Old beat up horn needs help

[Dave B]

I came across this at a local antique shop here in Richland WA. it reminds me of several of the French and Indian war horns by the shape of the front spout and filed bolster? The plug has gone away as well as several bites from the horn it self. There is a crack moving diagonally that will continue if it is not stabilized in some manor. I am inclined to make an appropriate plug that will stabilize the current state. Maybe epoxy a secondary piece of horn under the broken out sections so it looks like a repair. What is conventional wisdom about this?  It has an engraved head with a hat and mustache with goatee and the name W L WHITE engraved on it.

[Tim Crosby]

 I would leave it as is, make a stand for it and put it on display, treat it for what it is, a relic.

    Tim

[Dave B]

Thanks Tim,  I like displaying the old bits for study. I guess i look to the future and what happens to this after I am gone like so many other things not valued boxed with junk crushed and fragmented to be discarded like so much garbage. It grates to think of that. Still a nice stand will go a long way to show its importance. The holes for the pegs were bored with the tip of an awl or knife. The chatter marks are still visible at each hole. The marks of the hand saw that was used to cut the bolster down to the depth desired are evident in one small portion of the bolster on one side. up to now the shaping of the horns I have made were only done using a rasp and files. I never considered using a hand saw to help the detailing process.

[Tim Crosby]

 Might be neat to do a writ-up on it, your observations, where it came from, anything else you have on it and put it inside.
 I think we all worry about what is going to happen to our "Stuff" one day.

  Tim