Looks great to me. A lot better then 1 I'm working on but it'll get there I hope.
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Bison Powder Horn
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Eras Gone
Pilgrim
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I started one also but gave it up. When I trimmed the end for the plug, It had too much curve to be useful as a powder horn.
Here is an article about a Buffalo Powder horn that was carried at the Battle of New Orleans.
http://erasgone.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-death-of-packinham-powder-horn.html
Here is an article about a Buffalo Powder horn that was carried at the Battle of New Orleans.
http://erasgone.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-death-of-packinham-powder-horn.html
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Great article!
I hadn't thought about it. I may end up doing that, but I think I will be using paste wax on the horn body and the outside of the plug, so probably not necessary.
Here is my first horn. Filed it down and hand scraped. I used a wedge of soft pine clamped in vise and wedged the horn over it. It worked well as long as you draw scrapper toward the horn base.
Attachments
Thanks for posting that. What a magnificent family treasure.
You can also cut a two by four into a crescent shape tapering to one end. Wrap the pointed end with a deer skin split. If you have a swivel vise you can position the "horn holder" in multiple positions to work on most all of the surfaces. the leather wrap helps keep the horn in position. As mentioned above, sand bags are handy for working the tips. You have to love bison horns to want to work a rough horn down to the finished product. Most of the ones I have made were finished to a smooth shine finish. The originals that I have seen were pretty rough with very simple architecture..
Brian Gibbs
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That looks great. When Ya get done I’ll send ya my address!
I got started on the plug, then got distracted. Hope to get back on it in a few days.
Where did you get your horn?
I can't speak for the OP, but a good place to get bison horns right now is Crazy Crow: Large Buffalo Horns
Most of the buffalo horns you find for sale are from 2-3 year old bulls, which have not quite reached their full maturity. They don't state the age, but I really think these horns from Crazy Crow are from older animals. I ordered three last year, and they are indeed 12"-15"... large, full-sized horns and nicely shaped. You don't get a choice for right or left, and all horns have at least a little twist, but in my personal experience with bison horn, the twist usually doesn't amount to much and the primary curve is so deep, you can wear right or left horns on either side.
Generally speaking, prices for buffalo horns are all over the place. I've seen bull horns priced at $40 or more, but I've paid as little as $7.00 apiece for 2-3 year old bull horns. I bought two buffalo cow horns from Prairie Edge a few years ago for five bucks each. The bison cow horns are a lot smaller than the bull horns, with less taper and more twist, but I think they'll work into nice little "day horns." That was the first and only time I've ever seen buffalo cow horns for sale.
Getting back to Crazy Crow, their normal charge for their large bull horns is $15.95, which is a very good price, but these horns are currently on sale for 15% off, which would be $13.56 apiece. They are discounted a little further if you buy three or more. I would add that these are raw, rough horns. While the cores have been removed and they are thoroughly dried, the outsides are pretty rough. I kind of expect that with buffalo horn, though.
I've seen several places recently with buffalo skulls and/or horns on sale. They probably butcher a lot more in the wintertime. However, in my opinion, Crazy Crow currently has the best price on large bull horns.
Notchy Bob
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As @Notchy Bob says, Crazy Crow is where the one I’m working on came from too.
I get them from a local processor. They usually run $6-7 each for large horns.
Thanks for the info Notchy. I just now looked. Crazy Crow is offering kits with bison horn but not horns alone. Prairie has bull bison in the rough for $14.
Hey, @Shiloh
Thanks for your comments. However, I just tried that link in my previous post (#33, where it says “Large Buffalo Horns” after the colon in the first paragraph) and it shows them still in stock. I put one in the shopping cart to test, and it worked. I think they still have them. Maybe try that link again and see if it works for you.
Good luck! They are nice horns.
Notchy Bob
OK. I just went to their online catalog and scrolled through. That probably made a difference but it shouldn’t have.
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