MOUNTING HORNS AND ANTLERS.
A neatly mounted set of antlers or horns are an ornament anywhere, in
the home, office or public room, and in case any one of the out-o'-door
fraternity wishes to try setting up a pair, I will give a few simple
directions and hints which may be helpful. Some bits of lumber, screws,
plaster of paris, plush or leather, tacks, etc., are about all the
materials needed; also a one-fourth inch drill bit to make the necessary
holes in the frontal bone.
By sawing off the top of the skull down to the eyes we separate the
antlers and the frontal bone on which they grow, from the rest of the
skull.
Care should be taken to leave the same amount of bone on each side, so
the antlers will be the same distance from the wall.
For antlers of small or medium size eastern deer, cut a heart-shaped
block about 4x5 inches from a piece of soft 7/8-inch board. The edges of
this should be slightly beveled toward one side. This may be cut out in
its finished shape with a keyhole saw, or roughed out with a hand saw,
and trimmed up with a draw knife or wood rasp.
After drilling two or three holes in the plate of bone attached to the
antlers, arrange them evenly on this block and screw fast, using screws
which will not protrude from the back of the block. If the bone is
uneven or the antlers do not hang right, small pieces of wood may be
inserted at one side or the other until the desired effect is had. Now
put a half pint of water in some old dish and mix in plaster of paris
until it is like very thin putty. With an old knife you can spread this
over the bone and round it up nearly to the burr of the antlers.
[Illustration]
If the first mixing is not enough, mix a little more, for if too much
plaster is put on anywhere it can be easily scraped off before it gets
dry. This needs to be put on quickly as the plaster soon "sets" or
hardens and in fifteen or twenty minutes it can be scraped and trimmed
to a smooth, rounding surface.
For covering this wood and plaster base, plush, soft leather or
pantasote is used. Plush or velvet is the easiest to apply for a
beginner. A piece about nine inches square will do for our set of small
antlers. Lay this on the plaster and turning it over the edge of the
block, tack it on the back with carpet tacks, beginning in the center,
at top and bottom. Slit in each side to the antler and cut a hole large
enough to be a snug fit for the antler below the burr. Draw on and tack,
getting the wrinkles out as you proceed, the lower, or front part,
first. Lap the upper or back over it neatly at each side, turning the
edges under and fastening them with a few stitches.
It is a good plan to drive the tacks only part way at first, then they
can be easily drawn and re-arranged. Now cut two strips of the material
to go around below the burr of the antlers. Turn the edges of these
under, draw them tightly around and fasten the ends together back of the
antlers with a few stitches.
They are now ready for fastening on a shield or panel. Cattle horns
should have the piece of bone connecting them screwed to a long oval
block, then treated similarly. Horns of sheep, cattle and goats
frequently come loose from the bony core. A little plaster mixed very
thin and poured inside the horn just before replacing them will fasten
them on again.
Do not try to polish, paint, gild or otherwise improve the natural
appearance of deer antlers. Wash and clean them well and rub in a little
linseed oil. Polishing brings out the beauty of horns of cattle and
bison, if the operator is lavish of elbow grease.
The process is this: Fasten the horns firmly somewhere and attack first
with rasp, then file, scrape with glass, fine sandpaper, finer
sandpaper, powdered pumice stone, putty powder. Finish with oiled rag.
Old bison horn, weathered on the prairies till they resemble old roots,
can be made to look like polished ebony by the above formula. Don't
forget to add the elbow grease, though.
[Illustration: BOLTING "SHED" ANTLERS TO 2 x 4 BLOCK.]
Shed antlers are a different and rather difficult proposition. It is a
tedious job to drill them and insert heavy irons in their bases so
firmly as to prevent turning. Often they are cut off at a bevel, drilled
and screwed directly to the shield with brass round headed screws.
By drilling into the base of a shed antler, above the burr, in a
diagonal direction it may be bolted to a short piece of 2x4 scantling.
Fasten both antlers on this in a natural position in relation to each
other, then drill a second hole in each and bolt them fast, using
machine bolts and countersinking the heads in the antlers by chiseling.
[Illustration: SHED ELK ANTLERS TO BE MOUNTED. From National Zoological
Park Washington, D. C.]
The piece of scantling will need to be carved a little in order to get a
good bearing for the butt of the antlers. This artificial forehead, as
we might call it, is to be fastened to a heart-shaped block by nailing
or screwing from the back and covered as directed before.
If the countersunk bolt heads are carefully modelled over with putty or
"mache" and colored like the antlers no one will know they are not
attached to a 'bony' fide forehead.
Elk antlers will need 5/16 inch bolts, while 1/4 inch is sufficient for
most deer antlers; indeed screws of that diameter will hold a small pair
quite securely.
Sometimes the upper part of the skull is scraped, bleached and fastened
entire to the shield with brass screws or bolts.
The base block for large deer antlers should be thicker and larger in
proportion. Elk and moose antlers requiring to be fastened with heavy
coach or lag-screws to a block cut from two-inch plank.
Africa has a profusion of horned game mostly of the antelope family and
of late years many of these horns find their way to the walls in this
country.
They are mounted as directed for the deer with the exception that many
of them are improved by polishing the tips or even nearly the entire
length of the horns. As most of them are corrugated or twisted in great
variety this calls for considerable preliminary work with half round and
round rasps and files before sandpaper, glass and polishing powders give
a finish. If the tips and the higher surfaces of the balance are
completely polished, the rest smoothed down somewhat and the entire
horns rubbed with a little oil the effect will be good.
[Illustration: A Good Shield Pattern]
[Illustration: Back of block]
Shields are made in various patterns, woods and sizes, the average pair
of deer antlers requiring one 7/8 inch thick and about 8x10 or 10x12
inches. Oak in a dull oil finish always looks well, though walnut,
cherry, ash and birch are much used. If near a woodworking shop provided
with a jigsaw and moulder they will turn them out in any pattern you
may wish. The Ogee moulded edge is to be preferred.
If you have to make it yourself, a simple diamond, square or oval panel
with rounded or beveled edge will be sufficiently difficult.
Arrange the antlers in place on the shield and mark lightly around the
base, remove them and drill three holes for screws. Countersink for the
heads on the back of the shield and so fasten the antlers in place. For
light horns a brass screw-eye at the top of shield is used to hang them,
but heavy moose and elk antlers require an iron plate in back of shield,
let in flush across the top of a perpendicular groove to catch a hook or
head of a heavy nail in the wall.
[Illustration: DEER ANTLERS; ELK FEET; BISON HORNS.]
If the antlers are to be used as a rack for hats, guns or rods, two
screw-eyes or plates will be necessary to prevent turning.
There are other methods of mounting horns and antlers, but I have found
the above to be the most substantial and neat, and not very difficult.