Color in scrimshaw

[RickD]

How do y`all feel about color in scrimshaw?I know its not to traditional but I kind of like it..I just had a guy do a buffalo as a test on a powder horn I had laying around..
Link

 

Honest opinion? Very pretty, but very 1960's.

 

[AeroncaTAL]

Nice! It may not be PC. It may not be HC. But heck, it is a nice touch. And if you are happy with it, then that is all that matters...
Scott

 

[Harddog]

Honest opinion? Very pretty, but very 1960's.

While the buffalo on RickD's horn may not be PC, many 18th and 19th century powder horns had colors on them. The coat of arms of King George is often seen with colors added. The Tansel horns of the 19th century often had things colored. These types of horns with colors are called polychromed horns.

Randy Hedden

 

Honest opinion? Very pretty, but very 1960's.

While the buffalo on RickD's horn may not be PC, many 18th and 19th century powder horns had colors on them. The coat of arms of King George is often seen with colors added. The Tansel horns of the 19th century often had things colored. These types of horns with colors are called polychromed horns.

Randy Hedden

Are there photos?

 

[Harddog]

Honest opinion? Very pretty, but very 1960's.

While the buffalo on RickD's horn may not be PC, many 18th and 19th century powder horns had colors on them. The coat of arms of King George is often seen with colors added. The Tansel horns of the 19th century often had things colored. These types of horns with colors are called polychromed horns.

Randy Hedden

Are there photos?

Yes, there are several 18th century horns in the book "The Engraved Powder Horn" by Jim Dressler that show this coloring or highlighting. All the pictures in the book are in color. I have personally handled many of the horns shown in this book and can attest to them being polychromed. I have seen and personally handled several 19th century horns by the Tansel family and they show the colored in details also.

The problem is that most of the classic powder horn books are older and the photos are in black and white so you just have to take the author's word that the scrimshaw details have been colored.

This month's "Muzzle Blasts" magazine's feature article is about the 19th century horns made by the Tansel family of Kentucky and Indiana and the author of this article also comments on the colored details on many Tansel horns.

The color you see most often is red which I believe is the result of applying cocheneal dye or vermillion to the horn details. Sometimes with the red dyed details most of the red has worn off, but you can clearly see red down in the scrimshaw.

If you don't have access to Dressler's powder horn book maybe I can take some pictures and post a couple for you to see.

Randy Hedden

 

[Harddog]

Are there photos?

Dale,

If you go down 4 or 5 messages in this forum area to the "Rum Horn" thread you can see pictures of a rum horn that I made that has the English rampant lion dyed red and ther are some fainter red highlights on the gargoyles' faces that are on either side of the word RUM on the front of the horn.

Randy Hedden

 

[RickD]

In my first post click on "link" to see a photo

 

Honest opinion? Very pretty, but very 1960's.

While the buffalo on RickD's horn may not be PC, many 18th and 19th century powder horns had colors on them. The coat of arms of King George is often seen with colors added. The Tansel horns of the 19th century often had things colored. These types of horns with colors are called polychromed horns.

Randy Hedden

Are there photos?

Yes, there are several 18th century horns in the book "The Engraved Powder Horn" by Jim Dressler that show this coloring or highlighting. All the pictures in the book are in color. I have personally handled many of the horns shown in this book and can attest to them being polychromed. I have seen and personally handled several 19th century horns by the Tansel family and they show the colored in details also.

The problem is that most of the classic powder horn books are older and the photos are in black and white so you just have to take the author's word that the scrimshaw details have been colored.

This month's "Muzzle Blasts" magazine's feature article is about the 19th century horns made by the Tansel family of Kentucky and Indiana and the author of this article also comments on the colored details on many Tansel horns.

The color you see most often is red which I believe is the result of applying cocheneal dye or vermillion to the horn details. Sometimes with the red dyed details most of the red has worn off, but you can clearly see red down in the scrimshaw.

If you don't have access to Dressler's powder horn book maybe I can take some pictures and post a couple for you to see.

Randy Hedden

I had no idea. But, I assume the colors were few, as opposed to the "painting" style of Rick's horn?

 

[Bob Gular]

Might not be P.C. but it is beautiful.

 

[Harddog]

I had no idea. But, I assume the colors were few, as opposed to the "painting" style of Rick's horn?

Dale,

Your right, there were fewer colors used. Maybe only three or four different colors and they weren't "painted" on like Rick's horn, but were used as highlighting.

Randy Hedden.