Dry Skull Mount Part 2

[djhans123]

Beautiful job making your plaque. Do you have plans that you can share on how to make it? Like the length,width, thickness,type of wood,stain & finish. How did you get such a perfect taper on both sides of the arrowhead? Do you have a template you can share? Thanks for sharing your talent with us!

[rldel149]

@djhans123 - No, I just used a big piece of paper folded in half. I made it large to give space for the brass name plate. I didn't make notes or anything. Just went out to Grandpa's shop and made them and then finished them in the garage.

[weirddreemz]

Thanks for an excellent primer on preparing a European mount. I took a small but somewhat unusual buck this Thanksgiving morning and want him for my first attempt at, what I think is, the classiest way to mount a rack. I'm off to the garage to start skinning now!

[rldel149]

@weirddreemz - A test deer is always recommended. Good luck and I'd love to see the results.

I don't skin mine till it has sat the pot for several hours. Skinning would be faster but I'm always afraid I'll nick the bones. I hold the other end too, just letting it sit for a super long time in the pot.

I pull and trim as I go with the intent of limiting the bones' exposure to the water. Right or wrong, (opinion) I feel it tends to soften the thinnest, smallest bones.

[weirddreemz]

@rldel149 - Thanks for the tip! I've been procrastinating, reading a little more, glad I checked my e-mail! This is my "test deer" so I'm going to be taking it slow and easy. I'd be happy to shoot you a pic of the result when I'm done. Thanks again, bro. I'm off to set up the boil pot.

[logancbeeman]

would have been nice if the important parts weren't all blurry.

[rldel149]

@logancbeeman - yea, I know but it is really unattractive and sliding the face off a deer may be a lot for an open forum like Youtube. I didn't want fringe animal rights people to strike at hunting as a result of a vid I did.

Once you see the cleaned skull, you can see what to avoid bone structure wise.

[logancbeeman]

@rldel149 otherwise it was one of the most helpful and informative vids i found , got one in the pot right now. i hope it turns out.

[rldel149]

@logancbeeman - I hope it will. I'd like to know how it turns out.

[logancbeeman]

@rldel149 yeesh!! you weren't kidding about all that nasal tissue!

any tips on how to completely remove that?

[rldel149]

@logancbeeman - get a chair, stool or 8x12x16 CMU, a piece of cloths hanger or brace wire, long tweesers and start working it loose. Once it starts to leave the bone, a garden hose (hose pipe for southerners (-: ) and put it on stream, try to blow it out with water. Granted, getting the bones clean without scratching, breaking etc is a real bugger!

(pun intended... )

[MrSniperfreek]

THE TEXAS MOUNT

throw the whole head skin and all in an ant mound.

the ants will eat everything with no expense to you.

[ThexMeRcHanDiSe]

thats a nice chocolate rack..... very nice deer

[rldel149]

@ThexMeRcHanDiSe - thanks, demo deer tho...

If I recall he was opening weekend or darn close to it. The rack is darker than the other two on the wall that were hide-on professional jobs.

[megamaid100]

i personally dont like it so white, i like more of the original off white color, but excellent work !!!!

[rldel149]

@megamaid100 - thank you, yea, a sun bleached skull is more of an antique white than an eggshell white. It also has dirt, dark spots and such. I too don't care for the ultimate white - just enough to look "clean". My wife just might not permit it otherwise!

[GypsyRider]

how do you get the brain out of the cranial cavity?

[rldel149]

@GypsyRider "how do you get the brain out of the cranial cavity?" -- That is covered in one part or the other but in short, the ancient Egyptian way but through the skull base/spinal cord opening rather than the nasal passages.

[shanepify]

Thats bad ass sir man you gave me good idea on mine thanks for the tip.

[pleal1]

WOW, You are pretty meticulous my friend! Which is a good thing.

[rldel149]

@pleal1

It comes with a little insanity (usually my beloved's) (-:

[HUNTI5751]

we all can count on you to show use the right way of doing stuff THANKS A BUNCH FROM MINNESOTA

[rldel149]

I can't say the right way, a way and for sure my way but I do try to offer why I think or do what I do and why I can't agree with some of the other methods shown.

But much thanks for the confidence.

[backintack]

btw you sound alot like larry the cable guy

[backintack]

cant you just boil it then take it to a carwash and blast the guts out with the car washing guns since they arent quite as powerful as a pressure washer

[kozykoop6969]

I just so happen to bag an 8 pointer with an 18 1/2 in. spread this gun season in Wisconsin. i'm debating on whether to do a texas or european mount.

[rldel149]

Congratulations. There are two parts to this video and I am no expert by any means. You see how this one turned out. If you consider this style, look around and see what other info is available to you. Balance it all out and be sure. There isn't much to it. My other deer are traditional hide and horns over a foam form. They project out into the room quite a bit. If you have a wife, maybe get her input, cost, size and delay getting it back vs, well you know a skull. They can be tastefully done.

[rldel149]

My opinions are skewed to my way of thinking. I don't like burying a head in dirt because while effective, you just never really get them clean.

I don't like painting or plastic coating because 1) hard to touch up if needed and 2) they can look plastic like.

My thoughts are for them to look white enough to appear clean and natural.

[rldel149]

I do like traditional mounts but they can be outrageously expensive depending on who does them. And sometimes, they don't do a good job setting the antler base into the form (lumpy & out of scale).

I guess, for the ultimate special, once in a lifetime, I'd probably go traditional hide over but there are a bunch of keepers worth more than sawing off and hanging on a nail.

It is also kinda neat to have some of each kind too depending on the mood of the room.

[jasonunclesam]

i apoligize i didnt see the comment about the finish coatings thought that it might be easier to clean the dust and spider webs off later in life.

thanks again gonna watch again and again maybe have to get a buck now so i can try on it before my sons first ever buck we shot yesterday whitetail 4x5

[rldel149]

Congratulations!

I think it is wise to try one first before working up one that caries special meaning - just in case you run into something you hadn't anticipated.

Good luck.

[jasonunclesam]

great vid but my question is what did you use to spray on the skull after you were done. lacquer or a urethane . the other thing is that i think that you should have not made them out of focus. if people can not read the warning thats too damn bad. i think that most of the people that are looking for these types of videos know what they might see. as almost all of us who look are hunters. GREAT JOB again. thanks

[ThomasCrown79]

Wow, this is the best taxidermy video on YouTube explaining how to do a skull mount! A+ Sir!

One question. How much detergent did you add to that pot? Also, what type of glue do you use to mount any loose teeth back into the skull? Thank you!

[rldel149]

First - thank you.

Second - a good 2 second squirt; maybe you could use less. There are some who use none at all but I am personally convinced it reduces the oils from blacking the bone as much as it would without. And that to me translates into less oxidation damage risk.

I can't remember if the finished video has clear enough pictures (obscured) but look to see the slight white-spotting on the antler bases appears after simmering - not the peroxide immersion. And this without phosphates.

[rldel149]

I use arrow fletching glue.

[KMK39]

A great film of taxidermy. Always your knowledge is impressive et your craftmanship beautiful. Salut!

[rldel149]

Thanks, as always, you are too kind.

[jarodhmorrison]

Have you ever tried mounting the lower jaw bone to the wood? If you do that you can just slip the skull onto the mounted jaw bone and it will hold it in place. Its nice because if you want to take it down so someone can examine it, you just pull the skull and antlers up off of the mounted jaw bone, and when they're done you slip it back on.

[rldel149]

No, never have. The most common way I have seen to make one removable would be to screw a doorstop or glue a dowel rod in the plaque - then slip the skull over that at the hole where the brain stem passes. I'm not a big fan of this for fears of falling when dusting, bumping, etc.

I can see the way the jaw hooks into the skull would be superior in stability and would for many people look more complete and/or authentic. I can see some challenges in mounting the jaw to the plaque.

[rldel149]

I'm thinking you have a good spot on the bottom of the jaw that could be easily sand belted flat for stability and the two mandibles are easily glued using arrow fletching glue.

At that part of the jaw, it is probably 1-1/2 cm or slightly greater than 1/2 inch. Also guessing, a safe drill depth would be about 1 cm or about a fat 3/8 of an inch without getting into the roots of the teeth. (not having done that)

[rldel149]

Maybe then getting the right size (length as well as diameter) screw would be all you would have to stress over.

It is an interesting concept. There are other ways to mount the skulls as well but I confess, if you could hide the fastening method, this could be very appealing.

I appreciate the comment.

[teppohc]

You did a fantastic job on this one. I'm a true follower of Reverend rldel149 :o) and I have used most of your videos in one way or another. Making sausage, tuning my bow, and now making a Euro mount. Thanks for all the work you put into this!

[rldel149]

I hope you get a big one this year!

[W8N4FALL]

Good stuff!!! *****

[beefyramos]

lol i think you are the only guy who has a video about this that cares about grossing ppl out. everyone else shows everything nasty. lol

[rldel149]

I try to be considerate.

There are those who are against hunting & might take this kind of video as a slap in the face. As sportsmen we are judged (and rightfully so) by the very image we project.

When someone who has hunted an animal hold its freshly decapitated head up for a close up to the camera, giggles like a kid on a playground & proceeds to mouth it like a puppet -- or -- someone gets on the other side of some person so imprudent as to throw gasoline on a fire - we screw ourselves.

[rldel149]

I'm not passing judgment on anyone by, at least that isn't the goal. Just that where there are people against hunting already, I probably won't convert them but were there are people indifferent riding the fence - this type of thing could push them to the other side.

I think once it was cleaned up, it could still be awkward for some people but perhaps not truly upsetting.

[otowise]

looks great nice job

[lionroar454]

Great!

[cory8791]

nice job it looks very nice!

[rldel149]

These things don't fit everyone's decor but they are relatively simple and can be done fairly quickly.