Skull to shield

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wildfowler.250

wildfowler.250

Well-Known Member
Folks, I wanted to pick some brains on this,(no pun intended).

I was speaking to a taxidermist about fixing a skull to a shield a year or two ago and he suggested a block of wood,(presumably pretty small) in the skull cavity and add car polyfilla? Is this fairly straightforward? I take it you wouldn’t need a lot of the stuff? I’m worried about it running down the nose and everything.

Previously, I’ve drilled I pilot hole through the shield and into the flat bit between the the skull cavity and the teeth. However, I’ve found that one or two of the skulls move/swing left and right when I take them on and off the wall and the teeth have scratch the shield.

Any recommendations would be appreciated. I’ve got a couple of older shields that I can have a practice with but then I’ve ordered a nice one which I’d rather not mess up 😂


Thanks!


Edit, I’ve also started doing them long nose so hopefully they’ll sit nicer, less issues with the teeth and a larger skull cavity to fill..
 
16841393216956660014935166778762.webpFor a long nose cut, use a small self tapping screw as per photo. You'll need to drill a clearance hole in the skull though.
 
wildfowler.250 said:
Folks, I wanted to pick some brains on this,(no pun intended).

I was speaking to a taxidermist about fixing a skull to a shield a year or two ago and he suggested a block of wood,(presumably pretty small) in the skull cavity and add car polyfilla? Is this fairly straightforward? I take it you wouldn’t need a lot of the stuff? I’m worried about it running down the nose and everything.

Previously, I’ve drilled I pilot hole through the shield and into the flat bit between the the skull cavity and the teeth. However, I’ve found that one or two of the skulls move/swing left and right when I take them on and off the wall and the teeth have scratch the shield.

Any recommendations would be appreciated. I’ve got a couple of older shields that I can have a practice with but then I’ve ordered a nice one which I’d rather not mess up 😂


Thanks!


Edit, I’ve also started doing them long nose so hopefully they’ll sit nicer, less issues with the teeth and a larger skull cavity to fill..
Click to expand...
That's exactly right. Any polyfiller will do though. Fettle the rectangular piece of wood so that it will just squeeze through the gap into the brain cavity and then turn it through 90 degrees so that it can't then pull out. Remove wood. Add a load of self mixed filler into the brain cavity. Mix it so that it isn't too runny as to leak out but runny enough to allow the wood to settle without leaving air gaps. Push wood back in and turn through 90 degrees. Allow it to dry. Pencil mark on the base of the head exactly where the wood is. Add more filler to completely fill the cavity and allow to dry. Sit the head where you want it to sit and mark the front of the board lightly around the head. Remove head and drill through the board from the front after working out roughly where the wood is located in the skull from the marks on the board. Sit skull back on the board and pilot hole from the back of the board (It helps by getting someone to hold the head in the already lightly marked position on the board when you drill the pilot hole). Rub pencil marks off the board. Now screw from the back of the board into the head. If you have marked it correctly you should now have a head sitting in the correct place. I normally put 3 crews in to red skulls 5x70mm but two 5x50mm are plenty on a roe heads and smaller.
Hope that helps. It's not rocket science.
 
wildfowler.250 said:
Folks, I wanted to pick some brains on this,(no pun intended).

I was speaking to a taxidermist about fixing a skull to a shield a year or two ago and he suggested a block of wood,(presumably pretty small) in the skull cavity and add car polyfilla? Is this fairly straightforward? I take it you wouldn’t need a lot of the stuff? I’m worried about it running down the nose and everything.

Previously, I’ve drilled I pilot hole through the shield and into the flat bit between the the skull cavity and the teeth. However, I’ve found that one or two of the skulls move/swing left and right when I take them on and off the wall and the teeth have scratch the shield.

Any recommendations would be appreciated. I’ve got a couple of older shields that I can have a practice with but then I’ve ordered a nice one which I’d rather not mess up 😂


Thanks!


Edit, I’ve also started doing them long nose so hopefully they’ll sit nicer, less issues with the teeth and a larger skull cavity to fill..
Click to expand...

This is exactly what I've started doing with any heads that I've mounted.

As @baguio says, cut a small cube of scrap wood that fits into the brain cavity - I shape it using a belt sander so that it roughly matches the profile of the inside of the cavity. I then have a tube of Evo-Stik Strong Stuff that I liberally squirt into the cavity, re-positioning the wood block as needed. I normally attach a small screw to the block of wood that I use for the re-positioning, as otherwise the block can sometime get "lost" in the Evo-Stick.

Leave overnight to cure, then attach using a regular screw from the back of the shield into the wood block.
 
lochty said:
View attachment 309329@baguio can you now tell me where the screws are? Same head, mounted at eye level. Works for me.
Click to expand...
Are you really going to try and say that you done a great job. I have no doubt that if you mounted it at the end of a tunnel the screws will not be noticed. Most people don't mount their heads at the end of tunnels though! You took the easy option and not the best option I'm afraid and you're never going to convince anyone on here otherwise! As for advising the OP to do it like you did. Well, lets leave it there eh?
Harsh maybe but every day is a school day I guess?
 
Last edited:
baguio said:
Are you really going to try and say that you done a great job. I have no doubt that if you mounted it at the end of a tunnel the screws will not be noticed. Most people don't mount their heads at the end of tunnels though! You took the easy option and not the best option I'm afraid and you're never going to convince anyone on here otherwise! As for advising the OP to do it like you did. Well, lets leave it there eh?
Harsh maybe but every day is a school day I guess?
Click to expand...
Can you see the screws in the photo? No. It's up to the op what he wants to do, that's what I've used and I'm happy. As to the best option that's for the op to decide. Yes, that is harsh criticism of someone who is trying to help but it's not the first time you've done this.
 
Big Boy Body filler ultra fine from amazon - piece of wood in the brain cavity - mix two pack filler and fill cavity till flush with cut ( does not run out sit head face down) - filler hard and drillable in 10 mins. Offer up filled head to shield , mark and drill from the rear of the shield 2 screws for roe.
 
lochty said:
Can you see the screws in the photo? No. It's up to the op what he wants to do, that's what I've used and I'm happy. As to the best option that's for the op to decide. Yes, that is harsh criticism of someone who is trying to help but it's not the first time you've done this.
Click to expand...
Come on Lochty. It’s not compulsory to post on here. If you don’t know the answer then quite simply, don’t reply to the post!
 
baguio said:
Are you really going to try and say that you done a great job. I have no doubt that if you mounted it at the end of a tunnel the screws will not be noticed. Most people don't mount their heads at the end of tunnels though! You took the easy option and not the best option I'm afraid and you're never going to convince anyone on here otherwise! As for advising the OP to do it like you did. Well, lets leave it there eh?
Harsh maybe but every day is a school day I guess?
Click to expand...
Ooops - accidentally gave a 'like' to this - meant it for lochty (post #11) !!!
 
baguio said:
Come on Lochty. It’s not compulsory to post on here. If you don’t know the answer then quite simply, don’t reply to the post!
Click to expand...
The op asked for recommendations, I gave mine. You then criticised them. The forum is a great place for sharing knowledge and ideas, up to you whether you act on them, or not.
 
I attach my skulls to the shield by wiring them on each side and at the top.
Drill a small hole, in the skull out of sight and two in the shield, pass the wire through then twist to tighten. Learnt this from a well known taxidermist. Really easy to do, easier than I have made it sound at least and very secure.
Cheers
Bonzo
 

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lochty said:
The forum is a great place for sharing knowledge and ideas, up to you whether you act on them, or not.
Click to expand...
It’s also totally ruined by people talking utter Horlicks about stuff that they know nothing about! Try using your method on bigger stuff and see how long it is before the skull comes crashing down too. Someone could get hurt! :doh:
 
wildfowler.250 said:
Folks, I wanted to pick some brains on this,(no pun intended).

I was speaking to a taxidermist about fixing a skull to a shield a year or two ago and he suggested a block of wood,(presumably pretty small) in the skull cavity and add car polyfilla? Is this fairly straightforward? I take it you wouldn’t need a lot of the stuff? I’m worried about it running down the nose and everything.

Previously, I’ve drilled I pilot hole through the shield and into the flat bit between the the skull cavity and the teeth. However, I’ve found that one or two of the skulls move/swing left and right when I take them on and off the wall and the teeth have scratch the shield.

Any recommendations would be appreciated. I’ve got a couple of older shields that I can have a practice with but then I’ve ordered a nice one which I’d rather not mess up 😂


Thanks!


Edit, I’ve also started doing them long nose so hopefully they’ll sit nicer, less issues with the teeth and a larger skull cavity to fill..
Click to expand...
I’ve started doing this, block of wood shaped but fixed in by filling rest of void with epoxy resin.
 
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