Powder horn sizing plug

Daryl Crawford · Sep 11, 2022

All,
I do not have a lathe to make a sizing plug for rounding the bases of powder horns. I've heard of folks getting old bats and cutting them to make tapered sizing plugs. I've heard of using old rolling pins and sanding then into a taper or doing the same thing with a tree branch.
What have some of you done? Is there anything you repurposed to serve as a tapered sizing plug?
I worry about trying to use my draw knife and sandpaper on a bock to try to make something round.
I'd appreciate any suggestions.
Thanks in advance,
Daryl

S.Kenton · Sep 11, 2022

I have several sizing plugs, but I rarely use them. I slightly taper the base plug to where it barely fits in the dry horn, then I grab a metal tub and fill with water and stick the horn in it, I let the horn sit in the tub while the water heats up. Then I continue to sand and file on the diameter of the base plug. I pull the horn out of the hot water and size it against the base plug, seeing how it fits. If the sides of the horn don’t bulge when I insert the plug I leave it. If the sides bulge I pull it and keep filing.

DiMarco_Mercantile · Sep 11, 2022

I bought one of these tapered wooden foot things from Home Depot, and it has done a decent job for sizing horns. It’s not expensive either.

BoomStick · Sep 11, 2022

This is probably not the least expensive option, but can be bought ready to use: Shaping Cone Set | Powderhorns and More

PathfinderNC · Sep 12, 2022

Some horns are not round at the base.

appalichian hunter · Sep 12, 2022

The horns I have made were left naturally shaped on the base, figured some old woodsy boy needed a horn and made his own and not bothered rounding the base, but on the other side of the coin if the woodsy boy had a few coins and was in the settlement he might take a fancy to a horn in a shop window made by a village horner with a round base. Guess its all in the builders eye. There should be things around that would suffice for the job. Good Luck.

Daryl Crawford · Sep 12, 2022

I know I don't have to round the base, but it was/is a common thing to do and it is a bit easier to get a tight seal that way.
Got some leads now.

springfield art · Sep 12, 2022

Daryl Crawford said:
All,
I do not have a lathe to make a sizing plug for rounding the bases of powder horns. I've heard of folks getting old bats and cutting them to make tapered sizing plugs. I've heard of using old rolling pins and sanding then into a taper or doing the same thing with a tree branch.
What have some of you done? Is there anything you repurposed to serve as a tapered sizing plug?
I worry about trying to use my draw knife and sandpaper on a bock to try to make something round.
I'd appreciate any suggestions.
Thanks in advance,
Daryl

I'd read about the baseball bat thing; I'd do that if needing a horn plug. Seems the easiest way, without a lathe. I've only done a couple horns and don't much care for the process: I have enough to last me!

Coot · Sep 12, 2022

A boat supply such as West Marine will sell you a "bung" kit - a small bag of various sizes of tapered wood plugs intended to be driven into a hose or thru-hull fitting that has failed & is flooding the boat. Bigger boats use bigger sizes sold individually.

PS - without a lathe to turn the base plugs, what do you do for round base plugs?

Daryl Crawford · Sep 12, 2022

I don't make beehive plugs. Flat plugs, traced, tapered with a file.

Coot · Sep 12, 2022

Got it.

flntlokr · Sep 12, 2022

I freehand carved a wooden ring, and put a piece of glass into it.

bothenook · Sep 13, 2022

flntlokr said:
I freehand carved a wooden ring, and put a piece of glass into it.View attachment 162093

One of the coolest things I've seen on the internet today.
Of course, as clumsy as I am, there would eventually be a pile of 2ffg on the deck or in my safe......with some glass shards close by

rafterob · Sep 13, 2022

I fit the plug to the natural shape of the horn. Rough it out first by tracing the outline of the horn, then I use lampshade black to get a sure fit.

Eutycus · Sep 13, 2022

I would almost bet that handcarving and "eyeballing" were used extensively and exclusively back in the old days.

Coot · Sep 13, 2022

Eutycus said:
I would almost bet that handcarving and "eyeballing" were used extensively and exclusively back in the old days.

For home made horns, I would think almost certainly. For commercially made horns, much easier & faster to turn tapered round plugs & mold the horns to fit the plugs. Horn was the plastic of its day.

TDM · Sep 13, 2022

Coot said:
For home made horns, I would think almost certainly. For commercially made horns, much easier & faster to turn tapered round plugs & mold the horns to fit the plugs. Horn was the plastic of its day.

Yes, horn was used for many things. I've read that boiling oil (don't know what kind) was used to make the horn pliable to fit a round plug. Supposedly it takes a hotter temperature than boiling water to permanently change the shape of the horn. A year or so ago I made a small flattened priming horn for one of my sons. I used a heat gun, it work fine. You just have to keep the gun moving.

Eutycus · Sep 13, 2022

TDM said:
Yes, horn was used for many things. I've read that boiling oil (don't know what kind) was used to make the horn pliable to fit a round plug. Supposedly it takes a hotter temperature than boiling water to permanently change the shape of the horn. A year or so ago I made a small flattened priming horn for one of my sons. I used a heat gun, it work fine. You just have to keep the gun moving.

How much hotter is boiling oil compared to boiling water?

Tanglefoot · Sep 13, 2022

Interesting. You can buy a tapered sizing plug from Powder Horns And More. Me, I use an old earthenware flower pot of the appropriate size. It's tapered, it's heavy enough if you're careful, and the water wont hurt it. Once you work it into the soaked horn as far as you want, leave it there until the horn is dry. A flower pot is less pricey than a lathe-turned sizing plug
and if it does suddenly turn up one day full of petunias, you can find another at the nearest Home Depot.

TDM · Sep 13, 2022

Eutycus said:
How much hotter is boiling oil compared to boiling water?

Lord if I know, cause it would depend on the flash point of whatever oil was used. If I remember the article correctly, the temperature to make the horn forget its original shape was given, something around 260 degrees, which water won't do. But boiling water will soften a horn plenty to mold onto an end cap. I believe the hot oil was mostly used to form drinking cups and the like that would retain the desired shape. But I'd rather not try boiling oil over a fire. Can't move fast enough now.

Powder horn sizing plug

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