Revolutionary War Horn with Scrimshaw

[aaronc]

Just completed,...horn is by Bill Smith and myself. Tiger maple base plug. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Gene Howe]

Another fantastc piece, Aaron.

[aaronc]

14 minutes ago, Gene Howe said:

Another fantastc piece, Aaron.

Thanks, Gene !

[John Morris]

Aaron, completely cool and awesome, what a wonderful piece of art work, and preserving our American History at that!

Can you please remind me what type of Scrimshaw you are doing, is it engraved then inked? Or inked alone? Gotta ask again, is that yer flintlock? And if so, who made it, what kind of lock is on it, and what caliber?

Also, while we are at it, the bottom of the horn, how do you secure that base to it, the curly maple base? Thanks sir

[Gunny]

That is beautiful.  Old world craftsmanship.  Love it.  

[Cal]

Totally awesome Aaron.  Thank you for posting that up for us!

[aaronc]

On 4/20/2020 at 5:47 PM, John Morris said:

Aaron, completely cool and awesome, what a wonderful piece of art work, and preserving our American History at that!

Can you please remind me what type of Scrimshaw you are doing, is it engraved then inked? Or inked alone? Gotta ask again, is that yer flintlock? And if so, who made it, what kind of lock is on it, and what caliber?

Also, while we are at it, the bottom of the horn, how do you secure that base to it, the curly maple base? Thanks sir

John,...the rifle was made by Steve Losey. Do not know the gentleman but liked his work so I ordered a rifle from him. Very satisfied with it,...but something for you to think about,..these rifles are not cookie cutter guns,..they are handcrafted from a plank,..and all of them fit and feel a little different. As I said I am very satisfied with my gun,..but they are not cheap and any I purchase in the future I probably would not take the chance without holding it first,.if you do it is a gamble,..all of us are made different . There are quite a few makers out there too,....which is a good thing. My lock is a Chambers,..triggers are double set Davis. It is a .50 cal. 

Here is Steve Loseys link

http://www.loseyfirearms.com/for-sale.php

 

This is the Contemporary Longrifle Association site. It is the group that promotes modern makers of all this stuff,..they have a huge show in Lexington Ky every year,....I've been to it 3x. My buddy Bill Smith that got me started on this and who I work on horns with sets up at the show every year,...It's just a gazzillion $$'s worth of handcrafted tiger maple,..steel...iron,...horn..silver...etc, displayed there. It's the most eye candy I've ever seen in one spot for anything...it's simply huge.....table after table....and the best of the best is there. Spend some time on this site,...LOOK    through the extensive gallery they have of past CLA shows,...it's awesome. There is also a list of artist on the site. 

 

https://www.longrifle.com/

 

I'm going to cover your scrimshaw question in a separate  reply. 

[aaronc]

On 4/20/2020 at 5:47 PM, John Morris said:

Aaron, completely cool and awesome, what a wonderful piece of art work, and preserving our American History at that!

Can you please remind me what type of Scrimshaw you are doing, is it engraved then inked? Or inked alone? Gotta ask again, is that yer flintlock? And if so, who made it, what kind of lock is on it, and what caliber?

Also, while we are at it, the bottom of the horn, how do you secure that base to it, the curly maple base? Thanks sir

 

John,...

        scrimshaw itself is just the process of scratching a line in a polished surface of horn/antler/bone,...whatever your medium may be...then applying some sort of pigment to highlight your "scratches". I really can't tell you where it got started,...but was extremely prevalent on early American powder horns,..and you may have seen it here or there on sperm whales teeth form the 18th and 19th century,...those 2 examples would be the most popular historically to my knowledge. I'm going to look through my computer and see what sort of in process pics I have if that helps,...Basically your surface prep is important,..(sand/polish) ...I then sketch my design...apply ink,..wipe off with rubbing alcohol and shop towel,..and if all went well you have your scratched in image full of ink and it shows up ,...you can go over it again and again,...I usually do to deepen my lines to hold more ink and it looks bolder. 

 

The maple horn base....we take a curly maple block...trace the end of the horn around it...then best we can remove the extra so we have 1/4 inch to go into the mouth of the horn.....we do this with a rabbit bit on a router table. It is then set with Devcon epoxy...let dry...and if you look closely at the horns you will see small wooden dowels scattered around the plug,....they are inserted into predrilled holes through the horn at an angle to catch your 1/4 inch of wood on the inside  ,........and Wala....I promise you the plug isn't going anywhere. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Gunny]

A time consuming process but worth it for the results.

[aaronc]

John,..in directions posted above on the scrimshaw,...after I sketch the design,...I go over it with my scribe,...then apply ink,...I somehow left that important part out  

[Cal]

Very interesting Aaron.  Thanks for the info and pics.

[John Morris]

@aaronc, I read your replies with great interest a few days ago, just wanted to drop back in and say, THANK YOU! And please, please, keep coming back here with your work, I love it, and I am sure the others are getting joy from it all. Thanks so much.

[Gene Howe]

John said it, well. We're delighted you chose this site to show us your work. 

[aaronc]

3 hours ago, John Morris said:

@aaronc, I read your replies with great interest a few days ago, just wanted to drop back in and say, THANK YOU! And please, please, keep coming back here with your work, I love it, and I am sure the others are getting joy from it all. Thanks so much.

 

7 minutes ago, Gene Howe said:

John said it, well. We're delighted you chose this site to show us your work. 

 

 

 

Thank you Gent's,....there's nothing not to like here 

[John Morris]

@aaronc, do you have a store where you sell these? An online store somewhere? Thanks

[aaronc]

15 hours ago, John Morris said:

@aaronc, do you have a store where you sell these? An online store somewhere? Thanks

 

John, the "business" is Bill Smith's. I'm really just the ink guy and I try my hardest to help him out when I can with the making of the horns. I have no skin in the game on the horn's at all,...I do it because I love it,..to learn,....and to hang out with Bill. If he sells a horn I've scrimshawed he just gives me my cut for that then.

 

Bill does have a website with all of his info posted and some pics of his products,..I do think prices may have been adjusted slightly since the site was opened. He really doesn't do much with it. Everything is word of mouth and mainly the shows he goes to. He really does stay busy traveling to them,..they're all across the country.........at least "pre-covid" that is. 

 

http://billsmithblackpowder.com/

 

Honestly if there is something your interested in feel free to text me,..it may be easier. I'll PM you my cell. -Aaron