Some advice please

[William]

Looks like I goofed, should have posted this in the powderhorn section and not the scrimshaw.

I bought this horn from Goodwill, thinking it might make a good powder horn.  It was listed at 14 inches long, but as you can see, it dwarfs my store bought horn!  21 inches on the outside curve.  It's polished already, hollowed out with a hole drilled in the tip, along with a channel cut for a leather cord.

I plan on cutting it of course, it probably holds three pounds of powder as is.  I've got a particular piece of wood in mind for the end too, so where do I start?  Should I polish it more and then cut it?  What type of stain is used to get that nice mellow color to come out, or just leave it as is?
Any and all advice is appreciated.

[Rev]

Go to http://thehornersbench.proboards.com for advice & idea's...

[old salt]

If it were mine I would use it as is, and make a supply horn out of it much like the supply horns used on the Santa Fe trail.
These were placed at strategic locations on the wagons or the in the pack train to refill horns as needed.

[William]

If it were mine I would use it as is, and make a supply horn out of it much like the supply horns used on the Santa Fe trail.
These were placed at strategic locations on the wagons or the in the pack train to refill horns as needed.

A supply horn?  That's a thought, I'll read up on them. 

[dsrtfox1942]

I prefer mine not stained, although I like the look. Polish it and put a coat of beeswax on it, and let nature do the rest. As far as cutting it, I'd def cut it first, it would be a shame to take all the time to polish it up and then slip cutting it and need to do it all over again. Plus, if you cut it, you could make a rum horn, or something else useful out of the cut section. Or just use it to practice scrimshaw, and then give it a try. I just did some scrimshaw on my horn. My first time ever, turned out pretty good and it wasn't all that hard. Worth giving it a try. Good luck and enjoy!
Joshua

[William]

I prefer mine not stained, although I like the look. Polish it and put a coat of beeswax on it, and let nature do the rest. As far as cutting it, I'd def cut it first, it would be a shame to take all the time to polish it up and then slip cutting it and need to do it all over again. Plus, if you cut it, you could make a rum horn, or something else useful out of the cut section. Or just use it to practice scrimshaw, and then give it a try. I just did some scrimshaw on my horn. My first time ever, turned out pretty good and it wasn't all that hard. Worth giving it a try. Good luck and enjoy!
Joshua

Yes, I would save the extra for cup or rumhorn project.  What do you use to polish it with?

[dsrtfox1942]

I start with a fine grit sandpaper, then go to fine steel wool. It will polish it up good. Then seal mine with a coat of beeswax.

[beowulf]

I use 600 grit wet and dry , and if I want a high polish ,jewelers rouge on a piece of denim ,and polish by hand .

[Rev]

I use a palm sander starting with 80 grit, finish with 220. Much faster than by hand. If it is getting scrim I stop there til after the scrim is done, than seal it. You can use any number of sealants, paste wax is good & easy. Or, minwax stain & sealer. Use a dark stain to give it an aged appearance (most will wipe off, & it will show if you missed anything while sanding), then the paste wax. Beeswax will work & is PC, but hard work & time consuming. If I want a highly polished look I use Jeweler's rouge on the buffing wheel, or sometimes whatever is laying around. Experiment with different abrasives, you can always take it back to the 220 grit if you don't like the result. Do NOT use too much pressure, you can discolor the horn. I build lots of horns, most weeks at least a half dozen a week sometimes more. Using power tools really helps speed things up & puts less strain on your body.
An example of one weekends output...

[dsrtfox1942]

Really like that elk on the bottom horn.

[beowulf]

power tools do make for a quicker ,easier job ,but be careful it also makes screwing up a lot easier ! I know ,I`ve done it !   

[William]

It is fairly well polished but I assume I'll have to do that again after I carve it.  If I decide to add some scrim, will it have to be polished again or not?

[dsrtfox1942]

That is entirely up to you. I would however, definitely seal your scrimshaw work with some wax to protect the work. After I completed my scrimshaw, I used fine steel wool to take the edge off of the cuts a bit, then sealed it. I am by far, no expert. But I have taken the advice of some very knowledgeable folks on here. I tried to stick as close to original means as I could. The only power tool I used, was a micro dremel I bought at harbor freight and a tiny buffing wheel, and that was to make applying the beeswax easier. If you try to apply it by hand, you'll know what I'm talking about. Applying wax, I feel, is the best way to preserve your horn and seal it, making it waterproof. Unlike stains, wax will fill the gap if there is any, from where your plug meets the horn, creating a 100% water proof seal.

I have dabbled in making Danish freehand pipes, and the most popular wax to use is carnauba. It applies a shinier and harder finish. It is harder to apply though, and takes a certain technique to get the right shine. If that's what you want, I am sure it would work perfectly also. You can find it cheap online for around $4.00 for 2 oz, which is enough to polish a dozen horns or more.

Carnauba Wax- bottom of page. Also buffers that you can insert into a drill.
http://www.pimopipecraft.com/tools.html

I get my beeswax from old candles I have used up. I always save the excess wax.

[Bulldog lady]

One of my project wanta's  Just bought book- Recreating the 18th century Powder horn    Scott Sibley  www.CollectorBookstore.com  90 pages paperback  every page has full color photos and directions, 

[Horner75]

William,  All of the answers and more can be seen on THE HORNERS BENCH website!  Rev, gave you the site link above and we like newbie and more advance Horners! 

I invite all of you to check THE HORNERS BENCH out!     http://thehornersbench.proboards.com/index.cgi?   

Rick