Amateur Antler Mounts

[Coastal_native]

I've been trying my hand at antler mounts...just shooting from the hip mostly.  Started by screwing the skull plate to a piece 1 inch wood that was cut to a desired shape.  I used some spray foam insulation in an aerosol can to build up the base (with a little cardboard mold around the base wood to keep the foam from flowing all over the place).  Once the foam dried I trimmed and sanded it smooth to a perfect shape (really easy to do).  I added a thin layer of badding on top of the foam to hide any imperfections when the fabric was pulled tight.  Once the fabric was on I screwed through the back of the decorative plaque into my base wood to secure it all together.  Finished it off with a little trim that was just strips of fabric braided together and glued on.  

I tried a few different types of fake leather fabrics just to experiment...would have liked to try real leather.  All in all it probably cost me about $30 in materials for the best one (including a $25.00 custom walnut plaque I ordered online).  Pretty fun...hardest part was trying to get the rack at the right angle before screwing it down.

[carpsniperg2]

they look pretty sweet! i like the darker wood myself. But thats just my taste

[markts]

Nice-it feels good when one creates their own look

[dirty24d]

Very Nice i too like the darker wood , it makes it more rustic / natural.   Good Job!

[Special T]

Cool setup...

[agchawk]

Very nice!!!!!!! I think you've done a great job!

[Coastal_native]

Thanks for the feedback,

The two lighter plaques were made of poplar.  I thought I could buy cheep light wood and stain it dark, unfortunately that's exactly what the finished product looked like...needless to say It did not turn out as good as I would've liked.  In the future I'll just use dark wood...or cedar burrels, I like that look too.

Here's a pic of a yellow cedar burrel I cut, I had to saw one end off square in the woods...when I got home I thought...hmmm, that could look like an arrow head, so I chipped away on it.  I think it'll look good with some antlers on it.

[Widgeondeke]

I'd hang them in my place. Looks good. Like the arrowhead look

[dirty24d]

You got skills bro!!!

[PacificNWhunter]

They look great!

[elkslare]

Very nice.  I like the leather and the exotic woods.

[inkfish86]

inspiring!
 

[jbeaumont21]

That looks awesome!  Nice work man!! I am working on one at home right now.  I am trying to tan a patch of the curly hair that normally sits right there on their head to wrap around the skull before attaching it to a plaque.  I will post some pics once I am done.  Did you spray anything on the antlers to give it that nice wet look or is that just the natural shine?
Thanks
Jbeau

[Dan-o]

Cool.   I  do my own as well......   part of the fun and part of making the memory last.

But I ave to admit that I usually get impatient and they don't end up looking quite proessional.   I really like how yours turned out.

[wsucowboy]

they look very good. I also like the arrow head look.