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How was this Victor Horn Finish produced? Did it Originally Have a Decal?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... true&rt=nc

I missed out on this rare horn, finding it after the auction closed. I belive it is a 16 ½ inch belled Mahogany Victor VI horn from 1904. I've only seen mention of these in a Victor machine catalog, and have never seen one in person.

Any idea how the finish was produced? It appears to be tinted shellac over bare metal? There is a woodgrain in the finish that looks like it was scratched and stained, or painted on before the final topcoat? Did it originally have a decal?

I know woodgraining has been around for a long time. Not sure if it was factory done, but even the woodgraining on original horns bring excellent $$. The basecoat is a light color and stain is used for the woodgraining and then a top coat. I have researched modern ways of doing it and it is just neat. I have purchased a few woodgraining tools and i'm going to be playing. that is a BEAUTIFUL horn and unit. I can only dream of having one of those.
This probably doesn't answer your question, but thought I would chime in anyway.

I attended a local auction recently that the machine in question sold at,the horn is not wood-grained, the cone portion is actually mahogany, it is really cool,and apparently very rare. Bob Smock

bobsled48 wrote:I attended a local auction recently that the machine in question sold at,the horn is not wood-grained, the cone portion is actually mahogany, it is really cool,and apparently very rare. Bob Smock

Well, I don't know. Looks like an all metal horn to my eye.

wjw wrote: Well, I don't know. Looks like an all metal horn to my eye.

I would tend to agree. You can see dents on the "wood" section, and some paint wear, revealing the metal.

Cool horn! It looks metal to me but I wasn't at the auction. The next brass belled horn with steel body that needs paint is going to Gregg Cline for a wood grained paint job. Jerry Blais

For what it's worth... I was talking with another collector and it was his belief that a mahogany wood grained brass bell horn was standard equipment with some of the very early Vic VI's. Maybe there was a shortage of the all black rubber (really paper mache) horns. I would expect to see a Victor decal on the wood grained horn but I've never seen an original horn. Jerry Blais

IMO, it's metal. The dents, and the squiggly pattern in the second photo, large end of bell, are diagnostic. Faux wood graining on metal was brought to a high craft level. I have seen fine-looking cabinetry that you'd swear was wood, until closer examination revealed it to be painted metal (the dining salon of Lehigh Valley Railroad business car #353, for example).

Jerry, you are correct. According to the trade journals the black "Japanned" horn was actually made in Japan. The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) interrupted trade from Japan, so Victor had to look for a substitute horn.

Jerry B. wrote:For what it's worth... I was talking with another collector and it was his belief that a mahogany wood grained brass bell horn was standard equipment with some of the very early Vic VI's. Maybe there was a shortage of the all black rubber (really paper mache) horns. I would expect to see a Victor decal on the wood grained horn but I've never seen an original horn. Jerry Blais

I wonder if it had a wood style or metal style decal. Unless we can locate a picture of an original
one I guess we will never know for sure.