Message from the Guildmaster – March 2020

To my fellow Guild members…

Over the past two years, we have seen tremendous success across our organization. We have seen an increase in our numbers, the publication of valuable material such as Jay Hopkins’ book and John Proud’s Creasy manuscript, strengthened our relationship with the NMLRA, and have had phenomenal gatherings at Carlisle and Dixon’s. It is always amazed me at how tight the organization is, each member willing to share the height of their successes and assurances that their failures are but steps to developing a unique skill.

The Guild is all about each and every member and all are ready and willing to advance the art of hornwork.

I am proud to have served all of you and look forward to the future with John DeWald as the new Guildmaster. He too is passionate about taking the Guild to even higher levels. John is dedicated to advancing the skills of our members, shaping the organization for the future, and preparing for a stellar 25th anniversary.

Once again, my friends, it has been a pleasure to be your Guildmaster Thank you!
YMHOS,
Carl

Upcoming 2020 Guildmaster’s Challenge at the 24th Annual Meeting

Hazaah!
The Guild Master Challenge is approaching quickly and time enough to gain an appreciation for the skills required by early horn carvers. The challenge is open to HCH Members.  Those taking on the challenge must create a horn object utilizing only those tools and atmospheres available to 18th century hornsmiths. This means no electricity or modern lighting. This was a valuable learning experience and one that Scott Morrison details in his article highlighted in the last edition of The Horn Book.

The award is presented to the winning entry of the challenge. This year, the award is a hand-thrown Sgrafitto plate made by Steve Earp especially for this event.

Good luck and I look forward to seeing what you can do!

Your Most Humble Servant,

Carl Dumke
Master Horner and Guildmaster

2019 Summer Reception at the Gunmaker’s Fair at Dixons – Friday, July 26th, 2019

The months have passed and it’s time for another great summer reception for the Guild!

We’ll once again be meeting at the (very nice) pavilion at Ontelaunee Park at 7911 Kings Highway, New Tripoli, PA 18066. Snacks and drinks will begin at 5:45pm with dinner starting at 6:30. The menu for the evening begins with fruit, chips, pretzels and assorted dips followed by a fresh salad bar, marinated chicken thighs, pot roast in Au jus, mashed cheddar red potatoes and green beans almandine. To top it all off we’ll have the ever popular assorted cakes and ice cream for dessert.

The cost will again be $25 per person. Please remember to register for the picnic by July 20th.
We hope to see all of you joining in for this great time of fellowship and fun!

If you have any questions, please contact Events committee chair Jerry Polizzi at 717-367-3883 or polizzifam@ net zero.net.

 

This years Lap Desk and Horn Items fundraiser for Dixon’s will proudly include;
• A lap desk, horn pen, horn pencil, and Horn grease pencil along with a parchment map by John DeWald, Master Horner
• A horn glass pane, horn bound journal and compass by Daniel Boling, Journeyman
• An inkwell by Freeman Jerry Polizzi
• A bookmark by Freeman Kris Polizzi

 

Read! 2019 Annual Meeting – Message from the Guildmaster – Feb. 2019

The 23rd Annual Horn Fair is March 1 & 2, 2019 so is time to get your reservations in for the 2019 Annual Meeting in Carlisle, Pennsylvania! Please do it now as we need an accurate headcount! Thanks. To make arrangements, click here.

Carl Dumke

A friend of mine, Joe-d Baxter, who is a new horner and just completed his first horn box.  He was so excited about his newfound ability that it sparked, or should I say re-sparked, me into wanting to get back into the shop.   That is what is so interesting about this art, hobby, obsession—call it what you will.  There is an innate connection for us in this material.  My friend’s horn box harkened me back to a time when I first joined the guild and made my first horn.  I was greener than the horn I was working on.  Armed with a few references, some sage advice from Jim Leach, and I was off. The horn dust seemed to just get everywhere and I swear it smelled like steak.  I am not sure my wife agreed, especially when it came to heating the horn in the house.  By the way, you can only do that once in the kitchen…

I worked diligently on that horn, not quite sure if it was going as planned, but felt I was making some progress.  When it was engraved and I was ready to add patina to the horn, I set it in front of a heat gun and turned away for “only a minute” only to turn back to be greeted by a scorch mark.  Panicked, I paced the floor.  The area on the horn shown like a beacon of failure!  Dejected, I turned everything off and went to contemplate on my blunder…

The next morning was a new day and I came to terms with my mistake.  There were no songbirds singing or flowers blooming.  Instead, it was a grey, foggy morning.  I was hoping this was not the visitation of the horners of old, haunting my day.  I put on a brave, but nervous face and set about “fixing” the damage.   With an intrepid hand, I took a sharp razor and set about scraping the area back.  So far, so good.  A little more smoothing and re-cutting my lines, and it was done.  Once the dye was applied, you could barely see the blunder. But I knew it was still there.

In the end, I still have that horn and take it out now and then… and smile.  This was the first of many lessons we all have as horners. There are many times we fail, but pull ourselves back into the light and press on.  Sometimes our “experiments” work, other times they are best left to the scrap bin.  We always make mistakes, but find ways to hide them or work around what the horn was trying to tell us.  The lesson is to keep pressing on and let inspiration take you to the new level—and never be afraid to push ourselves past our own preconceived expectation.  When I look at that horn, I am reminded that it is our mistakes that make us better.  In the end, it is also our fellow horners that push us to strive to improve.  Well done Joe-d.

Message from the Guildmaster – August 2018

As many of you may already know, I have been trying to get to Dixon’s for over 10 years now.  This year, I finally made it!  What a great experience!  I was astonished at the organization of the event and the attendance was phenomenal.  The one aspect I was truly amazed by how much the HCH plays an integral role in the event.  While the focus of the gun fair focuses on just that, our guild enables the event to exist as a fully-matured experience that encompasses the full spectrum of the black powder sport.

Many of our members set up individual tables at the fair, providing some valuable visibility into our organization.  In addition, they provided essential expertise in the various seminars which enrich the overall Dixon’s experience.  To name a few, Roland Cadle gave a superb presentation on hornwork 101, while Billy Griner provided a great overview on southern banded horns.  As always, John DeWald conducted an excellent discussion on scrimshaw and engraving while Frank Willis (with the help of) talked extensively about hunting pouch styles and construction.  These were but a few of the worthwhile discussions I encountered either formally or through friendly conversations.  There were certainly too many interesting seminars and not enough time for them all.

Our annual summer reception was, even with the spontaneous downpour, was a class act!  The organization and the food was some of the best catering I have experienced at events such as these.  The fellowship, as always, was the best part of the evening.  The pounding rain surely did not damper the mood and my hat goes off to Ed Long for putting this dinner together!

In addition, the quality of craftsmanship on display was stunning to say the least.  There was such a variety in the bodies of work presented, that is served to inspire me to get back into the shop more.  In speaking to the jurors for the accoutrements judging, they related that the fair had more entrants this year than they had seen in some time.

This was a banner fair for the guild with our HCH table connecting with the crowd like no other.  For our display, we concentrated on the methodology of horn making with several key exhibits showcasing various aspects of the craft.  This really resonated with the public and we gained 10 new members in the process.  I have to credit Bill Carter, Don Ferrero, Carl Garman, Todd Searle, Bruce Hoover, Gary Elsenbeck, Walt Mabry, Dean Freund, Dan Boling, and Kris Polizzi with their tireless pursuit of spreading the word about our guild—Hazaah and well done!

Now that we can chalk-up Dixon’s 2018, we are now turning our attention to our annual meeting this coming March.  I am certain we will continue to build upon our success by focusing on and demonstrating basic horn skills.  Furthermore, we will have two premier presentations, one from Glenn Beall on The History of Comb Making and the other from John Proud on Richard Cresey, the Hellhorse Engraver.  We are lined up to have several of Cresey’s original horns on display—what a phenomenal opportunity to see and handle original, historic engraved horns.  Finally, I would be remiss if I did not mention the Guild Master Challenge!  Simple rules…anyone can enter and you can only use tools and environment available to the 18th century horner!  A special prize will go to the lucky winner.

Good Luck to all and I look forward to seeing all of you in March!

Carl Dumke Guildmaster

 

 

Message from the Guildmaster – July 2018

As we get ready to celebrate the anniversary of our nation’s independence, I want all of us to take a moment to think about those heroes who risked everything to make our life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness possible.  These patriots saw a future for a nation unfettered by the chains of tyranny.  The most resounding, inspiring speech was heard at the Second Virginia Convention March 20, 1775.  At what is now called St. John’s Church in Richmond, delegate Patrick Henry presented resolutions to raise a militia, and to put Virginia in a posture of defense. Henry’s opponents urged caution and patience until the crown replied to Congress’ latest petition for reconciliation.  In response and in final, he decried those profound words

 “Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?  Forbid it, Almighty God!  I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”

The powder horn played a small, but pivotal role in the journey to 1776.  In the spirit of our freedoms and the craft we pursue, I would like to invite all the guild members to the annual Dixon’s Gun Makers fair 27-29 July in Kempton, Pennsylvania.  This is my first time for the event and I am so excited about attending.  Our annual social will be Friday night and, from what I hear, is going to be a great time!  So come out that weekend, stop by the HCH table for our “back to basics” display, great educational presentations, great food, and, as always, enjoy some horn camaraderie with our friends.

Guildmaster Message March 2018

On March 2-3, 2018 our annual meeting was held… What a phenomenal weekend for the HCH!  I want to thank all of the members for coming out and enjoying the fellowship and friendship at the annual meeting in Carlisle. We had a great show for our members and the public.  As always, the AHEC staff provided top-notch support for a truly historic event.   The Master row was extremely busy both days as something was learned by everyone!  A highlight to the weekend was to see the lifelong collection of Glenn Beall!  What an impressive collection to say the least.

In addition, as the subject of this meeting was folding combs, Roland Cadle provided a great lecture on the history and making of these rare pieces.  Additionally, we were fortunate to have about 1/3 of the known examples on display!  Jay Hopkins was also on hand to showcase his fantastic new book, which is an essential primer for the study of bone-tipped and banded horns.  If you have not gotten yours, I would be remiss if I did not encourage everyone to get their copies. (Buy the book here.)

Historically, this meeting was unprecedented.  We had four talented Journeymen petition and achieve the rank of Master in the guild.  Making Master is a tremendous achievement, but awarding four in a single meeting was truly inspiring!  I especially want to say how proud I am of our new Master Horners: Tim Sanner, Ed Long, Walter Mabry, and Rex Riddick.  This is a memorable accomplishment for these members and for the company as a whole.

Hazzah! and hearty well done!

Carl Dumke, Guildmaster