What is a good glue to use to keep the cape from slipping away from the antler burr? I used a two part epoxy around the antler burr and hide paste for the rest of the deer but the epoxy does not seem to set up very good?
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If you comercial tan your capes, the cape has been thinned where the skin goes around the antler burr. I use a roll of apoxie sculpt around the pedical of the skull plate under the antler burr. This rebuilds the skin that has been removed, not only will this fill in. it will lock the skin in place when to pull your stitches tight. Make sure you use hide paste over the apoxie sculpt and once you get the stitches past the Y you can smooth out the apoxie through the skin. Works great with elk and other antlered animals.
id suggest when you make your first stitch dont make the first one a single stitch
loop it short and make sure the tread goes through the all game or whatever your using
then make another stitch to finish the first wrap around the base
if you do this and its tight it will most likely not move
on elk and such i dremmel little grooves into the base to give the all game some tooth to hold on to
on deer i find i usually dont need to
paul e
I use a air nailer and put about 12 nails in to each burr. It will never move.
Don, what kind of nails do you use?
Roofing nails work good. Just glue some old hair on the heads and you will never see it. Do it all the time.
When mounting I place a small amount of clay around the antler burrs then after I have sewn it together. I take my trusty upholstery stapler and shoot one staple on the side under the antler burr and one on the front under the antler burr. They just do not move. When the mount is dry remove them. Some things aren't that hard to fix.
I'm guessing you are pulling the skin up to the burr. Doing this you are streching the hide and it will pull away on you when it dries. You need to pull the skin up past the burr then push it back down to the burr to take the tension off the skin. If the skin is relaxed and not streched when putting it in place it will not pull out. A hide paste will help it stay in place but no nailes are neeeded. It just makes more work. Also the skin doesn't just but into the antler at the back side of the pedical. The skin has a fold at the base of the pedical and then the skin goes up to the burr. This also is a reason why it pulls on you.
Jeff,no need to put 12 nails in each antler burr or wait for epoxies to set up. First make sure you replace lost muscle tissue along each side and in back under antler burr with clay. I leave about 3/8" of bone showing depending on how thick your cape is shaved there. Next I make two stiches using 30lb Berkely Fireline for thread. Make sure skin is trimmed around bases if necessary to get a good tight fit. Next loosen stitches a bit to leave an opening. Then I shoot some zap-a-gap or any super glue gel around the base and down the front a little on the dry bone that's showing. Then pull your stiches tight cinching skin up against bottom of antler base. Then I put pressure around base with fingers and modeling tool for about 45 seconds.That's it. That skin is locked down for good. It will not move through the whole drying process. I pickle and liqua-tan my capes.I've never had one pull away yet. No nails or stapels. Any one else out there use this method?
I use Killer glue. dry in 6 hours. hard as a rock. and will act as a filler to replace thinning. Just that easy.
I do just what Mike said with no problems!
USE EPOXY PASTE, CURES IN THREE HOURS AND CLEANS UP NICE.NEVER HAD ONE SLIP SINCE I USED THIS AND THERES NO NAILS OR ANY OF THAT EXTRA STUFF TO DEAL WITH.
Jeff, First, go back and reread Dean's answer. One thing to watch for that will doom your mount is leaving too much bone on the skull plate which places the antler bases too far back. This is a very common mistake people make. Now, you must thin the skin down well-most people mount their capes with the skin too thick. The thicker the skin the more it will pull. Build up the area below the burrs with clay but leave the skull bare right around the burrs about 1/4"-this is where the very edge of the cape skin fits.Epo-Grip over the clay. Start sewing and be sure that very edge fits into the bare slot below the burrs. After all sewing taxi the skin toward the burrs a little to be certain there is no pulling against the stitching and with your fingers model the clay on the skull cap to get a smooth finish. Do these things and you will not have future problems. Enjoy, Aaron H.
in McKenzie's whitetail mounting basics video. You MUST set the skull plate in the correct position for the cape. If you are stretching the skin TO the burrs, you are going to have many problems. Test fit the face and locate the eye before sculpting. Then place the skull cap and check for easy fit to burrs. If you must pull the cape to the burrs, remove some foam to bring the antlers foreward into the face. You should always have a little excess skin, never tight anywhere. If skin is tight, you are doing something wrong as far as positioning, mannikin size..etc.
is what i use over the claywork to rebuild the tissue. Its thick and dries in a couple of ours and have not had any move since switching.
After you sew up the incision, using an awl or a pick pull the skin away from the base just far enough to fit the tip of the super glue bottle into. Apply super glue all the way around each base. Then use the awl to push the skin up tight to the bur. I've never had one pull away with this method. I also use a small dab of super glue on the knots after sewing. With fireline, knots can come undone under stress. The glue prevents that.
I put a glob of buckeye hide paste between the eyes on the forehead. After super glueing the antler bases to the cape, I work that resivior of glue up between the antler bases and back along the seam. The super glue seals it so that the glue does not squirt out arond the bases.
If you all were to try this tchnique you'll never go back to your way.