How to make a European skull mount

[Postman]

Great thread, O.O. - as soon as I master the FIRST first step,( getting a decent buck ) I can't wait to try. The hooked utility looks like a great way to open up a deer for dressing - like a wyoming knife. Anybody ever try this?

[gstoneberg]

Absolutely, we've been opening up deer and hogs with a folding boxcutter with the shingle blade for the last year or so.  The only danger is that the curved blade is pretty pointed.  A true Wyoming knife is blunt.  Nothing is better than the shingle cutting blade for liberating the leg tendons on a deer.  Just did four of them yesterday.  It was also the first time I quartered a deer without field dressing it.  That worked great too, even got the tenderloins.  Now we keep 2 boxcutters next to the skinning frame all the time.  My nice Kershaw rarely comes out of the backpack.

George

[Postman]

Cool - gotta gift card for the Hdepot. Now i know what to get

[osage outlaw]

I am going to buy one of those flip open pocket knifes that hold a utility blade.  I think that would work even better than the standard utility knife.  The hook blades stay sharp.  I have skinned 2 heads and cut open almost 100 deer legs with it and it is still sharp.  I still have the other side of the blade to use.  Hopefully this weekend I will get it mounted to a plaque.  I will post pictures if I do.

[osage outlaw]

I have made a little money doing some mounts for some coworkers.  I decided to invest a little of it in some new equipment.  I bought the folding utility knife at Lowes.  I wanted to buy a slow cooker big enough to fit a deer head in, but couldn't find one.  I picked up a double burner hot plate and a stock pot.  Now it will be much easier to cook the skulls.  I can set it up in the garage and let it cook.  I won't have to check it every 15 minutes like I do with the fire.  I won't have to put up with the bad weather now either, and, I can use the hot plate when I sinew a bow. 






Here is my mount and my buddy's that I did for him.  He killed a really nice buck.

[gstoneberg]

Those look great!  Now I wish I'd tried that with my buck from this year.

BTW, my hotplate won't go low enough to work for heating sinew.  Hopefully yours will, but check it out before you trust it.

George

[osage outlaw]

Thanks for the tip.  I might have to use a double boiler set-up.

[gstoneberg]

Yea, I should have said hide glue, not sinew.  A double boiler approach is a good idea.  It would be nicer to just sit a pan right on the hot plate.  Last time I kept taking the pan off the hot plate to keep the temp down but that's risky.  I also tried using a skillet but that needed more hide glue in it than I wanted to use.

Those Euro mounts are stunning.

George

[osage outlaw]

OK, I finally got around to mounting it to an old plaque.  I reused one from a small skull cap.  I cut a piece of metal about an inch wide and about 12 inches long and paint most of it white.  I put the white end into the nasal cavity on the underneath of the skull.  I bend it so it sits against it.



I have already cut a slit into the plaque just big enough for the strip of metal to fit through.  I put the metal into the slit, cut it to length, and then bend it down.



I drill two holes in the back of the skull and feed some braided wire through.  You will want to use strong wire since it will be holding the weight of the skull.

[osage outlaw]

Next I put the metal strip and the wire through the board and tightly twist the wire with pliers.  I also screw the metal strip down.  Then I just push the skull down until I get the angle that I want.



And it's done!



Painting the metal strip white makes it hard to see.  I want to try this with a piece of worn barn siding.  I think that would look great.



Here is the peroxide that I use.  It is the big bottle.  I bought it at Sally's for $4.99 a bottle.  I used 4 bottles, but I can whiten several skulls with one batch.  I also just picked up the smaller bottle of cream on sale for $1.99.  I used it instead of mixing the peroxide and baby powder.  I just poured a little out and brushed it on the skull that wasn't submerged.  It was much easier.  The girl at Sally's got a real confused look on her face when I walked in and new more about the peroxide than she did.  She eventually asked me what I was using it for. 

 

[JW_Halverson]

When I went in and fumbled around asking for it, the saleswoman grabbed the necessary stuff and handed it to me saying, "This is what you need to bleach the skulls, be sure to keep it off the horn or you will have to re-touch them with brown stains."

Apparently she had been down that road once or twice before!

[Stoker]

This has been a great buildalong.I've done my share.This is perfect for someone starting out.
Thanks for sharing
Leroy

[straightarrow]

Great build along. I seal my skulls with a mix of elmers and water. I have a had skulls yellow over time when using a clear coat. I never used peroxide though so maybe that was it??

Jon

[JW_Halverson]

Fats in the bone are what cause the yellowing for the most part.  The old school technique was to soak the skull in white gas to draw out all the fats and oils. 

[osage outlaw]

How do you degrease?  I know there are a lot of different methods.

Also, I got a cow elk skull that I am working on.  My brother-in-law gave me his turkey fryer.  I was really glad, that elk skull was too long to fit in any of my pots.