Originally Posted By: Byrd_Huntr
I think if I was going to try and remove and save the tacks, I would find a thin hardened steel wire...a strand from light aircraft cable maybe. Work it under the tack like dental floss, loop it around once and pull.....


Good idea. A guitar string (the high "E") is very strong from a tensile strength point of view. Just don't get a sharp kink in it, that's the failure point.

Also, it may help to chill/freeze the powderhorn before attempting to remove the tacks. Brass has a high thermal expansion/contraction coefficient (hence the naval expression "cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey" -- cannon balls, that is). This may loosen the tacks slightly.