shed antler attaching

[Kevin Juby]

Can someone please tell me how to attach shed antlers to a skull plate. Thanks

[Wayne R]

I perfer to use the shed connectors sold in the supply catalogs. Don't get cheap the ones. The metal one allows you adjust each side so that it can lean forward or back, or tip in or out. They can then be attached to a manikin, or a panel if doing an antler mount. I would add some epoxy to each joint or bolt, so that it doesn't loosen up down the road after it is mounted.

If you really want to use a skull plate, the biggest problem would be trying to get each side to look balanced to the other side. You can drill up through the skull, and into the antlers, then put rods or square stock in with epoxy. You can also use the detachable pins, but everything will require drilling holes in antlers and the skull plate and using epoxy.

[Buckie101]

Hi I use a artifical skull that McKenzie sells and I drill into each shed with a 13/64 drill and then tap the hole with 1/4 tap. take some 1/4" threaded rod and epoxy it in the shed. then drill holes through skull plate( make sure to rough up the top where the shed burr will set) and then take a 3/4 spade drill and make a counter sunk hole on the same angle as you drill your hole from the top.  Then put the rod through and tighten it up and put some epoxy sculpt around the burrs. then you can ajust your antler's to where you want them and finish tightening them up.Now you can cut the extra rod off flush with the skull plate. Then re-smooth the epoxy sculpt around antler burr and let dry.
This is fast after you do a few. Good luck

[DSalters]

I just mounted some the other day using similar methods mentioned here.  I bought artificial skull caps from McKenzie.  They are a hard plastic sort of material.  I dished out the top of the pedicles a bit because of the rounded base of the antlers where they were shed.  I didn't want to grind this away from the antler (even though it will never be seen again, it maintains the "shed integrity" to me).  This also gives great adhesion for the epoxy.

I then set the antlers on there and rotated them around a bit until they were at the correct angle.  The tilt front-to-back is already fairly good because it is determined by the skull plate you are using (although it can be modified by grinding if you really don't think it works for your deer).  When they are at the best angle, I make two reference pencil marks on the antler burr and skull plate on each for alignment later.

I held the artificial skull plate in a vice and drilled a hole up through the bottom and out the middle of the pedicle.  Then, I lined up one antler, and continued drilling up into the base of it.  Do the same for the other side.

Mix up some epoxy and spread it on the pedicles of the skull plate and on the base of the antler.  Line the antler up where you want it, and run a Tapcon (or similar heavy-duty screw) up through the skull plate and into the antler.

Even without the epoxy, I would not hesitate to use this method for shoulder mounts and feel OK carrying the mount by the antlers.  Tapcons are made for concrete and if you use the correct diameter bit related to your Tapcons, it will work well.