Any hunter, having shot a moose with beautiful, full horns, thinks before throwing out its skull. It is not uncommon to come across luxurious looking trophies that have been correctly designed. And then a similar question arises: "How to process elk antlers at home?" In principle, this is possible, but you need to adhere to a certain sequence of actions and working conditions. Each master is obliged to remember about safety precautions: when working with drugs, gloves, a mask or respirator, protective clothing (apron) should be worn. Which horns fit?
The choice of material for the trophy
The horns are the most impressive and recognizable part of the skull. According to them, you can determine the age of the animal and its type. At the age of two, "pipes" appear - the first horns of males, but the language does not dare to call them full-fledged horns. A trophy will not work out of them, and therefore the skull of a calf is difficult to use to make a commemorative decoration on the wall. Already at the age of 3, the horns begin to look like adults, but the peak of beauty is reached in a year.
There are several different types ungulates: bovids, whose horns do not branch, but grow all their lives, and bovids, which change them from time to time. Females of elk, like representatives of corpulent horns, do not have horns, but horns can be observed in bovids (cows, goats). Previously, the International Council of Hunters simply did not know how to evaluate such trophies, and therefore such skulls were simply not allowed to various exhibitions. However, in 1975 a special form for their assessment was developed, and the trophies began to participate in competitions and exhibitions.
Not every skull will fit
Suppose a hunter found horns in the forest, which for an unknown amount of time lay in the ground, washed by rains and were eaten by worms and rodents. Is this material suitable for a trophy? It is logical that no. Even the following elk antlers and skulls will not work:
- Damaged by any chemicals.
- Spoiled by rodents. If mice are found at the hunter's home, you need to follow this.
- With mechanical damage (scratches, broken off parts, cracks).
- Who have wintered at least one winter without an animal, in the grass.
In addition, due to the discontinued feeding of bones from a living animal, care must be taken that exposure to water does not make the horns a home for mold and does not damage their structure.
Preparatory work
The skull requires careful attitude - when removing skin, muscles, processing the eye sockets, in no case should you use a knife. In the photo there is an elk skull, as well as in real life, should look like a top-notch trophy, and therefore even a very small cut should not be inflicted. Fat, skin and meat are removed with the fingers, only the eyelids and tendons are cut off with a knife blade. The brain is removed through the occipital foramen: you need to beat it with a wire, then shake out the contents, removing especially large parts with tweezers. Then the skull is washed under a sufficiently strong stream of water.
You need to clean the dirt from the horns, but do it without water. Drying them and removing dust with a soft brush will be best. Then they can be polished with wax. Work is done with matter from a bike or any natural material... Put to the horns wooden coasters, made to fit their size and structure, but more on that later.
First of all, you need to remember that it is undesirable to wet the horns, but the skull needs to be boiled, and therefore it is worth taking care of the necessary vessel, where the skull will fully fit, but the horns will not be immersed in the liquid. Often for this, they are additionally attached from below to wooden planks that work like a raft. It will be nice to wrap the bottom with a dry cloth. The skull itself is poured cold water, and then bring it to a boil.
Water is needed without chlorine so that the fumes do not affect the bone (the surface does not darken and cracks do not appear), which means that tap water will not work. For these purposes, water is collected from a stream, a well, rain, melt or spring water will do - any, where there will be fewer impurities. How much do you need to cook an elk skull? Several hours, and during this time it is necessary to replenish the boiled water to the initial level. Then the future trophy is left for 8 hours in water with a temperature of about 10-20 degrees for 8 hours to cool it down.
Correct filing
After that, the skull is allowed to dry in the shade, but so that the sun's rays do not fall on it during the day. Then you can start filing the elk's skull. This is an important process, since the accuracy of future work depends on it, and it would be a shame to spoil everything almost at the very end. Unlike the skulls of rams, deer, goats, the elk is subject to filing so that it does not take the attention intended for the horns. As for the above animals, when processing these trophies, the lower part of the skull is left - the lower jaw contains teeth, which determine the age of the animal.
But back to the main topic of our article. You need to leave the eye sockets, intermaxillary and nasal bones. The entire lower part, both jaws, and the base of the skull are completely removed. To do this, it is immersed in water to the area where you need to make a saw, draw the border between dry and wet bone with a pencil. The saw is made with a surgical or carpentry saw, where the teeth are the smallest. They moisten the bone so that it does not crumble and crack, because then the integrity will be violated. A contaminated or greasy skull is washed in table salt or soda.
How to whiten a moose skull
There are several methods of whitening, but not every one can be reproduced without preparations prepared in advance. The most common is the preparation of a solution of ammonia (25%) and hydrogen peroxide (15%) in a 5: 1 ratio. The elk's skull itself is wrapped with cotton or cloth, tying it with a cord. The horns are left on outdoors, since they do not need to be bleached. The prepared solution is poured into a bowl and the skull is lowered there. The liquid level will be ideal if the skull is 2 cm below it. The horns follow, so there is no need to top up the solution. Keep for 20 hours.
Another version of the same method is the same cotton wrap, but preparing a slightly different solution. You need to soak cotton wool with water, which contains 7-10% hydrogen peroxide and 5 ml of 25% ammonia. You need to leave the vessel for 4 or 5 hours in a room where it is dark and there is no direct sunlight. There are more quick way: Soak the skull in 30% hydrogen peroxide for 15 minutes. After that, it is washed with water, while making sure that neither water nor solution gets on the horns.
Other methods of whitening
In the photo, the skull of an elk with horns, bleached in one way or another, looks presentable if the work is done carefully. The next method requires the master to do just that. Before bleaching, the trophy is soaked in water for 1-2 hours and boiled for several minutes. After that, the bone is dried and a previously prepared solution is applied to it. It contains 33% peroxide, chalk and magnesium in equal proportions (enough to get a creamy consistency). Leave for 10-20 hours in a damp place, and then clean it with a brush. Careless movement will cause the solution to spill onto the horns, which may leave discolored drops.
You can also boil the skull in a 25% solution of ammonia (250 cm 3 per 1 liter of water). Then 33% hydrogen peroxide is applied with a brush, and then dried. Each method has a right to exist, and each master is free to choose any of them, taking into account his own preferences.
The importance of degreasing
Making an elk skull (meaning an exhibition specimen) is a process that has certain nuances due to the fact that the trophy is designed for long-term service. He must serve as a decoration for more than one year, while being an impressive proof of the hunter's success. For this, such minor works like degreasing, cosmetics, polishing. Why is it important? All because of appearance whose presentability is invariably lost when exposed to air, sunlight, moisture and grease. The latter can be avoided by properly defatting before bleaching.
To remove fat from bone tissue, the bone is immersed in gasoline for a day. After that, put the skull in water and bring it to a boil. The horns are rubbed with a brush dipped in a weak solution washing powder... This method raises questions for many, since the horns should have been protected from liquid before. Well, the hunter can choose which opinion to hold: agree to the risk of mold, but remove possible dark spots fat that will appear over time, or not to risk it.
Final stage: polishing
To polish an elk skull with antlers, you need your own recipe. Here, too, there are several ways: take chalk and denatured alcohol in a 1: 2 ratio, apply to the fabric and wipe off all areas, grooves and folds with it. The second recipe is to use Viennese lime and powdered chalk in a 2: 1 ratio. The mixture is applied in the same way to the cloth and the surface of the skull is wiped with it. You can't try to rub the whole mixture into the bone - light movements will be enough.
At the same stage, you can add a shine or matte shade. For this, paraffin is rubbed on the surface of the bone with a thin layer. It is allowed to tint the antlers of the moose, but this must be done, being sure that the color will turn out to be natural. Unnaturally light horns will create the illusion of a fake, and ineptly colored ones will spoil the feeling of the trophy altogether. It is forbidden to cover the decoration with varnish. If the trophy is to go to an exhibition, you need to take into account the design rules and pay attention to the question of which dyes are strictly forbidden to use.
Mounts in the trophy
There is a method of making trophies from several animals at once: the horns of an elk are attached to the skull of an animal that has thrown off horns or does not have them at all. Then the skull is processed separately, which means that the process itself is not so tedious. For bleaching it is rubbed with 15% hydrogen peroxide. You can do it differently: wrap with gauze in several layers and heat to 70-80 degrees in the oven. Allow to cool and moisten several times in denatured alcohol, dry and clamp with yews. Make holes 5-6 mm in diameter, into which hemp is inserted - 3-4 cm hollow tubes. Horns are then inserted into them.
Further, the elk skull is treated with acetone, the outside is treated with hemp with clay, and from the inside - epoxy resin... The color of the horns and forehead, due to foreignness, can strongly contrast, and in order to smooth the impression, you need to lubricate the forehead with a mixture of clay, glue, chalk and nitro lacquer. The horns are attached with screws, which are then filled with glue, and the holes around the mounts are processed with acetone. The trophy is attached to the stand not with screws, but with wire.
What does an elk skull look like with the wrong stand? At least ridiculous. Please note that for trophies intended for wall decoration, a stand of a certain shape and style is made. First of all, keep in mind that the medallion must withstand heavy weight elk antlers. They will cope with this task wooden planks, the thickness of which will be about 4 cm. The structure is fastened to the wall with two brackets. The medallion is divided into two parts. The first is decorative, it goes around the skull and can be decorated in the form of patterns, leaves, tree bark and other details. It may not exist if the stand is to be simple, strictly executed.
The second part is where the skull is attached. It has no patterns and is strictly delineated according to the shape of the skull. The bone is fastened with wire, but there is another way. Massive moose antlers require strong attachment and wire may not be enough. For this, the skull is attached to the stand with self-tapping screws.
- After digestion, teeth may fall out. You can attach them in place with glue. The main thing is not to get confused where they should stand.
- Strongly light horns can be artificially darkened with alcohol infusion walnut or ordinary potassium permanganate. In order to avoid accidental ingestion of drugs on the skull, it is wrapped in a bag.
- The horns can be polished, but it is recommended to do this with fine sandpaper, not coarse.
Thus, each hunter can collect his own collection of handmade trophies. Especially high-quality works can participate in exhibitions and competitions, but for this you need to study the rules of such an event. In order not to forget the date and place of the triumph, you can engrave the name of the animal, the age and the place of the hunt on the stand.
Trophy horns - the pride of the hunter
As we mentioned in the first part about making hunting trophies, among the numerous trophy collections, the most valuable are the exhibits of ungulates, in particular skulls with horns. Such a trophy, and even an animal obtained with his own hand, is the pride of any hunter. Most often, for the manufacture of a trophy, the head is given to a specialist. But if desired, everyone can independently make a high-quality skull-trophy. This will be a huge additional reason to be proud of yourself, and for family budget- big savings.
As we mentioned in the first part, among the numerous trophy collections, the most valuable are the exhibits of ungulates, in particular the skulls with horns. Such a trophy, and even an animal obtained with his own hand, is the pride of any hunter. Most often, the head is placed in the hands of a specialist to make a trophy. But if desired, everyone can independently make a high-quality skull-trophy. This will be a huge additional reason to be proud of yourself, and for the family budget - a big savings.
A trophy exhibition is a way to show yourself as a hunter and see what others are worth
A bit of zoology
All ungulates are classified as bovids - bulls, yaks, aurochs, rams, goats, chamois, saigas, gazelles, antelopes and bovines (deer). Deer include fallow deer, reindeer, elk, muntzhak, white-tailed deer, musk deer, red deer.
A distinctive feature of full-horned ungulates is the presence of bony horns. Females of deer, elk, roe deer (except for females of reindeer) have no horns.
Full-horned ungulates are the most coveted trophies
The second stage is the removal of the brain. To do this, you need to take the wire, twist it into a spiral and insert it into the hole in the back of the head. The brain is shaken up with a wire and taken out through this hole. The remains are removed with long tweezers. Then through it it is necessary to rinse it many times under a strong stream of water.
Water must be taken from rain, spring, brook, thawed water - without the slightest chemical impurities and chlorine. Otherwise, the skull and horns can change color, lose attractiveness, and even collapse with prolonged boiling.
For cooking, you need to take such a vessel so that the skull fits there completely. It must be poured with cold water and put on fire. At the same time, the horns of roe deer, deer, elk themselves should not come into contact with water. To do this, a transverse plank is tied to them, and the lower part must be wrapped with dry cloth.
Digestion of the skulls of small animals is carried out in one step, until the muscles and tendons move away from the bones. This can take several hours. Boiling water must be constantly replenished to the original level - carefully add boiling water along the walls of the container so that splashes do not fall on the horns. After digestion, the skull is left to cool in water for 8 hours. At the same time, the water temperature is not higher than 20 and not lower than 10 degrees. Then take out the skull and let it dry in the shade, without hitting the sun's rays.
Trophy moose antlers - exhibition samples high class
Skull filing
This is a very crucial stage, because it will be a shame to spoil the trophy after the most unpleasant operations have been completed.
Rule 1. Skulls of deer, rams and goats are not subject to sawing.
The fact is that a trophy with teeth is very valuable, because the age of the animal can be determined by the wear of the teeth. For these ungulates, the lower jaw is attached to the upper part with a wire or string.
Rule 2. If the antlers are very massive - in an elk or red deer, then the base of the skull and teeth are removed - the nasal, intermaxillary bones and eye sockets are left.
Sawing off the base of the skull should be performed using a carpentry or better - a surgical saw with fine teeth. In this case, the saw line is set as follows: the skull must be immersed in water so that the necessary parts remain above the surface. Then carefully remove the skull and mark the water level with a pencil, along this line sawdust will be made.
It is imperative to do it in a wet state of the skull so that it does not crumble.
If, after cooking, the skull remains dirty, then it must be washed with water with the addition of table salt or soda. Then clean from greasy stains - with the help ammonia, can be wiped with chloroform, in extreme cases - with gasoline or pharmacy ether.
Skull whitening
This is the stage of preparing the trophy for show condition. In order to whiten the bone qualitatively, the entire skull is wrapped with cotton wool and tied with a cord. At the same time, the horns remain open. If the bone is small, you can not wrap it up. Next, in a closed container, dilute a 25% ammonia solution with hydrogen peroxide (15%). The ratio of the components is 5 to 1. All this should be done with gloves, glasses and a breathing mask. The wrapped skull must be carefully poured with this solution (2 cm higher, but without affecting the horns). The exposure time is 15 hours for small skulls and 20 for large ungulates.
Skull polishing
This is the last procedure in the making. For polishing use the following mixture: 2 parts Viennese lime and 1 part powdered chalk. It should be applied with a clean, dry cloth and easily rubbed over the entire surface and all grooves. Second recipe: 1 part crayon to 2 parts denatured alcohol. If you like the matte shine of the bone, treat the skull with paraffin, gently rubbing it into the thinnest layer.
By the way, when participating in exhibitions of hunting trophies, the use of light cosmetics is allowed.
If the horns are very light, then they can be darkened - rubbed with a solution of potassium permanganate or alcoholic infusion of walnut shells. This should be done, adhering to a sense of proportion - too much potassium permanganate will simply ruin the horns. So that the skull itself does not suffer, it is wrapped in a plastic bag. The horns should be polished with soft fine sandpaper.
If the skull was supposed to be made with teeth, sometimes they fall out during digestion. They must be inserted into place and fastened with quick-setting glue or eco-oxide.
Even at exhibitions, it is allowed to show exhibits with imitation of a skull - made of wood, clay, plastic, plaster or metal. There are no special rules here, the main thing is that the stand is visually similar in shape to the skull or head of an animal.
Processing of skulls without horns
It also allows the option when the horns are exposed with the skull of another animal. For example, a deer's antlers are on. For this purpose and many collectors there are a couple of prepared skulls with hemp. Such skulls are prepared according to all the rules from the animals that have already been thrown off. Before the last stage of processing, special fasteners are inserted into the hemp, on which the horns will be attached.
Patterned decoration on the skull is a rare but very valuable way to present a trophy
Skulls without horns can be whitened more in a simple way than with horns.
After boiling and cleaning, the bone is treated with a 15% hydrogen peroxide solution. Or another way is to wrap the skull natural fabric- it is possible with gauze in several layers and placed in the oven, where I slowly heat it up to 70-80 degrees for several minutes. Further, after cooling, the fabric is alternately moistened with a solution of soda and denatured alcohol - so 2-3 times. Then the skull is dried, clamped in a vice and the lower part of the skull is cut out. In place of the stumps, holes of 6 mm are drilled - there, in the future, horns will be attached. Hollow tubes in the form of hemp, 3-4 cm long, are inserted into these holes.
Next, the skull must be thoroughly wiped with acetone, the base of the hemp must be sealed with clay on the outside, and with epoxy resin or any water-repellent glue from the inside. After 24 hours, the clay must be removed with a damp cloth, the skull must be thoroughly cleaned, dried and the joints covered transparent glue... The transition from the forehead to the horns must be carefully processed - to make the transition as natural as possible. For this, a mixture of clay, chalk, nitro varnish and glue is prepared. The horns are secured with screws that are inserted into the drilled base. Be sure to treat the hole with acetone for degreasing and fill the screw with glue. The skull is attached to the stand with a wire.
Video - deer antlers
Elk antlers - video from home collection
The first regional Kamchatka exhibition of hunting trophies - 2015
related posts from this section
Vos 15-01-2013 06:17
Good afternoon. I ask for advice from knowledgeable people... In the fall, a moose was taken, I took the horns with a part of the skull and skin. Scrubbed as much as I could the meat and fat between the skin and bone. I poured this case several times. He removed the old salt and poured new salt between the skull and skin. As a result, everything was thoroughly salted and dried. There is some space between the skin and the skull that suits me. I plan to drill holes in the bones and insert nuts with washers for the fastening screws into this space. But here's the moment - the edge of the skin bent ugly and I would like to soak it somehow in order to bend it as I need it. How to make the skin soft again and then how to preserve it again?
And one more question: what should be done with the horns already mounted on the medallion? Those. can sprinkle or spray a skin or a skull with something?
Naur 15-01-2013 07:19
Initially, the skin had to be removed and dressed.
The only option is to soak the skin and remove it until it is completely stiff. over time, the kozheedy will devour. As you find another skin, after dressing, glue it as needed.
Another option is to put a plastic headband.
Ruslan33 15-01-2013 10:30
The skin is still not enough. But as an option, after shooting the native skin, reduce the frontal bone from the occipital and nasal sides. Then cut out the base according to the shape of the resulting forehead, fix it with self-tapping screws, fill the voids with foam and then just glue the skin and wrap the edges to the base and fix it with staples with using a furniture stapler and, if you wish, make a medallion.
taxsidermist 15-01-2013 16:48
I would also recommend using a plastic headband and medallion.
Ruslan33 15-01-2013 18:09
You can still advise and use fake fur is inexpensive and no one will eat it. In the photo of the antlers of a sika deer, the skull is cut to the maximum, there are almost only antlers left, the rest of the volume is brought in the way I described and the outside is pasted over with fake fur. According to the budget, the whole event will be around 500 r ...
Vos 15-01-2013 21:45
Che 100% kozheedy gobble up? They are found everywhere and there is nothing to scare them away?
VitMan66 15-01-2013 21:45
The question is not the topic, can you paint the horns or not?
Vos 16-01-2013 02:47
For example, if I stupidly put salt between the skin and the skull and hang the horns in this form - what will the kozheedy start anyway?
oos 16-01-2013 08:03
quote: The question is not the topic, can you paint the horns or not?
If necessary, you can. A small nuance - if the horns are trophy and you plan to measure and expose them, then it is better not to tint the horns, if only for use in domestic conditions, then paint at least in "gold"))
taxsidermist 16-01-2013 10:46
oos 16-01-2013 12:10
quote: And you can simply tint with a steep solution of potassium permanganate.
Or water stain JUST a steep solution of potassium permanganate is difficult to use due to the SIMPLEness or even the impossibility of acquiring it in pharmacies.
Ruslan33 16-01-2013 14:18
And for shine, they still wax (do not varnish).
VitMan66 16-01-2013 16:29
Damn it, the horns are awesome, and I've already smeared them with potassium permanganate. These horns can't be measured anymore?
Ruslan33 16-01-2013 17:17
At the expense of the Russian rules, I can not say 100% - trophybook.ru there you can see, according to the method (sci) like this:
Vos 16-01-2013 18:37
Not 100 percent, of course, but 99 for sure that some kind of reptile will encroach on the untreated skin. In general, kozheedy really love salty, salt is just a preservative, not an insecticide. And the moth will happily chill the hair ...
Vlad V 16-01-2013 18:54
Comrades, there is such a thing. Not a hunter even once, got a good moose horn on the occasion of the mount. But! He's fucking white. Those. For some reason, the old owner cleaned it with a brush to whiteness ((Potassium permanganate will restore the color exactly? How else can you return the natural color and appearance?
Give advice, please.
oos 16-01-2013 19:05
Ruslan33 16-01-2013 19:25
quote:
and after tinting, rummage slightly with a little bit - all the bumps will become lighter.
VitMan66 16-01-2013 20:37
ivan44 16-01-2013 20:50
quote: How else can you restore the natural color and appearance?
I tried oil thin. paints. Hover desired color, if necessary, thin slightly and apply to the horns. Then take a cloth, moisten it with solvent and rub the horns in the right places. It turns out quite naturally.
Vlad V 16-01-2013 20:54
Thanks for the advice, I'll try.
Vos 17-01-2013 12:40
I repeat, otherwise my topic was interrupted:
quote: Originally posted by oos:
Not 100 percent, of course, but 99 for sure that some kind of reptile will encroach on the untreated skin. In general, kozheedy really love salty, salt is just a preservative, not an insecticide. And the moth will happily chill the hair ...
And then why go there to fall asleep to scare away the reptile? Can sprinkle with borax (brown)?
oos 17-01-2013 07:42
quote: And then why go there to fall asleep to scare away the reptile? Can sprinkle with borax (brown)?
The skin had to be SHOOTED initially, the bone should ideally be pulled out, sprinkling with salt and borax does not give any guarantee of safety.
Remember what I explained earlier - the skin (or scalp) is now actually connected to the skull in 2 places - around both horns. The rest is completely detached from the skull and hangs down. The surface of the skull is cleaned under the skin. The surface of the hide is also scraped off as much as possible.
Ruslan33 18-01-2013 09:10
Skin it and skin it, it's not too late.
Vos 18-01-2013 18:43
Damn what stubborn taxidermists are. How to make it? In a nutshell simplest option? Or sit down for a search?
oos 18-01-2013 20:54
quote: What _can_ be done under the given conditions (i.e. without completely skinning).
After all, you yourself chopped off the frontal bone to the very minimum, preserved the skin in such an "elegant" way - when you thought, there were some - how to complete this whole thing. Or, on a whim? It's always like this - "crazy people" on the hunt They will "screw up" the trophy and then carry it to the "stubborn" taxidermist: "Do it. You're an artist. Measure seven times - cut once - that's really true.
DemaWG 18-01-2013 23:51
there is such a drug, Likva tan, in this case it will go very well ... it makes the skin without removing it, and a special dye from my assortment will go for the horns ...
Vos 19-01-2013 22:19
quote: Originally posted by oos:
Is it possible to wear pants over your head? Theoretically, YES!
Soaking the skin, separating it from the pitiful stub of the frontal bone COMPLETELY and making it, if of course the skin is still suitable for this, is the simplest plan of action (do not ask the current how to DO it).
After all, you yourself chopped off the frontal bone to the very minimum, preserved the skin in such an "elegant" way - when you thought, there were some - how to complete this whole thing. Or, on a whim? It's always like this - "crazy people" on the hunt They will "screw up" the trophy and then carry it to the "stubborn" taxidermist: "Do it. You're an artist. Measure seven times - cut once - that's really true.
Don't get so excited. Do you ever hunt? I mean real hunting, without guides, huntsmen, etc. And when you don't know whether there will be a trophy and whether you will be the shooter who took it. So I didn't know. Therefore, for me it was a complete surprise and, excuse me, we do not have taxidermists in our group. Someone said "cut out with a piece of skull, pickle and hang on the wall!" So they cut it out. And how to do it right - who knows? So that's it. And mind you - I did not bring it to you, so there is no need to transfer feelings to your clients here.
oos 19-01-2013 22:46
quote: Don't get so excited. Do you ever hunt? I mean real hunting, without guides, huntsmen, etc.
Dear, Do not get excited. NEVER used guides or huntsmen in my hunting practice. On the contrary, for several years in a row I took part in organizing hunts for foreigners. Perhaps I will not pretend to be a hunting guru, but I will competently remove the skin from any animal. In general, EVERY hunter should know HOW CORRECTLY to process his legally obtained trophy, at least in theory. . I wanted to learn and learn, I began to practice, "shovel" literature, which is enough with today's Internet access.
About feelings for OUR clients. Say THANK YOU to your advisers who "contribute" frankly (my personal opinion) to RUN YOUR trophy. And it was possible to do a cool thing. Judging by the diameter of the rosettes, the horns are worthy.
You have been given enough advice, so there is no point in polemics.
Vos 19-01-2013 23:25
Everything, I understand you. Let's listen to other people who, as it turned out, also have good advice.
Dersu Uzala 20-01-2013 19:57
Do not fool the person's head.
Household aerosols from cockroaches (only in the annotation you need to see that they are long-lasting), for example, "Raptor", perfectly help from the attack of insects. Processing once a year and ANY insect will not fly close to the stuffed animal. In any case, for 28 years now, an owl (the oldest of all) has not been flown to an owl.
Ruslan33 20-01-2013 21:45
quote: household aerosols from cockroaches help
-cool!
quote: Do not fool the person's head.- he asked for advice himself. Do you want to say that insects will not get there with such a treatment? in the form in which the skull with horns and rags of skin now looks is not aesthetically pleasing and the salty skin, in addition to everything, when the temperature and humidity conditions change, it will "play" and "cry" with salty "tears." it will be covered with crystals of salt or always damp around the skin.
Dersu Uzala 22-01-2013 08:58
Ruslan, I watched your work and I respect you very much as a master, but when you were still writing in diapers, I already knew how to make stuffed animals. Yes it was grandfather's methods wrapping, but Sokolov and others like them were not yet there. There were no chemicals, no artificial eyes, no mannequins ... there was nothing but aluminum wire, cotton wool and great desire
So, since then, I have been saving my collection in this way. By the way, after 5 years of annual treatments, you can no longer process - FOS eats into feathers and fur and moths with skin-eaters are no longer interested in stuffed animals.
Although I will join the majority and also recommend an artificial forehead and artificial fur
Ruslan33 22-01-2013 14:10
Dersu Uzala, mannequins, artificial eyes and all the more chemicals were and were used by masters not only when I wrote in a diaper, but even long before my and your birth. Look at the history of taxidermy in Russia at your leisure. Due to the use of insect aerosols, I did not say that you can not use them, please for preventive purposes. Your work is something invisible.
Dersu Uzala 22-01-2013 20:06
quote: Your work is something invisible.
I am humble
If everything was so rosy in the USSR, then why are all local history museums filled with Pokemon. Including Darwinovsky in Moscow (not the whole assortment of course, but there are).
By the way, in the same Darwin Museum in the dashing 90s, I often smelled dichlorvos.
Ruslan33 22-01-2013 20:21
I myself am a museum worker. And once a month (cleaning day) I squeeze every scarecrow in the exposition with dichlorvos, + we spread naphthalene pills, but again for the sake of prevention. Regarding Pokemon, not everywhere is as bad as you think, museums with good leaders and masters acquired good scarecrows Made on papier-mache mannequins. Our museum has a far from poor collection of large animals made in the late 70s. And Pokemon are also found because the stuffed animal is very old or the animal is rare and the main function of any museum is to collect and then demonstrate to the public. And let's finish this flood, there is a special topic for him. Then the person asked what he should do - he was given food for thought in 3 variants.
How to process horns?
Ossified horns of artiodactyls such as deer, elk or roe deer are unique and valuable hunting trophies that can decorate any corner of the interior. To process the horns, the horns must first of all be intact and dry, without any special defects, cracks, chips, etc.
In order for the hunting trophy from the horns to be preserved, it must be properly processed. This article is devoted to the story of how to treat horns at home with improvised means.
Materials for processing horns:
- The horns of artiodactyls (deer, elk, ram, roe deer)
- Saline solution
- Emery cloth for grinding
- Felt and alcohol stain.
First of all, trophy horns must be separated from the skull, if present. In order to avoid damage to the horns, it is necessary to separate as carefully as possible.
Next, you need to clean the horns from soft tissues and unnecessary fragments. Also, the damaged areas should be eliminated, while maintaining the proportionality of the horns. Next, the second step is to soak the trophy horns in a saline solution.
This process must be mandatory as the horns must be disinfected. After disinfection, the horns must be placed in a saturated solution of salt for at least 2 days. When placing the horns in the solution, its temperature should be 50-70 degrees.
Next, you should remove the trophy horns from the saline solution, rinse it to remove various fragments and dry them, for example, using a drying chamber. If you do not have a drying chamber, then the horns can be dried in any closed room at a constant temperature of at least 27 degrees. Dried antlers should lie in a cool dry place for at least 10 days before processing.
The third thing is that trophy horns must be polished to give them a souvenir look. The grain for grinding on emery cloth should be selected as small as possible. Then, after roughly sanding the horns and removing all flaws, you need to polish the horns. The material for polishing the horns is velvet and felt.
The fourth thing to do is to soak the treated horns with a stain, preferably alcohol. To obtain a natural shine, it is better not to varnish the horns. But if you have badly damaged or old horns you can apply varnishing.
Interior
The horns of animals can be strengthened by different surfaces eg on a wall, on various medallions or stands.
Antler mounts can be made different types and shapes. The material for the coasters can be made of birch or birch burl. When making crafts, you should take into account the dimensions of the stand in proportion to the trophy horns. The material for the stand is dry wood without damage and untouched by birds and insects.
Finished coasters can be treated with paints and varnishes in dark brown or light light, periodically sanding the surface until matt appears.
Speaking of medallions, they are mainly used for large antlers, such as a large elk, deer or wild ram. The medallion is based on more durable materials - beech, birch, oak. You should also take into account the shape of the medallion, they must correspond to the size of the trophy horns and be in harmony with the surrounding interior.
Following the above scheme, the horns can retain their natural appearance, and beautifully blend in with the interior of the hunter's house or hut!
In addition to the meat and skin of the hunted animal, its horns are of a certain value. Many hunters decorate their hunting rooms with them, but there are many who collect them and even participate in large exhibitions of hunting trophies. But even before proceeding with the special processing of the trophy, the hunter must take care of it at the hunting site.
Most often, without having certain knowledge, the hunter incorrectly separates the horns from the skull or does not protect them during transportation. And often beautiful horns deteriorate due to these defects, since there are generally accepted international requirements for any hunting trophies. In this article, we are in general outline Consider the primary methods of processing trophy and, in particular, the horns of male roe deer.
There are two methods of primary harvesting of a trophy from the horns of a "goat". The horns of the harvested roe deer are separated together with upper parts skull from the end of the nasal bones through the middle of the eye sockets to the occipital ridge. Then the bones of the skull are necessarily boiled down and bleached. In the second method, the horns of the male roe deer are not sawed off from the skull, but processed together with it. When saving the skull, it is lowered into a bowl of cold water and put on the fire (in no case should the skull be immersed in boiling water). A board or stick is attached to the horns, which is placed on the edges of the dishes so that the horns do not submerge in water. The lower part of the horns is wrapped with a rag to avoid the effect of boiling water and steam on them. During cooking, tendons and cuts of meat are constantly removed from the skull with a scraper or tweezers. Foam and dirt are removed from boiling water. The duration of the boil of the skull is 1.5-2 hours. But it is better to be guided by the slight lag of meat from bones. If this is observed, then the cooking should be stopped. Next, the skull is lowered into a clean cold water for cooling. After that, the final cleaning of the trophy begins, which is better to entrust to a specialist. If there is none nearby, then you can try to make a trophy yourself. Of course, the quality of such a trophy cannot be high, even if you own excellent horns of the captured "goat". It should immediately be noted that, according to international rules, only those horns are considered a trophy, which are obtained directly in the process of hunting, in a timely manner and in a permitted manner. The discarded horns or horns of fallen animals, whatever quality they may have, are not trophies.
After boiling and cooling, the remaining tendons are scraped off the skull with a scalpel or sharp knife... The skull is cleaned of brains and films and dried in the shade. If the bones remain greasy stains, then they are removed using a 10% solution of ammonia, in which the skull is immersed for a day. You can wipe the greasy areas several times with cotton wool dipped in ether, gasoline. The fastest way to whiten the skull is to boil for 5-15 minutes. in a 25% solution of ammonia. In this case, the horns should not touch the water. At the end of boiling, a 30% solution of hydrogen peroxide is applied to the hot bones with a brush several times and the skull is dried.
After whitening, only light cosmetics of the horns and skull are allowed. The coating of the horns with varnish and other dyes is not permitted. The tips of the horns can be polished white with fine sandpaper. To give shine, dry horns are coated with a brush with paraffin dissolved in gasoline. After the solution has dried, the horns are brushed to the desired shine. If there are roughness on the skull, then they are removed with fine sandpaper and wiped with chalk powder dissolved in denatured alcohol. Talc is applied to a clean rubbed bone and covered with a thin layer of a liquid solution of colorless varnish or the bones are wiped with cotton wool soaked in varnish.
The horns processed in this way with parts of the skull or together with the skull are fixed on supports of arbitrary shape. Most often, the stands are shaped like a shield. The stands are made of hardwood. Plank stands obtained from an oblique cut of a Karelian birch trunk are highly valued. The thickness of the coasters ranges from 2-4 cm. The wood is usually polished.
Stands made of birch burl are no less durable and aesthetic. It is difficult to process, but polished has a beautiful patterned structure.
After the support is made, the frontal bone is aligned so that it fits snugly against the plane of the support.
The trophy is attached to the stand with screws from the back. Usually, a metal plate is attached to the trophy, on which the name of the animal, the year and place of extraction, the surname, name and patronymic of the owner of the trophy are engraved. Trophies are regarded as works of art and require constant attention. They must be protected from dust, moisture and mold.