Mounting antlers
08-27-2010, 04:24 AM
#1
Giant Nontypical
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Join Date: Jul 2004
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Posts: 6,357
Mounting antlers
I know some people buy a kit to mount their antlers after a successful hunt. I like to make my own memento of the hunt myself more or less from scratch. I first saw off the antlers by sawing through the skull of the animal. Usually this involves two cuts that meet somewhere forward of where the antlers attach to the skull. I then whittle away the hide from the skull cap. I remove any membranes from the skull cap. I may use a sharp knife, an xacto knife, and/or a single edge razor to do this. I then let the antlers and skull cap rest for awhile, to allow the skull cap to dry. I will also order a brass plate that identifies me (or whoever it might be, such as my son or a friend) as the hunter, the day of the kill, and the cartridge used to make the kill.
Next I make a wooden plaque. I begin by making a symmetrical paper pattern. I do this by folding a piece of paper in half and cutting out a desirable shield-like shape. Because the paper is folded in half, the cut-out should be symmetrical with reference to the fold line. I transfer the pattern to a suitable chunk of wood by tracing with pencil the outline of the pattern. I cut the wood in the shape of the tracing with a jigsaw. I stain the wood with wood stain. I then finish the plaque with two coats of polyurethane.
I then cut out a block of wood suitable for fitting inside the skull cap. I drill two holes in the skull cap. I attach the skull cap and hence the antlers to the block of wood with wood screws. I may pre-drill the holes in the block of wood, where the pre-drilled holes are just a bit smaller in diameter than the core (excluding threads) of the wood screws. I may use washers to help the wood screws retain the skull cap better. I drill holes through the plaque and pre-drill holes in the plaque, where the pre-drilled holes are just a bit smaller in diameter than the core of the wood screws. I then attach the block of wood and hence the antlers to the plaque. You need to be careful when pre-drilling the holes in the plaque for mounting the wood block, as this will establish the alignment of your antlers relative to the wood block: you want to avoid them being askew. I always do this by eye-balling rather than any special measurement system. This works for me.
I then cut out an oval or round piece of velvet cloth for covering the skull cap and the block of wood. The velvet may be red color, green color, or some other color. In practice it turns out that this piece of cloth needs to be bigger than you at first imagine: cut bigger than you think you need. It will need to extend over and down and also double underneath itself at the edge with enough free play to make working with it convenient. Cut two opposing slits in the cloth towards the center of the cloth. The bases of the antlers will pass through these slits. The distance between the slits is determined by the separation of the antlers. You will also need to cut a round hole at the base of this slit to accommodate the girth of the antler bases. I then lay some quilting batting over the skull cap and around the wooden block to form a substantially smooth, puffy mound of material. I lay the velvet cloth over this, cause the sides of the slits in the cloth to overlay each other. I then fold over the outside edge of the cloth, make sure the quilting batting is inside, and I tack down the doubled edge with antiqued upholstery tacks. This is done one position at a time. You can't get the cloth to double under everywhere at once or to keep the batting under at all points. You work one tack at a time. There is usually an unsightly gap where the antlers meet with the velvet cloth. I cut a short length of gold cord and wrap this to fill this junction. The attaching of the cloth over the quilting batting and the skull cap is the most touchy aspect of this whole antler mounting procedure. It is difficult to get this done without having the velvet look like a rumpled and misshapen pillow. This is partly resolved by not being too much of a perfectionist and demanding too high a standard of uniformity. This may also partly be resolved by asking someone with an extra pair of hands to help out with holding the velvet and batting in proper position as you set the upholstery tacks.
I then attach the brass plate with screws, again attaching to pre-tapped holes. I generally attach one end first, leaving slack in the screw to allow freely rotating the plate. I then move the plate to determine where it is level, pre-tap the remaining hole, and attach both screws tightly. I then mount four rubber feet on the back of the plaque that will be the contact point between the plaque and the wall: this keeps the mount steady and flush against the wall. I then mount appropriate mounting hardware to the back of the plaque and to the wall.
I like to leave any big game tag attached to the antlers. Additionally, I try to retain the spent cartridge casing used in bringing down the animal, attach a loop of thin wire around the base of the cartridge, and attach the other end of the wire to one of the tacks.
I do not get obsessive about this work. It is not a Leonardo Davinci painting folks. If you don't get perfectionist about it, this turns out a very nice memento of the hunt. I wouldn't say it is cheaper than the kits you buy, but I think it can look nicer than those kits and provide a sense of personal accomplishment that using a kit does not provide. By the way, I would in no way characterize myself as a skilled craftsman or skilled wood worker. This project is well within the skills of an average hunter. Be careful using power tools, of course. All of the materials can be purchased at any hardware store, with the possible exception of the wooden plaque. I'm not sure what I have done in the past. On one occasion (small deer antlers) I bought a ready made plaque at a crafting store frequented by women. I think in another case I bought a pine board and cut it out with the jigsaw. In the case of my elk antlers I needed a larger plaque: in this case a skilled woodworking friend of mine joined two separate pine boards and cut this out according to the pattern I provided to him.
Next I make a wooden plaque. I begin by making a symmetrical paper pattern. I do this by folding a piece of paper in half and cutting out a desirable shield-like shape. Because the paper is folded in half, the cut-out should be symmetrical with reference to the fold line. I transfer the pattern to a suitable chunk of wood by tracing with pencil the outline of the pattern. I cut the wood in the shape of the tracing with a jigsaw. I stain the wood with wood stain. I then finish the plaque with two coats of polyurethane.
I then cut out a block of wood suitable for fitting inside the skull cap. I drill two holes in the skull cap. I attach the skull cap and hence the antlers to the block of wood with wood screws. I may pre-drill the holes in the block of wood, where the pre-drilled holes are just a bit smaller in diameter than the core (excluding threads) of the wood screws. I may use washers to help the wood screws retain the skull cap better. I drill holes through the plaque and pre-drill holes in the plaque, where the pre-drilled holes are just a bit smaller in diameter than the core of the wood screws. I then attach the block of wood and hence the antlers to the plaque. You need to be careful when pre-drilling the holes in the plaque for mounting the wood block, as this will establish the alignment of your antlers relative to the wood block: you want to avoid them being askew. I always do this by eye-balling rather than any special measurement system. This works for me.
I then cut out an oval or round piece of velvet cloth for covering the skull cap and the block of wood. The velvet may be red color, green color, or some other color. In practice it turns out that this piece of cloth needs to be bigger than you at first imagine: cut bigger than you think you need. It will need to extend over and down and also double underneath itself at the edge with enough free play to make working with it convenient. Cut two opposing slits in the cloth towards the center of the cloth. The bases of the antlers will pass through these slits. The distance between the slits is determined by the separation of the antlers. You will also need to cut a round hole at the base of this slit to accommodate the girth of the antler bases. I then lay some quilting batting over the skull cap and around the wooden block to form a substantially smooth, puffy mound of material. I lay the velvet cloth over this, cause the sides of the slits in the cloth to overlay each other. I then fold over the outside edge of the cloth, make sure the quilting batting is inside, and I tack down the doubled edge with antiqued upholstery tacks. This is done one position at a time. You can't get the cloth to double under everywhere at once or to keep the batting under at all points. You work one tack at a time. There is usually an unsightly gap where the antlers meet with the velvet cloth. I cut a short length of gold cord and wrap this to fill this junction. The attaching of the cloth over the quilting batting and the skull cap is the most touchy aspect of this whole antler mounting procedure. It is difficult to get this done without having the velvet look like a rumpled and misshapen pillow. This is partly resolved by not being too much of a perfectionist and demanding too high a standard of uniformity. This may also partly be resolved by asking someone with an extra pair of hands to help out with holding the velvet and batting in proper position as you set the upholstery tacks.
I then attach the brass plate with screws, again attaching to pre-tapped holes. I generally attach one end first, leaving slack in the screw to allow freely rotating the plate. I then move the plate to determine where it is level, pre-tap the remaining hole, and attach both screws tightly. I then mount four rubber feet on the back of the plaque that will be the contact point between the plaque and the wall: this keeps the mount steady and flush against the wall. I then mount appropriate mounting hardware to the back of the plaque and to the wall.
I like to leave any big game tag attached to the antlers. Additionally, I try to retain the spent cartridge casing used in bringing down the animal, attach a loop of thin wire around the base of the cartridge, and attach the other end of the wire to one of the tacks.
I do not get obsessive about this work. It is not a Leonardo Davinci painting folks. If you don't get perfectionist about it, this turns out a very nice memento of the hunt. I wouldn't say it is cheaper than the kits you buy, but I think it can look nicer than those kits and provide a sense of personal accomplishment that using a kit does not provide. By the way, I would in no way characterize myself as a skilled craftsman or skilled wood worker. This project is well within the skills of an average hunter. Be careful using power tools, of course. All of the materials can be purchased at any hardware store, with the possible exception of the wooden plaque. I'm not sure what I have done in the past. On one occasion (small deer antlers) I bought a ready made plaque at a crafting store frequented by women. I think in another case I bought a pine board and cut it out with the jigsaw. In the case of my elk antlers I needed a larger plaque: in this case a skilled woodworking friend of mine joined two separate pine boards and cut this out according to the pattern I provided to him.
Last edited by Alsatian; 08-27-2010 at 04:55 AM.
