Greetings, a new member seeking help with Caribou mount

[Stacked Rack]

Greetings to all on taxidermy.net, I am a new member and am seeking help with my next mount. It is a large, heavy caribou and the skull is split in half for shipping. What is the best way to attach solid?
Thank you

[joeym]

Pre-drill pilot holes for mounting screws in each half of the skull cap.  Then place them on a piece of plywood.  Secure one side to the wood with screws.  Then mix some 2 part epoxy glue, apply to both halves, press them together, and then fasten the second half to the plywood with screws.  Double check for accuracy of the antler position.  Apply epoxy liberally to the skull cap once you have them secured to the plywood, making sure not to cover the attachment screw heads.  After 24 hrs, unscrew them, and apply epoxy glue to the inside of the skull cap.  

[Stacked Rack]

Thank you for your reply and instruction joeym, much appreciated.

[Justin P.]

Drill three to four holes along the "split" that roughly align with one another.  Cut 4-5" pieces of wire.  Run the wire through the holes and twist tight.  Twilst too tight and the wire will break.  Once wired and excess wire is trimmed out of the way lay in it up with some fiberglass resin and shredded glass.

[Stacked Rack]

Thank you for your response and instruction Justin P, I wish I would have joined taxidermy.net sooner with the great tips I am getting instead of all the "hard way" lessons over the last couple years by myself!

[Justin P.]

Hard lessons are good.  In the end they're the only ones you'll really remember ;-)

[Stacked Rack]

Truth to that, but nice to have the tips, makes a lot of my ways seem twice as hard and longer to do than getting good advice and doing right the first time! (:

[ccook63]

I do just what Justin said. That method works great and when you are done with it, it is stronger that the skull ever was.

[coonhollow]

welcome to the site! they about covered everything.

[Stacked Rack]

Thanks ccook63, just got back from town with supplies, and fixin to start on it.
Thank you for the welcome coonhollow. What a great site, feels great to have some very welcomed advice and instruction. Wish I'd known about this site long ago!

[olytax]

After fitting skull halves back together, following Justins instructions,  and epoxing the joints so to say, I always drill a 1/4" hole through the skull just under the pedecile continuing through the skull and out the other side exiting the opposite pedicle region, then I run a 1/4" all thread through the holes and tighten the ends up with nuts,  whalla....the skull is now tight and together.....then you can do what you want with the skull repair....I usually fill the brain cavity void with a Bondo Hair....(bondo with fiberglass already mixed in...Schucks has it), then mount.

[Stacked Rack]

Thanks olytax, sounds like a good way to add reinforcement, my biggest worry with such a heavy set of horns. I will do that. Thanks again

[Bondo, James Bondo]

I use the same general concept only instead of twisting wire I use extra large, heavy duty zip ties - the big, thick 3' long ones and fiberglass resin and cloth instead of epoxy.  This worked great on two 6 x 6 elk last fall.  The skull was thick enough to put 2 pins where the skull split was made.   For pins, I used a couple bolts double threaded on each end and just tapped 'em in slightly smaller holes.  This gave a little extra insurance as the weight of the horns will naturally want to fall away from the split in the skull.  I don't know if caribou skull is think enough for the pins, though.  I've never had to deal with a split caribou yet.  When reconnected fill the brain cavity with bondo to work against the horn weight.

[Stacked Rack]

Thank you for the info, I got set back by back injury for a while, hopefully will get to try a mix of all these methods I have had the privilege to learn when I finally get to caribou. Thanks again for all the great instruction all who replied!