I'm still a bit confused on attaching a pedestal mount to the tip of a shed antler ? What would some of you say the best way would be ? Thanks for any help.
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You're badly confused about the order of things. The "antler" has to be reenforced first off. The best bet it to run a rod up through the antler. This rod has to have some sort of mounting bracket on it. Personally, I run a rod up inside the form where I have imbedded a female pipe and secured the pipe to the backboard. There are a myriad of ways to make these attachments, but that all has to be done well before you start work on the mount itself.
Yes, thanks George, I realize this and am just trying to get it all sorted out before I start this mount.
I'm going to have the shed antler secured to my base and had thought to secure a rod coming out of the tip of the antler that the pedestal will attach to. Just wasn't sure what to put into the form that the rod could attach to ? Thought about the pipe thing, but wasn't sure how to secure the shed tip to the pedestal ?
The pedestal WILL have a board imbedded in it as someplace. What I did was find it and then take a spade bit to drill a perpendicular hole in the foam. I could have just imbedded a piece of square pipe in epoxy, but I just had to get fancy. I drilled 2 holes through that panel and into the pipe. I secured the pipe to the form and then poured foam to hide my dirty work.
On the tip of the small rod I had imbedded into the antler, I welded a smaller piece of square stock that matched the ID of the pipe I'd imbedded. When I mounted the dear, I just marked where the pipe was underneath the hide. On the third day when the hide paste was sure to be at least very tacky, I carefully pushed the brisket hair forward and cut my square hole in the hide. Then when the hide was completely dry and the head finished, my antler diorama was ready for it. I carefully lifted that same brisket hair and slid the pedestal down over the male end. When it finally seated, it appeared that the antler tip was just touching the hairs of the hide.
That seems to make sense. I'll try it and see how it works. Seems to be pretty straight forward. Thanks again George.