Traditional Muzzleloading Association
Craftsmanship => Accoutrements => Topic started by: JB67 on December 09, 2019, 07:59:18 PM
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Project completed: A powder horn to go with my Brown Bess flintlock. (The Brown Bess was the standard issue musket for British troops and also widely used by Continental forces during the Revolutionary War. ) It is a tribute to a bit of local history, detailed below and in the captions. All the shaping and finishing was done by hand. The scrim work was done with knives and ink.
A little background for those who don't know: Fishkill, NY, was home to the Fishkill Supply Depot. Established in 1776 after the Continental Army evacuated NYC, it was THE storehouse and depot for the Army for the duration of the Revolution. Fishkill lay at the crossroads of the Albany Post Road (today's US 9) and a major inland route of communication between New England and those colonies south of NY. Just a few miles from the Husdon River, protected by a 1500 foot high ridge to the west and Wiccopee Pass to the south, the flats just south of the village would be transformed into a military hub of storehouses, barracks, and hospitals. The State Congress met briefly in the Episcopal and Dutch churches before moving on to Kingston. The Marques de Lafayette spent tine recuperating at the Brinkerhoff home, which also hosted visits from George Washington. John Jay also resided nearby. Numerous mills served the area, and the Van Wyck home served as HQ for Washington and the Depot.
Today, much of the Depot has been developed, with more being threatened. The Episcopal and Dutch churches still stand, as does the Brinkerhoff home. The Van Wyck house was spared demolition when I-84 was built and is today home to the Fishkill Historical Society. Sadly, the John Jay house was demolished when IBM built a manufacturing facility in the mid 1980s.
It was customary for soldiers to personalize their horns. They were collected, refilled, and returned, so it was necessary to identify them in some form. It was also common to mark them with where they served, with rhymes, patriotic phrases, maps, or other artwork. My horn does not follow any particular one but takes inspiration from surviving examples. Having grown up in East Fishkill, which was part of Fishkill until the mid 1800s, honoring local history in this manner just seemed appropriate. (There is also a little Masonic symbolism, as some horns from Freemasons are known to have.)
For more history, google Fishkill Supply Depot.
Overview of the horn
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My real name is on the horn. Why not? My family came over in 1635, and Jeffrey is a period name. I spent my first 22 years in East Fishkill, which was part of the Town of Fishkill until the mid 1800s. The phrase under is from an actual Rev War horn.
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The map depicts the Depot, roads, and several major landmarks. Mount Beacon was used for signal fires, its peak being visible for over 30 miles north and west up the interior of the Hudson Valley. (The Hudson River and Fishkill Landing (now part of the City of Beacon) would be just to the left if the map continued.) The Dutch and Episcopal Churches (on the left and right respectively) are shown, where they still stand to this day, at the crossroads of the east-west road and the Albany Post Road, with the Brinkerhoff home a few miles east on what is today Rte 52, and the John Jay house was just a couple miles further out. The Van Wyck house is there, opposite the Depot (represented by the rectangles.) The south barracks and a set of batteries guarded Wiccopee Pass.
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A little Masonic symbolism. I put it here because it seemed like a good spot, not fully realizing I was placing the Eye of Providence to watch over the Depot. I think Bro. Washington would have approved.
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That is a very nice horn, and thanks for the interesting info. :shake :toast
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What a great horn👍 Thanks for posting as you've done something to honor local history.
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I like it!!! :hairy
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Thanks for sharing the horn and the info. :bl th up
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:hairy :hairy :hairy The horn is great. Good work that will go well with the Bess.
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:shake :*:
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A perfect blend of National, Local and personal history. Very Impressive .
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most excellent, sir! :bl th up :bl th up :*:
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Thank you all! :yessir: Your words are very encouraging! :toast This was my first attempt at doing a horn.
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what tool(s) do you use for the scratchings? do you sand/scrape down the horn first in order to level off the "corn rows" in order to keep a scribe from wandering?
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Thank you all! :yessir: Your words are very encouraging! :toast This was my first attempt at doing a horn.
You did darn good for your first time. :hairy
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what tool(s) do you use for the scratchings? do you sand/scrape down the horn first in order to level off the "corn rows" in order to keep a scribe from wandering?
I just held it in my hand, using several hobby kmives, one with the back edge sharpened a bit. I learned to push the double-edged tip into the really hard areas, making a series of elongated stipples, then smooth them out. In the soft areas, the tip of a blade wouldwork fine. Everything was laid out first with an ultra-fine sharpie. The map was drawn on paper to fit the area, then copied.
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Now THAT is downright neat, especially for a first time!
I've tried my hand at scratchin on a horn and all I did was ruin the looks of a nice horn, a horn that I worked hard on polishing! :Doh!
Good job, Jeffrey!
Russ...
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Very nice work .
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nice horn...all the better you crafted it yourself
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Very nice work.
:hairy
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First horn? Really? Hmmmm... I don't think I like you very much. It took me longer than I would like to admit before I did something like that. Very well done. Bravo, sir.
I have heard but have not ever tried it, but if the horn is heated up to 325 degrees, the engrailing is much easier to cut. I would try that on a junk horn before I ever tried it on a nice horn like this one. I think I would dip it in hot oil rather than use a heat gun as well.
Good historical notes regarding the local area. Gave everyone a feel for where the horn "originated". I did not notice if you signed it or not. If not, I think you should, and date it.
Anyway, great job, thank you for showing it.
John
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Thank you very much, BigSmoke.
I hadn't heard of heating the horn to carve, but it makes sense. Might try it next time. I did learn how hard the off-white areas are. Something to watch for when planning out a horn.
I have not signed it, not as an artist might if it was done for someone else. Maybe add the date so no one thinks this is an original piece in a couple hundred years. ;D