I have a whitetail mount from 1910 that is in bad shape. The nose is falling apart and the seam in the back of the head has come apart(2 to 3 inch gap).There is grey material falling out.At first I thought it was dust but it apears to be clay from inside the ears. One eye is loose.It has been hanging in my parents garage for 35 years with no care and i cant see my grandfather doing anything with it before. It looks ok until you get close to the nose and you can not see the split in the back of the head when it is on the wall. Can the nose and split be repaired without destroying the mount? Thankyou in advance.
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I am not sure if it is repairable without seeing it. But you need to be careful due to the age. They used to use arsenic in mounts back thenm as a bug proofer. So be careful breathing the dust you mentioned. It could be a clay but better to be safe than sorry.
Todd B
And also asbestos.
Remove the antlers and remount the deer. That's what everyone WANTS to tell you. Seldom is any repair to an old hide effective and if the animal is to be held in a place of honor, the least you can do is give it a facelift. Methods and procedures of a century ago can be outdone by do-it-yourselfers today. Remount it and never look back. You'll be much happier.