Powder Horn Stoppers

[Obi-Wan Cannoli]

Does anybody here have any experience using this tool or something similar:
http://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/Tools_by_Job/Tools_for_Violins/Peg_Shaper.html

If so, how has that one or something you used worked out for you?

I am looking to make my own stoppers from a blank instead of starting with a violin peg. Do you have any suggestions for making them?

Thank you.

 

[Black Hand]

I am looking to make my own stoppers from a blank instead of starting with a violin peg. Do you have any suggestions for making them?

Take a piece of wood and remove anything that doesn't look like a stopper. Takes all of 5 minutes...

 

[Elnathan]

Seems like a lot of money for a complex tool to do a very simple task, and one that will only work if your powder horn spout has the exact same taper. Unless you are setting up for mass production I doubt the tool is worth it, and you will also need a reamer to match it. Pegs on stringed instruments need a near perfect fit because they have to hold a string very taut. Powderhorn pegs don't have that requirement, they just need to be waterproof.

Making pegs by eye and fit is pretty simple - make a slightly oversized peg with a taper, push into spout gently, remove and scrape of the portion which shows signs of rubbing, repeat as necessary. When you are done, shape the finale to your taste. This procedure is greatly aided by using a softwood, which is probably a better choice for this application than hardwood anyway. A pine stopper will compress a little bit against the horn, which makes it easier to push tight into the horn without risk of the splitting the horn, and is less likely to leak or work itself loose, I believe.

I taper the spouts of the horn itself, using the tang of a file, BTW.

 

[Black Hand]

I would also add:
Drop your completed wood plug in melted beeswax and allow it to absorb as much as it will hold. Wipe off excess wax and rotate in the spout to burnish down the surface of the plug for a fit. This will also keep the plug from absorbing moisture and getting stuck.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Expensive gizzie for a simple task.
Actually, one of the first rules of ml life is: "the fancier your horn stopper is the faster you will lose it". Yeppers. Test it, will happen every time. My stoppers are simply a short piece of twig whittled to fit. I pull with my teeth while using the horn. That way I (usually :redface: ) don't forget to replace it. BTW, very hard woods or materials like antler are not advised as they do not compress when you put into the horn hole. This can split your horn. Cost of twig is zero and the beauty is in the fact you don't lose it, don't spill powder on the ground and don't split yer horn.

 

[ohio ramrod]

If you want to make your own and don't have a lathe, remember most powder horn tip holes are less than 3/8 so you can make a poor man's lathe from a 3/8 drill, which most people have. Just take your blank down to 3/8 on one end with a knife, chuck it into your drill and then finish it to desired taper and end with rasps or files. Remember to put in a groove to hold a strap so you can tie it to your horn so you don't loose it. :idunno: :idunno:

 

[tenngun]

If’n your lazy like me, craft stores sell pegs with turned ends that you can whittle down pretty quick to fit. I fill a horn, shake it a few time, use a file and file the block spots.
Rifelmans on point. The fancier an item is the quicker it will flee you in the woods.

 

[longcruise]

That's a very nice tool and probably makes sense for a luthier but kinda pricey for a person that makes only a few horns.

 

[CG6018]

To pass the time between deer sightings, I tote a few sections of fallen branches from the yard, i.e. red maple, white pine, sassafras, etc, and my trusty Case penknife. The pieces are usually in the 4" to 5" inch size so I can hold one end and whittle a peg out of the other end, keeping the holding fingers at a safe distance.

It is a quiet past time, with little movement of the hands resting in your lap. When the whittled end approaches the desired stopper shape, lop the peg from the handle end, and fetch it along home for final fitting.

I've been doing this for a few years now, and I've accumulated more semi-shaped horn stoppers than I'll ever lose! :haha: :thumbsup:


I don't seem to shoot as many deer as I once did.

 

[MSW]

that's a pretty cool looking gadget... the violin maker downtown has one similar.

I will depart from my usual contrarian position and agree with the consensus on this one, however.

I would posit that the money could be spent on raw horns, and you would be ahead of the game. If you cruise 'flea- bay,' you will find a reamer (for much less) which will put a violin peg taper into the horn itself.

If you use 'store-bought' violin pegs, remember that they're usually made of ebony (the medium brown ones are box elder, if I remember) and both of these very dense woods will easily split a cowhorn in you push the peg in too far. Pine is better... I use el-cheap-o dowels from the big box Home Despot store.

good luck with your project.

 

[Brokennock]

I've had good luck using a 5 degree taper tool sold for tapering the point end of wooden arrow shafts.
3 Rivers archery sells a nice one with changeable metal ends to hold 3 different size dowels nice and close so they stay centered. It's really a glorified pencil sharpener, but allows for a longer taper.

 

[Stophel]

Most old powder horn stoppers are not the fancy turned, finely shaped things we like to use today (granted, some very fine horns do have these). Many are little more than roughly carved sticks. Probably many of them were made by the owners in the field to replace lost stoppers. This was something that the shooter would probably grab and pull out with his teeth... no need to make it all that purty. :wink:

 

[Obi-Wan Cannoli]

I appreciate all of the tips and advice. I especially liked the using file handles for custom reamers.

Brokennock: would you mind providing me with the specific taper tool you've had luck with? I went on their website and found a number of them so I am not sure which one you're referring to. Feel free to PM me if you would rather not link it or discuss the tool here because it's not period correct.

Thank you again.

 

[Brokennock]

https://www.3riversarchery.com/tru-center-v2-taper-tool-for-wood-arrow-building.html

This is the updated version of the one I use. I use it for the replacement stoppers for ones lost and/or for back up spare stoppers for two reasons. 1, it's easy, and 2, maybe more importantly, I already had it. The little plastic pencil sharpener taper tools most archery places sell (well those that try to cater twosome traditional archers) would work just as well. They are pretty much all a 5 degree taper for the point. Have a look at the guide blocks they have for doing tapers on a sanding disc on a table saw, you could probably copy one of those pretty easy and match the taper to the tool you're using to ream the spout end of the horn.

Oh, and speaking of already having the tool handy,,, and not getting crazy fancy, I usually just use the scrap ends of wood shafts for the stopper. It's just going to get chewed on anyway.

 

[Obi-Wan Cannoli]

Thank you.

 

[tenngun]

Only thing I would add to that is idle hands are the devils playground. People love to play with stuff. Bead and quill work, scrimshaw, embroidery, macrame, gingerbread, hex marks ect are sometimes on purpose to be fancy but often just to past the time. Even though you bite your horn stopper by day you might not mind playing with it by night, or at least evening.
Much of life was hard work then, shops were open from dawn to dusk and farms demand three times more work then the workers available. However people still need down time. And people love to pick up stuff and fiddle with it as minds forget the troubles of the day and concentrate on a meaningless pass time.

 

[stubshaft]

I've made angled jigs to use on a bench sander to make pegs and taper arrow tips. They can be as simple as a groove in a piece of wood that is clamped onto the table of a sander.

 

[CrackStock]

Find a buddy with a lathe. Most of them are pretty helpful. Woodturners

 

[OldJoe212]

If you have a lathe, or a friend with one, it's a snap. Otherwise, chuck a 3/8 dowel in your drill and start with a rasp then sandpaper. I drill a 1/4" hole for my horns so 3/8" works. If it'll fit in your drill, you could go with 1/2". Since I soak the finished product in linseed oil for a few days, pine or any soft wood is good.

 

[OldJoe212]

Does anybody here have any experience using this tool or something similar:
http://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/Tools_by_Job/Tools_for_Violins/Peg_Shaper.html

If so, how has that one or something you used worked out for you?

I am looking to make my own stoppers from a blank instead of starting with a violin peg. Do you have any suggestions for making them?

Thank you.

I make my horns with a 1/4" hole. I can use a 3/8-1/2" dowel rod. Depending on the chuck on your hand drill or drill press, use the bigger. A couple inch long chunk won't wobble. You can use this as a lathe. I make a taper then cut a few grooves for looks. Make a few. Tie string on them and throw them into a container of boiled linseed oil for a couple of days. The oil make them pliable enough to give you a really good fit.