Can anything be said about this horn?

[jboger]

I picked this horn up at an auction this past Saturday. It's cosmetically challenged. It appears to be either copper or brass with possibly a high copper content. Or maybe just brass that toned a coppery color. Very dirty. This along with an early front-mount Columbia AH (just the motor and case--motor runs) and a few other things all came out of the same auction. The consignor was a dealer/packrat who accumulated a lot of "stuff" over the years, most of it in bad shape. There had been a fire and everything is covered with soot. I've been de-sooting the AH.

Coming back to the horn, is it possible to say anything specific about this horn? It's obviously for a cylinder machine, but given its overall shape and composition (brass, I guess) can we say it's an early one, a late one, or even a repro? Maybe it's just a horn. Oh well.

[Ripduf1]

Hi,
Not much can be said.

1. A common horn.
2. It is brass.
3. if it is 24" long that would be a popular size with current collectors.

John

[Jerry B.]

I would guess it was made in the early 20th century perhaps on either side of 1905. They key word is "guess".

Jerry B.

[Phono-Phan]

What does the hanger ring look like?

[jboger]

As per request, here is a closeup of the hook.

Question: Is it OK to polish this horn? I really don't like polished brass, but this horn has some verdigris that will only come off with a light polish.

[JerryVan]

It's perfectly fine to polish it.

[jboger]

So I decided to polish. I thought people might like to see the current status. Still needs work, but I wanted to show the still unpolished inside versus whats been done to the outside. I was first just using 0000 steel wool with a little oil for a lubricant. Then I tried some copper polisher, a liquid. Finally I used some chemistry and mixed vinegar (a weak acid) with some salt and flour to make a paste that would react with the oxidized surface. You can see how dark and coppery-looking the inside still is. A pleasant coppery color that had it been uniform I would have left the horn alone. Anyway, I hope people enjoy seeing these things. I know I like very much seeing what other people find and do. It's a kind of vicarious experience.

[Lucius1958]

Vinegar and salt is a good basic cleaner for brass.

Eric Reiss has also recommended lemon juice as a good way to remove that brownish oxidation: one can then go on to some of the proprietary brass polishes, and finally something like "Nev-R-Dull" to bring out a high finish.

Bill