Scratchin on a black horn

[GreyWhiskers]

I'm doing some scrimshaw on a black horn for the first time. The scratchin looks good against the shiny black background but when I steel wool the area to smooth it out the letters fade. What do y'all use on a black horn to make the scrim stand out? GW

 

I've never seen scrim on a black horn.

white horn = black ink
black horn = white ink?

Whatever you use, the lines will probably fill with dirt in time and fade anyway.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Against a black background, you can use white, red, gold, etc. colored paints in the lines/lettering, and let the paint dry.The when you polish the horn, you will remove any of that paint that is outside of the lines,( scratches to some) but leave the paint inside them. That will make the lines pop out against the black background.

You might also consider spraying the black area with lacquer, or varnish, to FIX the black dye to that part of the horn before scrimshawing the lines.

If you have already done the lines, go ahead and spray the black areas. Then, when its dry, simply use your scratch awl or tool to go over the lines again. That will make them stand out. If you then want them to stand out further, you can then use paints to do that. You can use any one, or any combination of paints to highlight the scrimshaw.

Traditional horns did not have paint, but they also didn't have dyed necks, like we see today. So, if you are going to dye one part of the horn, you may as well decide how you want the rest of the horn to look.

I recommend that you buy the Scott and Cathy Sibley's Book, "Recreating the 18th Century Powder Horn"( from Track of the Wolf), if you don't already have it. They have detailed pictures of original and modern replica horns.

Normally, you don't see scrimshaw on the darker portion of the horns. That is reserved for work on horns of Buffalo, or antelope, or some of the exotic species from Africa, which are black in color. On American horns, made from cattle, the lines are highlighted with either black ( india) ink, or with black soot( originals) rubbed into the line. The lines are cut into white or yellowed backgrounds.

 

Paul,

Would a "painted" horn be considered scrimshaw or does color have nothing to do with it? Is the 'scratching' what makes it scrimshaw?

 

[GreyWhiskers]

Well I've scrimshawed some white horns and used india ink to fill the lines. But I saw a nicely scmimshawed black horn that didn't appear to have been inked. It looked kinda like my does right after I scratch on it. The scratchin stands out against the shiny black background but feels rough to the touch. When I try to smooth it out with steel wool I lose a lot of the detail. I think that white paint would look a bit too white if ya know what I mean. GW

 

[paulvallandigham]

I have always understood that scrimshaw referred to the " scratchings", regardless if the resulting lines are darkened, or lightened.

I looked up Scrimshaw on the net, here, and they claim it began in 1817, when a sailor first scratched a piece of whale tooth. The name is said to be slang for any product produced by sailors during their off-time.

Historical evidence, however, indicates that the Inuits have been carving and scrimshawing whale bone, and teeth, and ivory from the Walrus, etc. for centuries. And, powder horns were decorated by their owners with scrimshaw long before 1817.

This is just another example, I guess, where modern students have compartmentalized their education too much, so that the folks studying whaling, and sailors who worked those ships, never bothered to learn about Powder Horns, or Native American Art.

I am not surprised to see such arrogance. Its a disease that affects much of higher education.

One article claims that Scrimshaw is the ONLY original American Art form! That may be true( or not), but only because Native Americans developed it hundreds of years ago!

 

[Claude Mathis]

I would guess that people have been scratching designs on things since time began, cave walls included. :wink:

 

[Tinker2]

All black buffalo horn done by a friend, just scratched in nothing else. Her first attempt ever.

Tinker2

 

[rkmeyer]

Tinker2
That looks pretty god to me.
Dusty :wink:

 

[paulvallandigham]

Tinker2: Thank you so much for posting that picture. Its truly worth a thousand words. Your friend is a fine artist, too!

 

[pichou]

I'm not aware of any historic black horns with scrimshaw. The white paint fill, IMHO is a modern idea. Back in the day, they probably only used simple things like initials on black horns. I think I have seen that, but would have to check again.

Would love to see any historic examples. :thumbsup:

 

Excellent artwork. How does one clean the artwork after it fills with dirt (black powder residue) or is it just a wall hanger? I admit, it looks great when it's new.

 

[GreyWhiskers]

Nice looking horn, Tinker. :thumbsup: That artwork is similar to the horn that made me want to try some scrim on a black horn. It may be that my letters and lines won't stand out as much as drawings of animals, etc. I spoke to somebody that said to try clear floor wax. When dry it's supposed to leave a nice contrast without the white paint look. GW

 

[Hawken12]

I don't use ,steel wool to clean up the scrimmed area.I use apiece of antler and rub it over the whole horn,you can see where you went ,tipped up to thelight,this takes the burrs off,and actually hardens the surface a wee bit ,called boning,left the name off til the very end,for obvious reasons.I leave the scrim without any fill ,tho sometimes I have used oil paint(comes in a tube to fill the cuts in

 

[40cal]

Nice horn. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

 

[longcruise]

One of the niocer buff horns I've seen was scrimmed and filled with red india ink.

 

[paulvallandigham]

you can use any colored paint or pigment to highlight the lines as much or as little as you fancy. Brown and green are shades that are quite subdued against Black. NO?

When I suggested White paint on your black horn, it was considering the use of black( India) ink to fill in lines on white horns, only in reverse. Gold makes a wonderful fill to make the lines POP out at the viewer. Red works, too. But, if You prefer subtlety, then consider some of the more earthy of tones and colors for the fill. I also do not recommend using steel wool to get rid of burrs, and high spots next to your scrimshow. A cabinet scraper, used lightly, works. Some of the very fine abrasive papers also work. You want to use a grit size that is less than half what you used to polish the horn's surface before you scrimshawed the horn. That way, you won't ruin the surrounding finish on the rest of the horn. NO?

 

[Boomer 500]

WOW!
Verry nice.

 

[Tinker2]

Thanks for the nice comments everyone, about the black buffalo horn.
It was done by a friend, a very nice young lady 26 years ago. Her first attempt ever.



Thanks
Tinker2

 

[Tinker2]

Excellent artwork. How does one clean the artwork after it fills with dirt (black powder residue) or is it just a wall hanger? I admit, it looks great when it's new.

Carl, thanks.

I use it, I keep it clean. I have a number of horns and flasks, at least one for each long gun. I have had this for 26 years. I don’t use it a lot, but I do use it some times.

I sat on the one I use the most and I know that I do things like that so I am more careful of it then some of the others.

I have guns, horns and flasks that are special purpose sets, like Sunday go to meeting guns, rendezvous guns, buggy rifles, hunting rifles & smooth bore sets, and then the ones I set on or close in the car door.

I guess that if I were to choose that horn as my constant companion then some wear and tear would be ok. You should see the one I keep setting on.



Tinker2