Powder Horn

hawg

hawg

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Joined
Oct 19, 2011
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Location
Mississippi
I guess I'll be attempting to make a new one one of these days. These have been packed up for about a year and a half. The top one is still airtight but it's a little smaller than I like. The middle one is completely destroyed and the one on the bottom has holes in it but it could be patched.

horn.PNG horn1.PNG horn2.PNG
 
Jim Dressler used to treat his horns with pesticide. I don't recommend that. I'd keep them in an airtight box.
 
Jackrabbit1957 said:
Can't you patch the holes with epoxy?
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I can fix the bottom one pretty easy. It just won't look good. Not that it looked all that good to begin with. I might be able to epoxy the middle one but it would be an ugly mess. I never use it anyway.
 
I would experiment with using colors to dye epoxy to close to the same color and then patch the holes. Those are too nice to discard. Tempera paint powder can be found at Hobby Lobby. I have done this before although not with powder horns and it works.

Can #2 be sawed off, the plug reduced to fit, and savaged or would that make it too small?

I really, really hate to discard something that I can dream of a way to save.
 
doubleh said:
I would experiment with using colors to dye epoxy to close to the same color and then patch the holes. Those are too nice to discard. Tempera paint powder can be found at Hobby Lobby. I have done this before although not with powder horns and it works.

Can #2 be sawed off, the plug reduced to fit, and savaged or would that make it too small?

I really, really hate to discard something that I can dream of a way to save.
Click to expand...

#2 has a lot more damage than just at the plug. It's not but 10 inches measuring the outside of the curve. I may check into that paint. I don't know if the beetles are still active. I'm not sure how to get rid of them if they are.
 
Spraying with Viper might do the job. That is what I use to keep spiders, ants, and other bugs under control in and around the house. It dries quickly so should be safe from a moisture standpoint but remains effective for weeks. Tempera paint is available in both powder and liquid form at Hobby Lobby and I have used each but prefer powder. Sometimes epoxy will make the color a little darker so experiment.

I have never messed with horn but have used a lot of native mesquite for knife handles. It always has borer holes. If the junk they leave is tight in the hole I stabilize it with superglue. If it is loose I'll mix some epoxy and brown powder and fill the cleaned out hole with it.
 
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I think arsenic would work best like they used to use for taxidermy and the treated lumber that you used to be able to builds decks with that didn't just rot away in a few years.
I have no idea how you would get your hands on the right stuff if you don't already have it though.
 
I sprayed them down with bug spray. I'll get some epoxy tomorrow and seal them up. The closest Hobby Lobby is 40 miles away. I was up there today but forgot to go by there. I'm not making a special trip for it.
 
Interesting read. Don’t really do much black powder. Did find these in my dad’s things. He also didn’t do much black powder. Yours are certainly more decorative.

IMG_0379.jpeg
 
Sounds good. Apply tape, masking tape works well inside, to contain the epoxy. Wax the outside of the horn with out getting any in the holes. Fill the hole and apply scotch tape pressing it flat with the surface. When you remove the tape any squeeze out is easily removed with a fingernail or piece of plastic. You may already know this method but thought I would throw it out there. It will work with any hard surface.
 
doubleh said:
Can #2 be sawed off, the plug reduced to fit, and savaged or would that make it too small?
Click to expand...
Small horns are useful. I just turned a small priming horn into a "day horn". Now that thing is small, but as I posted, it still holds about 200 grains more powder than needed or even wanted for hunting. I only carry six or seven extra ball and patch when hunting. It holds enough for nine shots. Plenty for spillage and priming. (when used with the Jeager, 110 grain charges)

As an added bonus, it fits nicely in my shooting bag, so one less thing to hang around my neck. Which is nice.

So, I certainly would not be afraid of making a horn "too small". It would really have to be tiny to not hold enough powder for hunting. Unless you charge your musket or rifle like my Bess, which uses 140 grain charges. :what:In that case (the case of the Brown Bess) I'll grab one of my bigger horns. With my bigger (probably both are more like "medium" size) horns I don't think I'll be filling them up anymore, probably three times (or more) the needed amount of powder to feed any rifle using charges in the 100 grain (+/-) range when only packing a dozen or less patch and ball.

Okay all that blah-blah-blah-yada-yada just to say small horns are good, and useful, and carry plenty of powder.
 
Ugly Sauce said:
Well dang it Hawg! Send it to me. I'll make a little day horn out of it!
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PM me your address. I could probably cut it down into a smaller horn and it probably would be useful but I don't use it now and it's the smallest horn I have.
 
I got my new horn in. The ad said between 13-17 inches straight across. My biggest horn is 14 inches around the curve. I was hoping to get one closer to 17 than 13. The one I got measures 16 1/2 straight across and it dwarfs my old horn. I like it. It's almost too pretty to be cutting and filing on.

gsoocDdl.png



The hole in the base is 3 X 3 1/2. It's a little thin on one side but I don't see it as a problem. I thought from the pic it would be straighter but it's a left hand horn. That's ok too since I'm halfway left handed anyway.

3KYEwSXl.png
 
Bessie's horn is black with the white in it like that. I like those colors and the "look". The horn I made that out of was really giant/long, so I made a nice cup out of what I trimmed off.
 
Ugly Sauce said:
The horn I made that out of was really giant/long, so I made a nice cup out of what I trimmed off.
Click to expand...

What did you seal it with? I'm probably going to cut this one down some. Even if I cut it down to the length of my old one it will still hold a lot more powder. Why do I want it to hold more powder? I dunno, I just do. 😁 I like things big to compensate for......Well just never mind what. :rofl: I've got a couple more horns coming from a friend on another forum. I'll wait and see what they look like before I decide which one to destroy first.:eek:
 
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