euro skull mounting

[Hyde Hunter]

I have never mounted a euro skull to a shield or plaque so what is the easiest way to do it. thought about having the taxidermist do it but did not want to pay 110.00-140.00 per mount then the extra cost to crate or ship. thanks Jim

 

[Flipper Dude]

A few non traditional ideas.

 

[Red Leg]

So, you need to decide if you want upper teeth or not. With the exception of Spain, most true Euro mounts are done by cutting through the skull above them. I think it is far better presentation and the Europeans have had several hundred years to sort it out. The whole skull style looks like something found in the back pasture to me. But that is purely a personal taste issue. The cut also provides a flat surface for mounting. Most taxidermists, as I do, use driving screws of the appropriate length through the plaque into the skull edges to secure it.

These are all done in that way. Some by me, some by European taxidermists, and some by American taxidermists.

As @Flipper Dude suggests, using the whole upper skull as an accent piece on a piece of furniture can work very well.

 

[marksman]

I have never mounted a euro skull to a shield or plaque so what is the easiest way to do it. thought about having the taxidermist do it but did not want to pay 110.00-140.00 per mount then the extra cost to crate or ship. thanks Jim

this little utube video is probably information more in line with what you have asked

it is how l have done these mounts myself, if done right very strong and you get to design and make your plaque however you desire

 

[Hyde Hunter]

this little utube video is probably information more in line with what you have asked

it is how l have done these mounts myself, if done right very strong and you get to design and make your plaque however you desire

thank you, it was

 

[Ontario Hunter]

this little utube video is probably information more in line with what you have asked

it is how l have done these mounts myself, if done right very strong and you get to design and make your plaque however you desire

Okay, good video EXCEPT the part about looking under the skull to eyeball where the hole in the plaque goes. You can wind up drilling half a dozen holes before you get it right. Here's what we do. I cut the head off a construction screw, lock the thread in a drill press (any electric drill should work), then sharpen the cut off end with a file while the drill is spinning the screw. Now you have a scribe to mark the spot on the plaque. Use a pair of vicegrip pliers to clamp onto your scribe and thread it into the hole in the skull so that the pointed end just touches the top of your bench when skull is flipped over. Now you're ready to center your skull on the plaque. When you get it where you want, push down so scribe marks the plaque. That's where you drill your hole in the plaque.

A couple of things to keep in mind. It is best to drill the hole in the skull perpendicular to the skull in all directions, as close as possible anyway. Otherwise the scribe may be pitched at an angle when it marks the plaque. Then a hole drilled straight through the plaque will not align the skull where you want it on the plaque. Second, leave the scribe somewhat blunt, not razor sharp, that way it's not scratching the plaque as you move it around for centering. And lastly, some heavy skulls like Cape buffalo and large elk or moose, require more than one screw. You can attach them with additional screws down in the mouth area. Screw will not hold in the center of the palate, not without reinforcement. Mount the skull with above secure screw, pull it down tight, flip the plaque over and drill a new screw hole through both the plaque and skull palate with a drill small enough for mounting screw to bite. Change drills to something a bit larger and drill through plaque ONLY. Now your second mounting screw is ready to thread into the roof of skull's mouth. But not yet! Remove the skull and add a bit of epoxy reinforcement to both sides of the palate hole in skull. When it dries, then do the final mount with spinal area screw first.

Also, make sure holes drilled through bone are plenty small enough so screws will not strip out. Countersink all holes in back of plaque so screw heads aren't scratching the wall when plaque is mounted.

Now that you've finished mounting the plaque, it's time to hang the plaque. Oops. Did we forget to attach mounting hardware? That should be done first, before finish is on the plaque. See chapter two below.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Mounting the hanging hardware. First, commercial hangers are pretty much all garbage. Don't use the tiny brad nails supplied! They pull out easily and your skull becomes a pile of shattered bone on the floor for your dog to snack on. You can drill out the holes and screw the hangers to your plaques. That works but I prefer to mount my plaques flat against the wall. Mark a center spot on the back of plaque and drill a recess with a 7/8" forster bit. Pound the commercial hanger flat, drill screw holes through the brad holes, and attach over the recess hole. I use sheetrock screws in the wall. They have a thinner flatter head and grab the hanger better.

This a "naked" skull mount which I prefer over backing plaque. But the hanger idea is the same. This one is shortened due to obvious space limitations. And I recessed the hanger for an even closer mount to the wall. Carved out with Dremel tool.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

And finally, you will encounter some skulls that need to be mounted at an angle to look right ... i.e. some semblance of natural. The horns should be mounted nearly vertical to the wall to show them best. A buffalo skull mounted flat against the wall may show the bosses but not much else. The drop, curl, and spread show much better if skull nose is tipped out about 35 degrees. Waterbuck need to be tipped at an even greater angle. Mounted flat to the wall, those horns stick straight out in the room. Others like impala, blue wildebeest, gemsbuck, and springbuck are fine mounted against the wall. Kudu, blesbuck, and hartbeest should be tipped a bit.

If you have a table saw, I can help you through making the tipping supports. A radial arm saw is ideal or a slider chop saw. It's not rocket science. Nobody showed me but I'm certainly willing to pass on what's worked for our business.

Lastly, though some may think the "pure" European look of half sawn skull on a fancy baroque plaque is the only way to go, keep a few things in mind. Cutting a fragile skull cleanly requires the right equipment. And you have only one presentation option: flat against the wall. As mentioned above, many animals don't show well that way. Finally, plaques are dust catchers. The darker the wood, the more the dust shows. Cleaning them without removing the horns can be laborious.

 

[Red Leg]

View attachment 537419View attachment 537420View attachment 537421

A few non traditional ideas.

I really like the idea of the free standing skull mounts. An eland in particular has unusual skull to horn proportions that don't always look great as a traditional Euro on the wall. I have done African art like you have done these skulls, but had not thought of doing so with a trophy. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[Dewald]

View attachment 537419View attachment 537420View attachment 537421

A few non traditional ideas.

@Flipper Dude, those sculls look very good as free standing trophies. How is the round bar attached to the scull? Does it just go into the foramen magnum, or via a hole drilled for the purpose?

 

[Flipper Dude]

A picture is worth a thousand words. Or at least a coupla dozen. The whitetail is just on table top skullhooker

 

[Flipper Dude]

Same thing on the impala as the eland. Just smaller and different orientation

 

[Ontario Hunter]

View attachment 537537A picture is worth a thousand words. Or at least a coupla dozen. The whitetail is just on table top skullhooker

Attach a photo of inside of skull. Where the rod is attached in this photo is very thin bone. Appears to be mostly glue there?

 

[WAB]

I really like the idea of the free standing skull mounts. An eland in particular has unusual skull to horn proportions that don't always look great as a traditional Euro on the wall. I have done African art like you have done these skulls, but had not thought of doing so with a trophy. Thanks for the suggestion!

View attachment 537528

A couple of ideas.

 

[Flipper Dude]

Attach a photo of inside of skull. Where the rod is attached in this photo is very thin bone. Appears to be mostly glue there?

I’ll do it, but I’m away at the property for one final session before elephant next week. Just happened to have those pics on my phone already. Back home tomorrow. Rod goes through the skull and rests against top of cavity. Glued to prevent pivot

 

[Hunt anything]

If you want to go commercial, I use the skull hooker system. They are adjustable and can hold a skull from parallel to the wall to perpendicular to the wall and can be angled left, right or straight. I think they make 3 different sizes but not sure if they make one big enough for say a kudu or eland.

 

[UKHunter]

Easy - fill the brain cavity with car body filler, put a piece of wood into the cavity, then let it set. Screw through the back of the shield into the wood in the brain cavity.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Easy - fill the brain cavity with car body filler, put a piece of wood into the cavity, then let it set. Screw through the back of the shield into the wood in the brain cavity.

For very heavy skulls bondo body putty sometimes doesn't work. It cracks under pressure. I put a pair of fabulous moose sheds on a fake skull a few years back. Bondo kept breaking under the weight of the horns. Finally had to switch to epoxy. Then the fake skull broke. That job was a huge headache. Client was very pleased with end product and paid the agreed high price tag without complaint (we still lost money on it). His wife made him put it in the garage.

I reccomend anchoring any screws in bondo with epoxy.

 

[Firebird]

If you do use bondo, use “white” hardener. Most auto paint supply places have it and I’ve seen it at harbor freight.
I’ve always liked carving, or scrimshaw artwork to dress up a skull.

 

[slam8031]

this is a stock photo of skull hooker. I have used these to mount my daughters’ impalas and blesbok skulls.