The Horners jig

[exMember]

Our Mr.Slusser emailed me this. I thought it was pretty damn cool and helpful for those that work on horns.
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Jonathan
 Here's the pics. of my horners jig. As you can see it's NOT a perfect fit by any stretch.  I could have made it perfect, but as anyone who ever made powder horns knows; EVERY one has a different shape., so I'd spend days making it fit but it would only work for that ONE horn! You can see that strange piece of wood screw sticking out of the tip, it has a purpose. Once I drill my pour hole in the horn, I can use the screw stub to support the pour end of my horn for working the tip. You still need to hold the large end, but it gives you a stable platform for sanding, AND you can rotate the horn while working. With my limited finger dexterity, this jig helps a lot. I drilled the screw hole in the wood tip, inserted the screw so 3/4" stuck out.

I've tried EVERY way of working horns without this jig, but the jig works best. I predrilled the screw hole just to make sure that the screw would go in once I ground the head away? I removed the screw, and ground the outside diameter of the head down to the shaft size of the wood screw. Leaving the Screw Slot in the shaft gave me something that I could still get the screwdriver into to screw it back into the wooden jig. I suppose a person could drill the hole and glue in a piece of wooden dowel to get the same results. I use a 3/16" diameter wood screw ( not sure of the number, maybe 8 or 10?) and drill a 9/32" pour hole. the pour hole can be enlarged once the horn is sanded.

 I normally drill it again to 1/4" for my plug. If you drill the 1/4" finished size hole first and then you chip the hole or wear it while sticking the horn over the stub, then you have to drill it again and the hole might be too big to work well for pouring, or NOT seal properly? ALWAYS start smaller, you can remove more horn by drilling, but it's almost impossible to put it back!

I don't know if this will work for you?  I know it's really crude from a design standpoint, but it's a life saver for me! I hope this helps you and anybody else who sees it? If you have any questions or comments, please let me know.

 

[BrownBear]

Looks handy!  I've always laid mine across a 25# bag of shot or two, but I can see the value of having a horn up in the air like that.

 

[Kentucky Colonel]

I wrapped mine with a towel and put it in my vise firmly-but-gently. But, it was not the perfect solution. 

Does the horn wiggle hanging on the jig?  Looks like it might move if I were to try to carve with it.

 

[Buck Conner1]

I've always knew someone that made beautiful powder horns and usually owed me whether for something I did for them or owed me funds. That said never even thought about making my own horns as I didn't want to waste time as I'm always trying a different idea or selling off what I have for something new.

My biggest problem is age, the old talented friends (some years younger) have been passing on to the outer side. Now I may have to consider such a setup to fill my needs (mood of the day). My wife says "your never happy with what you have", I tell her she better watch out, there's always changes ..... 

DON'T EVER MAKE A REMARK LIKE THAT TO YOURS. You pay big time for weeks, woman have long memories.  :x  

 

[Two Feathers]

I wrapped mine with a towel and put it in my vise firmly-but-gently. But, it was not the perfect solution. 

Does the horn wiggle hanging on the jig?  Looks like it might move if I were to try to carve with it.

Howdy Kentucky Colonel
 Yes... it will move (Wiggle). The stud/screw was not intended to support the horn for carving. It was only a means to support the tip while I rasp, file, sand, and scrape the scale off the horn with one hand. You still have to stabilize the open end with your other hand while you work it. This jig just helped me to keep from "chasing" the horn around my work bench and chewing up the bench with tools. My stroke left me with some mobility and dexterity issues in my Left hand and fingers. This was my way to cope with that problem rather than to just give up doing what I love.
 It's NOT the perfect solution. But Hell... I don't know what would be??? This "works for me." My approach to this jig is just a starting point, you can make your jig as sophisticated as you like, but remember..."One size DOES NOT fit all." If you come up with a better idea or design, please share it here on the forum.
In hindsight... I probably should have made it slightly shorter in height, a little less squared off and maybe a bit closer to the horn's shape?  I hope some of this helps.
 Thanks to Frontier Gander for posting this "article."
God bless:
Stoney