Mount placement?

[LITTLEBUCK]

To you taxidermist and or knowledgeable mount owners. I have two deer mounts I need to place on my wall. I would like to place them one on each side of my free standing corner wood stove but am questioning myself thinking the extra heat would not be good for the longevity of the mounts. I don't burn all the time but during the winter nothing better then a nice warm fire. Am I correct in my thinking or do you think this would be an ok location. Thanks

[FSTaxidermy]

Littlebuck, how far away from the exhaust pipe were you thinking? If positioned to close to direct heat it will shrink hide and epoxy work would possibly crack and lift over time.

[Rooster1981]

This is a good question,  I have a buck mounted over a fire place. The mount was done ten years ago. It is showing heavy signs of deterioration. The shoulder mount has been over the fireplace for five years.  I don't get a lot of heat but I do get excess smoke. Around the mouth and eye's you can see separation. This mount was done by a cheap taxi and not someone i would recamend. So I'm not sure if I just have a poor product or am I getting smoke damage?  I decided to leave it over the mantle because at this point I am going to have to get it remounted anyways.  Can occasional smoke be that damaging?

[LITTLEBUCK]

FS, both mounts would sit about 3 feet from the stove pipe. I would have no real smoke problem being it's a free standing stove other than the occasional puff. One mount I'm not to worried about, its from 1983, not done real well but still looks ok, the other is a pretty nice mule deer that Charlie did for me last year, want to keep his art work it top shape. Thanks

[Michelle_Nelson]

Start a fire and let everything get good and hot.  Then take a temp readibg where you want to hang the heads.  If its much over 80-85 degrees I would look at a different place to hang it.  To much heat over a long period of time ( hanging over a fire place, next to a window allowing direct sunlight, etc) can be damaging to any mount. 

It can cause cracking among other hair problems.

[Rooster1981]

Start a fire and let everything get good and hot.  Then take a temp readibg where you want to hang the heads.  If its much over 80-85 degrees I would look at a different place to hang it.  To much heat over a long period of time ( hanging over a fire place, next to a window allowing direct sunlight, etc) can be damaging to any mount. 

It can cause cracking among other hair problems.

Thanks 

[LITTLEBUCK]

Thanks Michelle. I thought of that but never really knew what the magical numbers would be. I will do just as you suggested.