nice old horn no matter what.

   Tim C.

[Rick Sheets]

I guess the Dixon panel needs to be educated about twisted wire staples.

I believe the Dixon's "judges" look at heated and twisted staples as something that might detract an otherwise historic recreation. This particular make do solution by twisting multiple pieces of wire to make something serviceable a different thing altogether. 

The Dixon's judges work to increase their knowledge as we all should.

Rick

[TN Longhunter]

Rick, thanks for the post. If anyone here is a Dixon judge, accept my apology. My post was not to degrade anyone but just to point out an original horn with twisted wire staple. Yes, I learn daily what I need to learn.