I am mounting a W/T Deer for a customer and he would like the antlers to be removable. Any ideas or instructions. Thanks
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There are metal pegs manufactured for just that purpose, that come withe male and female parts. Seems like Research Mannikins carries them, along with another supplier or two. Check out their catalogs.
We use them on the robotic deer we mount for the Conservation Department.
Thanks Vickie for the peg idea, now my Q is how i can line up the antlers so that i will not spoil the symmetry. I only have one chance at this.
Drill a hole into your antler and epoxy in a length of square stock steel. Once cured, slide some box tube over that. Get some so that the inside of the box tube is the same size as your solid stock. Drill a hole into the pedicle. Fill with epoxy and slide your box tube in place. Hold in perfect place until cured. Remove antlers at will =)
Fill the skull with bondo/resin or plaster or something and it will allow you to drill much deeper and be stronger. Plug all openings that lead to the outside with clay before filling. Also plug the end of your box tube with clay before epoxying in place - this will keep epoxy from getting up into your box tube and gluing the stock in place. As the fit will be tight - coating the stock with aseline will aid in sliding it down the tube as well as serve as a release agent should any epoxy sneak up in there.
Just another option for ya to consider =)
Thanks Raven for the info will give it a go in the AM.
are like that. One end is an open box, about 3" long and 1/2" wide (female part). The male part is a solid square rod with a screw on one end. Getting it aligned right is as Raven said...you pretty much have to have someone help out. We drill a hole into the antler larger than the screw, and bondo it in place, usually following the plane of the beam from the bottom of the burr, and from G1 to G2. Then, we plug the bottom end of the female end, and put it in the hole we drill in the top of the mannikin. We apply bondo all around it, then place the male end, which is sticking out of the end of the antler, into it and hold it steady until the bondo starts to firm up, then carefully remove the antlers (or you could just hold it until the bondo heats and cures...) I'm not sure what the directions say, but that's how we do it and it seems to work pretty well.