I have a powder horn picked up at a thrift store for a few bucks, that I want to build into a usable horn for black powder. It has a wooden plug in the small end, a big wooden end at the big end with a wooden plug. Any tips, sources in Canada for parts, would be appreciated. Another fun little project for the fall/winter.
Powder Horn improvements
- Thread starter vinver
- Start date
infideleggwelder
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
post a pic or two. it may not be far off from being done, perhaps an original.
Lonesome Donkey
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Central Alberta
For making (or improving) powder horns, Track of the Wolf in the USA is probably your best bet
They also supply parts, spouts, raw horns, etc.
Parts and supplies in Canada? Don't know.
These paperback books from T of W are highly recommended:
"Recreating the 18th Century Powder Horn" by Scott and Cathy Sibley
"Recreating the 18th Century Hunting Pouch" by T.C. Albert
I built a few horns used the first book as a guide and it was a great teaching tool for me.
Using any kind of small wood lathe allows you to make about any type of end plug or spout stopper that you could want.
These parts are very simple and you can even shape them on the lathe using improvised tools made from old files.
Lacking a lathe, you can shape a new end plug and stopper by carving them. Since you shape the horn for the plug by boiling the end to soften it, a slightly out-of-round plug is no problem and actually quite authentic.
(See why you need the Sibley book?)
