Old horns?

These are a pair of old horns that were still on the skull hanging in an old shed of a family member. Is it possible that they would clean up & make powder horns? The butt ends are pretty scaley & brittle.

Thanks!

Ive done several really old horn blanks, such as yours. Just take your time and go slow. Square off the base plug side of the horn, next I cut off an inch or so of the tip. If your lucky,you will have exposed the hollowed out part of the tip. If not you may have to drill it out. If you have to drill it out and it’s really brittle, soak it in very hot water for around a half hour before drilling... that will help keep the horn pliable while drilling. Other than that it’s all rudamentary.!good luck and lost progress pics!

Tryinhard, your horns look OK to me. I assume that you want to do the traditional powder horn project. If that's the case, I commend to your study the excellent book Recreating the 18th Century Powder Horn by Scott and Kathy Sibley. This book is available from track of the Wolf for about twenty dollars, and it's money well spent. here's a link

https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/75/1/BOOK-R18CPH

if you decide that you must bend the horn, ignore the siren song of "boil the horn in water for xyz minutes and leave the form in overnight.." I can tell you that this simply doesn't work. Instead, you should get a 'fry daddy' or similar gadget and a gallon of veggie oil from the local supermarket. I heat my oil to about 375 degrees, and I immerse the horn for just a little bit - fifteen to twenty seconds. then I pull it out and see if it's getting soft.

Some thoughts on this:

first, use common sense safety precautions: wear long pants and a long sleeved shirt, and closed toes shoes. Although many oils are not very flammable, it's a good idea to have a fire extinguisher handy. children, over enthusiastic pets and other distractions should be elsewhere when you do this, and in the best interest of domestic tranquility, you want to do this out of doors (and be cognizant of the wind direction). Heavy leather gloves which are large enough so that you can snatch them off are essential.

additionally, you want to make sure that you have the hole drilled in the stopper end of the horn. this way, you're not forming a bubble when you dunk the butt end into the hot oil. a burp could splash the oil, which could become a very bad thing very quickly.

also: when you put the horn in the hot oil, watch the edges carefully. if you see bubbles begin to form, go ahead and pull the horn back out .. what you're seeing is the beginning of delamination.

good luck with your projects

(note the use of the plural … once you make your first horn, well, it's kind of hard to stop)

First thing I would do is take it to the files, sandpaper, then buffing wheels. I wouldn't spend any time shaping the end or drilling the other if it turns out you don't like what you see when you clean up the outside.
Then, if you like it, before you cut the tip, run a wire or a large zip tie inside the horn along the outside curve. Mark it where it becomes solid. Then cut it off apx. 1" beyond that mark. That leaves you 1" for drilling and tapering the spout hole.
And some of my best horns have end caps close to round, but definitely not round. Don't obsess over it. Might just be my eye, but I enjoy horns with a more natural flow to the shape.

Both horns look pretty good to me.

I like the rustic look that some frontiersman, who didn't have scraping/finishing tools/knowledge, would make/carry.

They look good enough that I'd just clean them up a little w/o scraping/etc, file them for a carry strap and fit them with a butt plug & an ebony violin key for a spout plug.

Here's a gennie:

Good luck on your project.There are several very interesting threads on horns here in this forum. And recently we just wrapped up one on carpet beetles (bugs) and how they infest and destroy horns. Worth the read. I too have an older horn that sat outside in the garage for years. And intend to make something of it "one of these days".I'm hoping you get a good deal of of feedback and response as I will be following this thread with a bit of interest.

It’s good to wrap the open or big end with electrical tape where you will saw it off and cut right through the tape. It helps prevent splintering.