Bear Skull Mounted To Plaque

[Phil]

I thought I'd show off my skull mount that I've been working on since I shot my spring bear. I wanted to to do something unique that had a little bling to it.

I made a mold of the shape of the plaque that I wanted out of wood and cast it in sand and poured it out of aluminum. I am very pleased with the end result and plan on doing a few others the same.



http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t169/mbspr/IMG_0488.jpg?t=1190426780


http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t169/mbspr/IMG_0486.jpg?t=1190426876


http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t169/mbspr/IMG_0485.jpg?t=1190426922


http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t169/mbspr/IMG_0489.jpg?t=1190426954

[fuzzwilkens]

that's pretty awesome Phil. it looks very good

[newhunterette]

looks very cool Phil - nice job :)

[BCBear]

Very unique Phil. Can't wait to get my skull on a plaque like that!:smile:

[Allen50]

i think that is cool, neat mount..

[Will]

Yep......Looks Great ! :cool:

[huntwriter]

That looks really great Phil. Job well done!:cool:

[RMG]

Sweet, very nicely done.

[3kills]

looks good for sure...

[pitdog]

That is one of nicest mounts I have ever seen. Great job on the casting.

[Mr. Dean]

Bring it over... I got's BEER!

[newhunterette]

PARTY @ MR DEAN'S HOUSE

[Phil]

Thanks for all the positive comments guys and gals.


Mr Dean, I'll take you up on your offer for beer one of these days when the wife releases me from slavery:-D

[Mr. Dean]

Thanks for all the positive comments guys and gals.


Mr Dean, I'll take you up on your offer for beer one of these days when the wife releases me from slavery:-D

I read; she's met me... and now you're BANNED! :lol:


This ain't the 1st time. :roll:


:mrgreen:

[srupp]

Well done.

Steven

[bsa30-06]

nice job....i like the reflection of the skull in the plaque.

[Phil]

I read; she's met me... and now you're BANNED! :lol:


This ain't the 1st time. :roll:


:mrgreen:


Nope. I'm kissing ass to make up for the last few hunting trips and the several more I have planned this year. I finished the roof over the deck and now she wants walls and a new kitchen:shock: This should buy me lots of time off.

[ribber]

Super cool job , Phil, great setting:)

[Mr. Dean]

Thread-jack OUT.

Serious though, I would like to see it. Lemme know when the ass kissing is complete.

[Wildman]

Looks good Phil!

[Barracuda]

looks very nice . how did you cast the aluminium? details? what did you use as a furnace etc .

[Phil]

looks very nice . how did you cast the aluminium? details? what did you use as a furnace etc .

I have a natural gas Speedy Melt Furnace that heat to about 2200 degrees. I Melt down old Briggs engines and whatever other scrap I can get my hands on.

I made the mold from MDF board and made sure there was approx. 4 degrees of relief all around to make the release smooth. I cast it in petrobond red sand in a two part box (cope and drag). Once pouring is complete I begin the rough reshaping to remove casting blemishes. I disc sand and drum sand all the edges to reshape and then run the whole thing through an automatic surface sander (designed for wood) untill it is smooth and blemish free (as much as possible). I then use a dual action body sander to sand it completely smooth (80 grit to 400). From there I polish the top with a buffing wheel using tripouli and rouge polish. I then router the top edge with a carbide router bit (1/4 round) and repolish. Mother's aluminum polish the whole thing and then I also use a good quality auto motive wax to protect the shine ( I forget the name). I drill the hole in the plaque for the support pin specifally centered for the skull size. The support pin is made of 1/2 inch aluminum rod with threads cut to 1/2 NC. The hole in the plaque is also drilled and tapped to 1/2 inch NC. The support pin is polished and a 1 inch by 3 inch plate is tiged on to the top at an appropriate angle to make the skull sit naturally. I then epoxy the pin and plate to the underside of the skull. When the epoxy is hard I thread the pin onto the plaque and sit back and enjoy.

I've completed two skulls in this fashion now and am working on three others in a European mount for deer skulls.

Hope the explanation made sense. Feel free to ask for clarification.

[Derek_Erickson]

Looks great, good job!

[Franko Manini]

Phil,

What process did you use to de-flesh and bleach the noggin?

[Greenstone]

Very cool indeed! Very nice work.

[Phil]

Phil,

What process did you use to de-flesh and bleach the noggin?


That part was a bit of mess as I didn't follow the instructions given to me exactly but I did learn a lot. I boiled it it for a few hours and stripped it of flesh then soaked it for a month in water and washed it off once a week and changed the water. I then soaked it in white gas for a month. I washed it off in water and submerged it in 10 volume peroxide for a week and glued in the teeth.

[sawmill]

That is one of nicest mounts I have ever seen. Great job on the casting.

What he said!!