Powder Horns or Flasks?

[Voyageur]

I love scrimshawed powder horns and have a few that I use both for show and hunting. I really like the looks of the Florentine and French flasks or which I have a couple.

Does anyone else have any preferences?

Voyageur

 

[musketman]

I would like a black horn scrimshawed with white ink, just to be different.

I think the little powder flask (like the ones used for the .31 caliber Colt revolver) is cute, I use it to hold my priming powder.

 

[musketman]

Here is a cool link to Powder Flask identification guide.

http://arms2armor.com/Flasks/flasks.htm#MISC

 

[Zonie]

When I plan on shooting my Flintlocks I use my Horn because I know it ALWAYS contains only Black Powder.

If I plan on shooting my Precussion guns I like the Powder Flask that looks like a brass cylinder with a threaded bottom cap on it. It is easy to refill or to change from fine to course powder or Black powder to Pyrodex just by just removing the cap. I also have about 7 different sizes of powder flask spouts for it so it's easy to change my charge for different guns or distances.

By the way, I NEVER LOAD DIRECTLY FROM THE HORN OR FLASK INTO THE GUN BARREL. I pour from the flask spout into a adjustable brass measure and then dump that charge down the barrel. That way if there is a glowing ember down the bore it can't set off a quarter pound of powder in the flask and blow my hand off.

I have a number of copper/brass flasks patterened after the originals (and one original) but filling or changing powder in them is a PIA because you have to loosen the three little screws that hold the top on (one of which always falls on the floor and does its best to get lost) . I would like that style much better if they made it like my original where the whole top unscrews from the body. I would use this original flask which has a 3 position spout for 3 different loads but none of the settings are loads which I use.

 

Good for Zonie for reminding us of a basic truth " beware of loading from a flask or horn". Captan John Smith (of pilgrim fame was loading from the horn and caught a ember. He came down with the dreaded "exploding horn in hand disease" It not only screwed up his hand it also ruined his romance with Pocahontas. He was shipped back to England to heal up and never came to America again.
Use a powder measure and keep your horn pluged when not in use!

 

[Deadeye]

Zonie, I have several of the flasks that I use when shooting matches, to fill them I just put a funnel in the spout and hold the lever open and pour in the powder, no screws involved.
Deadeye

 

[roundball]

Can't help but offer a somewhat related comment...October Country has made two "pocket priming horns" for me that are just beautiful.

About 4" long, beautifully polished, walnut base plug with small brass drawer pull type filler plug, and a brass 3grn plunger/dispenser tip.

I tie a lanyard to the filler plug, and they just do fit nicely inside the large pocket of a hunting shirt.

They hold about 125-150grns FFFFg and I reprime often when deer hunting with no worry about running out of prime.

With the plunger tip, not a horn for a purist, but but far more traditional than plastic and they're outstanding to carry and use

 

[Rocky Johnson]

Zonie I have a funel for reloading shells that fits over a flask and just hold the lever open and pore. Rocky

 

[Zonie]

Thanks to all of you for the suggestions.
As I said, I use the screw bottom style for most of my rifle shooting.
I do sometimes use the Colt style flask when shooting my pistols because I'm not picky about the powder being Pyrodex or Black. They both work well in Cap and Ball Pistols.

 

[tg]

I have come to prefer horns, I have several that I have made (simple no frills) that fill from the spout end I have been weaning myself off of the priming horn as I find I can do as well with 3f in the pan so one horn makes life simpler, I did find that the big Walker flask works well for #8 birdshot, but have found the rawhide homemade shot bag easier to carry.I also use a set of horns about 4- 5"long that are 1"+ at the small end that I use to carry wads and cards for shot.

 

[Deadeye]

I try to make all my accuterments, including bags, horns, knives, powder measures, everything
and I scrim the horns generally in the old styles
that are found in the 3 accuterment books and I think they look great until I go to Fort Bridger
Rondevoux and see horns made by one particular old man that are really works of art. My scrim is like primitive, his is like a photograph.
I've made some pretty pan primers that I like to use but you can only hang so much stuff around your neck so I think I'll try priming from the horn.

 

[musketman]

quote:Originally posted by Deadeye:
My scrim is like primitive, his is like a photograph.Like anything, the more you do it, the better you will become...
"Remember the first time you drove a car?"

Just keep at it and remember, "ART" is in the eye of the beholder.

 

[LRB]

Deadeye your scrim is probably more PC than the ones you are admireing. There is a particular charm to those that are done not so perfect as long as the subjects are keep within the context of the period the horn represents. One thing you might try is to use a different tool. If you are not already using the following tool, give it a try. Take a tri corner needle file and shape a point on it exactly like a graver. Mount in a dowel that fits your hand like a fat pencil. Instead of pushing forward as one would a graver, pull as you would a pencil. The graver shaped point does not catch on the grain and try to follow it nearly as bad as a round point and makes a much neater cut.

 

[RJR]

Are there any web sites that tell about the tools used and how to do it? You've peaked my interest, I'd like to give it a try. Take care, Rick.

 

[LRB]

Look for a book by Blackie Collins, called "HOW TO SCRIMSHAW and CARVE IVORY". Crazy Crow has it and so do others. The book is very informative and many pictures, and shows how to make the tool I described. The book should be less than 10 dollars.

 

[RJR]

Thanks Wick, I'll look for it at the local Borders first, then go to Crazy Crow if they don't have it. Take care, Rick.

 

[Deadeye]

I have several books on original powder horns and that's where I get most of my patterns, I can copy anything I see on a horn, names, banners , eagles, rivers, maps, stuff like that but the photo image is beyond me at this point. I have Blackie Collins book but didn't get much out of it. I've made that tool just as you suggest and it works well and just a scribe or a needle stuck in a dowel works for some applications.
Deadeye

 

[musketman]

quote:Originally posted by Wick Ellerbe:
Look for a book by Blackie Collins, called "HOW TO SCRIMSHAW and CARVE IVORY". Amazon.com has that book for $10.00...

Here is their link.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0940362015/qid=1071589672/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-4038988-3474551?v=glance&s=books

 

[RJR]

Thanks for the information on the book by Blacke Collins. I ended up ordering it through Crazy Crow. I'll give scimshaw a try, maybe I've found something else to keep me away from the idiot box. Between te forum and everything else I work on, I only get to see the news about twice a week. Thanks again, take care, Rick.

 

[LRB]

A push graver is one of the best possible tools for engraving a horn, or I should say most horns. The very finely done old horns were done by pro's simply engraving the horn as you would metal. The problem you can run into is that horn that has dried out for a time can be very chippy when using a graver, but a relatively fresh horn cuts pretty clean. I have found that a horn of 4or 5 years of being off the cow is usually quite workable, but this may vary between cows. Once you learn to control a hand graver you can do much nicer than average work and the cuts are more dramatic and distinguisable, my God is that a word? Anyhow the cuts are deeper and clearer and you have much more control. However, first you have to learn to hand engrave.