supaarcher

Between me and my dad we have 16 smaller racks on our shed wall (the ones that weren't worthy of a head-mount) I made 16 plaques last week and routered the edges and varnished them and everything, now I just have to mount all of the racks on the plaques. I have a feeling it is going to take alot of time. I was wondering how you guys do this to make them look nice?
One guy told me that he mounts the skull (the little bit of skull that is left between the anters) to a wood block, and then forms around the whole base of the antlers around the skull and wood block with paper mache. After it dries he just sands it so it looks nice and smooth, and then attaches the rack to the plaque by screwing through the back of the plaque into the wood block that he mounted the anters on.
Is this the best way to do it or are there easier ways? I don't know anything about Paper Mache. Where do I get it or how do I make it??

Any info would be appreciated fella's!

M.Magis

There's certainly easier ways, but it's all up to you. There's really no right or wrong way, it just depends on what you want. It can be as simple at screwing the antlers directly to the board, through the skull plate. In the past, I've just covered the skull plate with marine type carpet. You can get as fancy or simple as you want.

Alsatian

I like the idea of mounting the skull plate to a block of wood and then screwing the block of wood onto the plaque.

As far as the rest, I put batting material -- that stuff that women use in quilts -- over the wooden block when it was mounted to the plaque, put velvet material cut to shape over this batting, folded the edges of the velvet material under at the edges, and tacked the velvet down with antiqued brass furniture tacks. I cut the velvet material in roughly an oval shape. I cut two straight cuts in from the edge to a point where the antler bosses would emerge from the velvet material, I cut a small circle -- maybe nickel sized, maybe quarter sized -- at this point to accommodate the mass of the antler bosses. When I completed the above work, I took heavy braided chord with some gold metallic threads in it and wrapped this around the antler basses to cover up the cut-out of the material. My first effort does not look perfect -- the shape is not a perfectly uniform hemisphere shape or smooth curve -- but it looks good enough. Put a picture hanger with multiple grooves on the back and you are done! For antlers that you acknowledge are not monsters, this seems a sensible way to treat the antlers. My total cost was less than $10 I think.

Tree climber

get some ( "rockhard puddy ") it comes in powder form,get at local paint or hardware store.mix it with water to about like mashed patatoes,then put it around the horn base.shape it to look like one of those antler plaques.wet your fingers as the putty hardens,and smothe it the way you want.

you may just take a board and two dowels sticking out and pratice on that first.draw an oval shape on the board to go by.pratice first.that will help with the finished product.after finished,cut the board around the putty so the felt will fit.

I have made a number of these and when finished,I would get some felt and put over the putty(looks real good).you can use contact cement to make the felt stay in place.cut it to fit befor putting the glue on it.after finished,you can put on a plaque like you want.
When finished , most people want be able to tell it from the real thing.