A Collection of Contemporary Artist

Bag maker and friend, Eric Fleisher stopped by this morning to pick up a new powder horn and he brought some "show-and-tell" along.  We put his things and some of mine out on the kitchen table and had a great time examining and talking about each of them.  Included in the photo are pieces by the following various artists: Eric Fleisher and Frank Willis (bags), Roland Cadle, John DeWald, John Proud and Art DeCamp (horns). Herschel House, Scott Somerville, and Mike Wheland (knives), Mark Wheland (buckle) and Paula Hoagland (woven straps).

Copy and photo supplied by Art DeCamp.

Horn Cup Made by John DeWald for Manfred Schmitz

Photo supplied by Contemporary Makers' European Correspondent, Manfred Schmitz.

Horn Work by John DeWald

Horn Box Compass – Cherry top and bottom – The passage on the side is, in part, from the book of Joshua… “and they commanded the people, saying, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, then you shall set out from your place and go after it. Do not come near it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go, for you have not passed this way before.”

I thought it very appropriate for a compass both in looking to the compass and the Lord for direction should one find themselves in a situation of needing both for guidance.

This is a large candle/tinder box made from Watusi cow horn.  It is approximately 6 inches across the base.  Base, lid and wax catch are walnut with the candle cup turned from cow horn.  The candle cup threads through the catch and into the lid.  there is a separate threaded knob pull to thread into the hole when storing the other items for travel.  All items fit into the box with room left over for a fire-starting kit, matches, or even tobacco.  The scrimshaw designs on items like this are custom ordered.

John will be attending the  Lewisburg 'Artisan's Show', January 31st and February 1st.

Copy and photos from John DeWald, Horner and Schrimshander.

John DeWald Southern Banded Powder Horn

This is a very nice southern triple banded horn by John DeWald, Jr. of Pennsdale, PA. John is a journeyman in the Horner's Guild. It has a scraped and antiqued finish. The base plug is maple with a turned antler button. The tip is antler as well and pinned in place. Measures 13 1/4 inches. Base is 1 1/2 inches tall not including the button. Base diameter is 2 1/4 inches. The horn is translucent the entire length so you can see the amount of powder inside. Horn has a nice double twist and works best to right hand carry, but could be carried left handed as well.

Copy and images Clay Smith Guns.

Southern Banded Horn by John DeWald

Horn is approximately 15 inches on the outside curve with a base approx 2 1/2 inches across. Two piece antler applied tip and an antler button on base plug. Base plug and spout plug are of cherry.  bands and tip applied with metal pins. Base plug band applied with 5 wooden pins.

Copy and photos supplied by John DeWald.

Antler Powder Measure by John DeWald

Made from Pennsylvania whitetail tine. Measure throws 75 grains of 3F powder. Measure is hand filed and scraped. Copper ring is hand wrought.

Copy and photos supplied by John DeWald.

John DeWald Powder Horn

This "transition" horn (between the end of the French and Indian War and the beginning of the Revolutionary War) is a left hand horn made for right side carry.  The horn is 16" on the OC and 13 1/4" on the IC & a nice double twist. The base is 2 3/4" across. The horn is lobed with a recessed plug, parchment with text, then sealed in with glass and a retainer ring.  Everything is sealed with beeswax.  the parchment is linen with hand drawn calligraphy. The strap is by Kris Polizzi and backed with linen ticking to reinforce and prevent wear.

Charles Hare is a ficticious persona.  "Charles" is the first name of the owner and "Hare" comes from two real life people...John Hare, Captain Ranger under Daniel Claus and his son Peter Hare, Captain, Butler's rangers both assigned to the British Indian Department at the time. George Croghan was the head of the western British Indian Department at the time, and used Ft. Pitt as his main trading post.  The scrim is the Great Britain cipher, a rendering of fort Pitt, and on the lobe is the small GR cipher. The lobe is carved in the shape of a heart to show love for king and country. The stopper is a walnut fiddle peg.

Copy and photos supplied by John DeWald.

2nd Annual West Coast Horn Fair

The 2nd Annual West Coast Horn Fair is Friday, April 27th and Saturday, April 26th. It is being held at Veterans Hall in Morro Bay, CA.

Some of the scheduled talks include Period Correct Scrimshaw by Steve Vance, Special Tools by Steve Skillman, Building a Blowing Horn by John Schorb, Period Correct Horn Repair by Steve Vance, Powder Horn Design, The Golden Means and how it pertains to powder horn design by Scott Morrison and books pertaining to Horn work by Jim Hayden. There will be Round Table Discussions on horn finishes and how to fix mistakes. The show ends with a banquet and the awarding of ribbons and raffle prizes.

This Black Horn Box was donated by John deWald and is a raffle prize for the West Coast Horn Fair.

The horn is naturally black and the ends are cherry wood. The pull is antler. John deWald, known as SauVage, hangs out on The Horners Bench. He calls it his “black-cherry box.”

John added some very personal touches to make this item even more desirable for the upcoming winner.

Photos and copy supplied by John Shorb of PowderHorns and More.

Antler Powder Measure by John DeWald

Made from Pennsylvania whitetail tine. Measure throws 75 grains of 3F powder. Measure is hand filed and scraped. Copper ring is hand wrought.

Copy and photos supplied by John DeWald.

Compass in Horn Box by John DeWald

Box is 2 1/4  inches high and 3 inches across. The top and bottom are of cherry.  The inlay on top is cow horn. The passage on the side is, in part, from the book of Joshua, "I am the Lord, Look to me so that ye may know the way by which ye must go".

Copy and photos supplied by John DeWald.