can someone tell me a good way to hold hide around elk antlers
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Don't pull the skin up to the base of the antlers it streches the hide and when it dries it will pull back down because of the hide is retracting back to it's normal position. If you pull the skin up past the antler base to the point you have extra skin. Then push the skin back down to where it needs to go at the antler base, you should have the skin loose so it is just about to bunch up before you push it down into place. What you are doing is taking pressure off the skin so when it dries it won't be streched and pull out of place. I hope I am explaining it okay. It works well. That is where mistakes are made by creating a spot for the skin to shrink instead of pushing it down to where it should be and keeping shrinkage to a minumum. I picked this tip up at a seminar about 10 years ago and it has worked great since. No pins staples or nails necessary. Just a little adhesive.
Dean's advice on a good glue is imperative. His method of bringing the skin up is also great, but sometimes still leaves you a little short.
When you have the hide in front of you, take a black marking pen and mark the point where the pedicel skin joins the scalp skin.
When I begin mounting, I start my sewing right at the marker line and move down the cape, leaving the pedicel alone. I insure that I've cinched the thread very tight at the marker line. When the sewing is done,I do not staple it to the form yet. I take epoxy hide paste and paint the antler pedicel up to the burr. I begin sewing from my marker point up to the the top. Then I pull the hair up under the burr. This may involve moving the whole neck cape up a bit, that's why I don't staple it.
Once the hair is up tight around the pedicel, I take a nylon electric wire tie and install it around the pedicel about a half inch down from the burr. A second wire tie can be used if necessary. Once both pedicels are snugged down, I taxi my neck skin and staple it. Then I work on the face.
I wait 24 hours before snipping off the electric ties so they don't compress the hair or the hide unnaturally. This insures that the epoxy is fully cured and the skin won't slide down the pedicel.