Master class on making a medallion for horns. How to make a trophy skull yourself - technology, tips and recipes Mounting antlers on the wall

Previously, a person was forced to go into the forest solely to shoot someone and provide meat for himself and his family. Today, for most, wild nature is a place where you can relax, practice shooting and gain new impressions.

For some, hunting has become a lucrative source of income. How successful a hunter is can be judged by his trophies. In this regard, the skins, skulls and claws of killed animals are highly valued. One of the best trophies are antlers. Due to the fact that they are quite heavy, difficulties may arise when installing them on the wall. There is a device specifically designed for mounting this trophy, which is known as an antler medallion. Of course you can buy it. However, depending on the size and design, a medallion for horns costs about a thousand rubles. Therefore, many hunters try to make do with homemade products. You will learn how to make a medallion for horns with your own hands from this article.

Getting to know the product

The horn medallion is a special device made of wood. Since the main task is to withstand a lot of weight, in addition to wood, the design includes one or two metal brackets. Depending on the shape and size of the trophy, medallions are round, square and shield-shaped. Judging by numerous reviews, you can make a medallion for horns at home. More on how to do this below.

What will you need for work?

Before you begin, you should acquire the following consumables and tools:

• One board. Its thickness should be from 40 to 50 mm.
• With a jigsaw. With its help, the outline of the medallion will be cut out from the blank.
• With a chisel.

• Sandpaper.
• Paint coating. Wood impregnation is also suitable for this purpose.

Where to begin?

The first step is to prepare the base. Mostly, do-it-yourself medallions for horns are made from boards at least 40 mm thick. The dimensions of the product depend on the shape of the horns themselves. Some home craftsmen advise using ash. However, other wood is suitable for this purpose. The main thing is that the board is perfectly flat on both sides. This can be achieved by passing it through a thickness planer.

Second step

At this stage, they are working on the shape of the product. It should be remembered that the main aesthetic role is still played not by the medallion, but by the trophy itself. And if the design turns out to be too large or flashy, then attention will be constantly distracted from the horns. Each master chooses the shape for the medallion at his own discretion. After it is selected, a drawing is prepared on a piece of paper. In the future it will be used as a template.

Manufacturing

Now the design on the piece of paper is carefully cut out and applied to a wooden surface. Next, you need to trace its outline with a pencil. After these steps, you can proceed directly to sawing. This can be done quickly using a jigsaw. Due to the fact that the edges of the workpiece are sharp, experienced craftsmen recommend smoothing them using milling equipment. Of course, if there is no such machine, then you can trim the contour manually. However, this work is too labor-intensive and the edges in the wooden blank will turn out less prominent. Next, the wooden surface is carefully sanded with sandpaper of various grits.

The moose antler medallion will look much more beautiful if it is painted. Experienced craftsmen recommend using transparent varnish, which is best applied in two layers.

About fasteners

To ensure that the trophy hangs securely on the wall, the medallion should be equipped with one or two metal brackets on the inside. It is best if the design has two loops. In this case, the medallion will be completely adjacent to the surface. Judging by the reviews, after installing the brackets, there is a gap between the wall and the board. This shortcoming can be corrected as follows. You need to attach a loop to the workpiece and outline its outline with a pencil. Next, you need to mark two holes for the screws. Then, using a chisel, select a piece of wood in the selected area. At this stage, it is important not to overdo it, otherwise the loop will simply “drown” in the workpiece. It is only enough that the bracket does not protrude beyond the surface. If the medallion is completely ready for mounting on the wall, you should consider how to attach the decoration itself - the horns - to it. This can only be done after they have been finalized.

How to prepare the horns?

You will have to work with a grinding machine and a hacksaw blade. It is desirable that the file has small teeth. In this case, the edges will be smoother and will not chip. The essence of the procedure is to carefully cut off a small circle with horns from the main part of the skull. If flaws appear during work, they can be easily corrected with a grinding machine. They can also correct the horns themselves. Subsequently, two holes for self-tapping screws are drilled in this circle. With their help, the horns will be attached to the medallion. In order not to make a mistake with the holes and not spoil the workpiece, experts recommend attaching a piece of paper to the circle and making appropriate notes. Then the paper is cut along the contour with scissors to form a new template. It is applied to the medallion from the front side and holes are made.

Finally

Judging by numerous reviews, medallions for deer and other ungulates can be made in the form of a shield. If you have the skills to work with wood, use a set of special cutters to cut out various patterns in the form of oak leaves. Mostly such products are made to order. They cost up to 9 thousand rubles.

When answering the question “how to process horns?” first it is necessary to say that horns are divided into trophy and discarded. Shed antlers are used as material for making objects of applied art. Their quality depends on the hardness and thickness of the horny enamel, on the pattern of pearls and grooves. The good quality of the horns is evidenced by the thickness of the grooves between the pearls, the symmetry and opening of the trunks. The most beautiful and correct rosettes are found on the shed antlers of large individuals. The enamel thickness of quality antlers is approximately 2/5 of the barrel diameter, and the core is 3/5. When processing the supraorbital processes, the enamel of a high-quality horn is smooth and shiny like ivory. This also applies to the tips of the processes. These signs also indicate the good health of the animals. There are horns with defects: their pearls are small, small and sparse, the enamel is thin, and the core is large, often coming to the surface at the tops of the crown. The antler of such deer antlers contains little lime, especially in weak or young individuals.

The next source of horns for making objects of applied art are shed antlers found after 2-3 years. Usually by this time they lose their natural color (grey), sometimes they are damaged by rodents. This cornea is first cleaned, washed in an alkaline solution, and only then, using a stain, is it given any shade. To make the tops white, they are sanded with soft sandpaper, then the cornea is covered with two layers of matte nitro varnish diluted with acetone. The cornea can be processed with conventional tools. The antlers are cut with a fine-toothed joiner's saw, a flap saw, or a bandsaw. The horn is ground with small files, sandpaper or a disc-shaped sharpening stone. For drilling, use bench drills (in extreme cases, you can also use a wood drill). To prevent the white color of the horns near the cut from getting dirty from touch, they are rubbed with matte varnish. To do this, you can use oxidation diluted with acetone. The cornea is attached to the tree with a screw and a nut, in this case any damage to it is excluded, and the cornea is fastened to the cornea with a double screw: the heads of two screws are welded and, screwing them into both corneas, an invisible connection is obtained. You must work with the horns very carefully so that the screws do not damage the pearls and tops.

How to process horns?

Of particular value is a correctly developed rosette with an intact crown, from which decorations and hat badges are made. Such objects can be plastic, embossed or contoured with a jigsaw, while the motif itself remains flat. To cut out a flat or plastic motif, the rosette is prepared as follows. If the dissection of the crown pearls allows, use an even, smooth saw to cut off the convexity of the rosette, with which the horn is normally attached to the base. Then, using an even cut, the rosette is separated from the rest of the shed antlers. If the pearls are in the way, then the bulge is removed with sandpaper, a sharpening disk or a milling cutter, but the pearls should remain intact. An image is drawn on a white sanded flat center with a hard pencil. Even before cutting begins, it is necessary to decide in which places the image will be connected to the edge of the crown.

To obtain a flat image, use a small chisel to make the contours of the main pattern. Brown ink or paint is poured into them using a fountain pen, then the entire surface of the rosette is polished with a solution of colorless oxide diluted with acetone. The finished rosette is glued onto a green canvas. To do this, use glue L 33 or CHS 1200; both of them stick together any fat-free materials. Before applying the glue, the surface is cleaned with acetone, and after gluing, it is clamped in a vice or in a clamping screw for the entire drying period.

When processing plastic relief, a set of drills is required. In order not to damage the rosette, it is first nailed with small nails to a board measuring 10x15 cm. This type of processing requires certain carving skills. To make button brooches, the cornea is cut with a saw into flat planks. The round shape is given on a lathe. The teeth or bones of birds and mammals are processed in a similar way.

Animal horns in the interior

The trophies we received decorated the animals. This must be remembered first of all when processing shed antlers. They should always occupy some special position in our compositions. So, they look good on hangers for weapons, hunting tools, stands for flower pots, handles for cabinets, handles of hunting knives, buttons, buckles, candlesticks, chandeliers and lamps of any kind. It is bad if horns, even shed ones, are used as clothes hangers or furniture legs. It is also not recommended to use cornea for decoration, as it makes an overwhelming impression.

For the manufacture of hunting objects of applied art, such natural material is always used, the properties and shape of which meet the requirements of a particular object. The choice of material must take into account not only decorative qualities, but also the future purpose and use of the item, which must also be in harmony with the rest of the interior of the hunting lodge or premises. For example, picture frames and photo stands are complementary items that should not distract attention from the painting or photograph itself, but rather emphasize it; therefore, they should be modest, not attracting undue attention, and at the same time they should be in harmony with the main, complemented items.

Now you know how to process horns. See you again!

From an animal caught during a hunt, trophies can be prepared, suitable both for display at hunting exhibitions and for display in the interior. I would like to offer a number of hunting items that are most easily prepared at home.

Skulls of ungulates (deer, elk, roe deer) and predators (wolf, bear, lynx) are valuable hunting trophies that adorn the hunter’s corner and are exhibited for evaluation at hunting exhibitions. To make a trophy, the skull must first of all be intact, without visible defects. The skin is removed from the skull, the muscles are cut off, the eyeballs and tongue are removed, the lower jaw is separated, the brain is removed through the foramen magnum, and its remains and brain film are washed out with a strong stream of water. To remove blood, the skull is soaked for 10-12 days in running water or allowed to soak in stagnant water, changing it frequently.

The most accessible way to clean the skull from muscle cuts and bone fat is maceration by rotting. Unfortunately, when fabrics rot, which lasts at least two to three weeks, a strong, specific odor arises. To weaken it, you need to add an agar-agar solution to the water.

Maceration should be done in cold, unboiled water, using wooden, glass or plastic containers. You cannot macerate in an iron vessel: the bones in it will turn black. The solution is changed every five to seven days. After the muscles and fat leave the bones, the skull is removed and washed in running water. Then the skull, well washed with hot water and soap, is dried.

Another equally effective processing method is boiling the bones in soft water. It is poured over the skull and the container with it is placed on the fire. If the skull has horns, flyers are attached to them, which, located along the edge of the dish, prevent them from plunging into hot water. Remove foam from boiling water; boiling continues until the remaining muscle is separated from the bones; At the same time, bone connections and sutures weaken, teeth fall out, so it is better to boil such skulls sewn into gauze or linen bags.

After boiling, the skull is washed in water for a long time and then dried. When a greasy coating appears on the bones, it is immersed for 30 hours in a 10% solution of ammonia.

In bovids (wild sheep, ibex), the horn sheaths are separated: wrapping the horn in a rag, pour boiling water over it. Having softened, the cover easily comes off the rod. After boiling the skull, the covers are again placed on the rods and secured with screws or secured with glue.

Skulls and skeletal bones can be treated with warm water, maintaining a constant temperature of + 30 C, + 40 C. Maceration in this way lasts no more than 10-15 days. If it is not active enough, a piece of fresh meat is added, which accelerates the putrefactive process. The skull that has undergone this treatment is thoroughly washed with warm water and soap. If adhesive substances appear on the bones of the skull, it should be immersed in a hot (+60 C) five percent soda solution for 10 days. The skull cannot be degreased in a hot alkali solution: it destroys the surface of the bone and spoils its appearance. The well-washed skull is dried.

It should be remembered that during maceration in warm water, fangs and incisors crack, which is caused by a sharp change in temperature. In this case, it is better to treat the skulls of predators and large rodents by rotting.

If the skull is all right; remains greasy, it must be immersed in gasoline for 10-15 days, where it will finally degrease.

Bleaching is desirable for all skulls after maceration; It is produced with a 4-5% solution of hydrogen peroxide in an enamel, wooden or glass container without crumbs. For the fastest reaction, add 2.5 g of ammonia per 1 liter. To ensure that the skull whitens evenly, it is occasionally turned over. The natural color of the skull bones is light yellowish, so when bleaching you should not achieve too much whiteness.

The bleached dry skull is rubbed with a mixture of chalk and lime, paraffin and polished with a clean cloth. The bones that fall out during processing are glued back into place. In this form, the skull is prepared for mounting on a stand.

Trophies are mounted on stands or medallions. Coasters can be made in different types and shapes, but they should always be modest. The stand made of birch logs, burl, is very expressive. Its size should be proportional to the trophy. Stable stands are placed on legs made of strong poles (Fig. 1). In this case, harmony should be created between the type of bark on the stand, the structure and color of the horns. Stands should be made only from dry, seasoned wood that is not touched by pests. They can be either simple or carved, with vegetation motifs on the sides (Fig. 2). The stands are painted with water-based paints in light or dark brown tones, sanding their surface until matte. The stands are “aged”: they are burned, smoked, which makes it possible to more clearly highlight the light skull or frontal bones with horns on its surface.

Medallions for large skulls with antlers or for the heads of elk, deer, and wild sheep should be made from durable materials - beech, birch, oak. Their shape can be different (Fig. 3). The size of the stands must correspond to the type and size of the trophies and be in harmony with the interior for which they are intended.

For the horns of a wild ram or ibex, whose curves extend far beyond the back of the skull, the stand is made differently: a piece of log is attached to it, on which the skull or frontal bone with horns is in turn strengthened (Fig. 4). You can mount such horns on ordinary stands, but then they have to be attached to the wall on special welded metal supports (Fig. 5).

Large skulls without lower jaws are attached to a stand as follows: the front part of the skull is strengthened with a copper tape (10-15 mm wide), an arc encircling the upper jaw, and passed along the sides of the skull into a slot on the stand; it is secured on the back side with screws. To strengthen the back of the head, a metal bracket with a thread bent at a right angle is used. To do this, a hole is drilled in the stand through which the end of the bracket is passed: the other end is inserted into the occipital hole. By tightening the nut under the stand, the skull is pulled towards it and firmly secured.

To strengthen the horns with the frontal bone on the stand, two holes are drilled in the frontal part. Light horns are strengthened with screws, heavy and massive ones are strengthened with bolts, securing them with nuts on the back side of the stand.

Depending on the length of stay under the snow, the rays of the sun, the shed antlers of deer turn white, lose their color and are destroyed. If the antlers were found shortly after they were shed, they may still have their natural coloration. Such trophies can be used for various crafts - making chandeliers, lamps, candlesticks, handles for hunting knives.

To give the shed horn a natural look, first of all, it is washed well from dirt with hot water and soap, then the horn is painted with paint dissolved in water (stain, Bismarck, potassium permanganate or other water-based paints). To give the horn freshness, it is rubbed with paraffin and polished with cloth.

Single or paired lamps from elk and deer antlers can be made depending on the number of antlers that are symmetrical or similar in appearance and size. An electrical wire is placed along the upper surface of the horn to each process, which is secured to the bone with nails or epoxy resin (Fig. 6). Small lamp sockets are installed at the ends of the horny processes. The horn is attached to the stand as follows: a hole with a diameter of 5 mm and a depth of up to 30-40 mm is drilled in the center at its base. In the center of the wooden stand (at the place where the horn is installed), a through hole is drilled and through it, combining the horn and the stand, a strong and long screw is screwed in, which holds and secures the horn well (Fig. 7). If the horn is heavy, then a slot of 2-3 mm and a depth of 40-50 mm is cut out at its base; An iron strip is inserted into it, the base of the horn is aligned with it, and the iron and horn are drilled at the same time. Rivets are driven into the holes or the horn is strengthened with bolts, cutting the heads into the bone (Fig. 8). The curved opposite end of the strip is passed through the slot into the stand and secured on the other side with screws. The electrical wire is passed through the hole in the stand.

When making a decorative chandelier from a deer antler, light bulbs or candlesticks are placed on its branches. The horn is suspended on cables from the ceiling (Fig. 9). Holes are drilled on the sides of the shovel or deer antler into which the end parts of the cables are secured. The electrical wiring is lowered from the ceiling to the center of the horn. The location of the wire and its fastening is the same as during the manufacture of the lamp.

If a chandelier is made from 3-4 horns, then in this case the horns are aligned with each other in the center by the bases and strengthened at a certain angle on a strong welded cross. The base of each horn is crimped with an iron strip, which is secured with bolts. A copper tube 20-30 mm in diameter is firmly attached to the cross and becomes a holder that is suspended from the ceiling hook. The length of the tube depends on the height of the room. The crosspiece on the lower side is decorated with a horn or a cut of a burl (Fig. 10). Such a chandelier can have 10-15 lamps. Candlesticks are also attached to the shoots of the horns. It should be borne in mind that the chandelier is heavy and requires strong fittings and reliable fastening.

The very shape of the boar’s graceful fore or hind limb suggests its use as a wall lamp. A limb is separated from a hunted animal, and a cut is made along its lower side to the base of the hooves. It is better to insert the knife under the skin, then it will not damage the hair. If possible, it is better to pull the skin from the foot with a stocking to the hooves and make one small cut on the sole to separate it (Fig. 11). If this is successful, the skin must be scraped well from tendons and muscles, preserved with table salt and potassium alum. At the same time, the limb removed from the knife is placed sideways on the paper and traced with a pencil, obtaining its outline. Based on it and the dimensions taken from the limb, materials that are convenient for reproducing the limb in a mock-up are cut out of dense foam or wound around a wire frame - hemp, straw, shavings, hay, moss.

It should be taken into account that in the place where the tendon usually passes, an electrical wire will run through the entire limb in the mock-up. The lamp made from the limb should have a bend at the joint, which allows you to attach a small electric lamp socket between the front hooves or install a candlestick-type lamp. This bend justifies the type of lamp (Fig. 12). Before installing the model and sheathing it, you need to prepare the skin for this, wash it well in warm water to remove salt and blood, using soap or washing powder for this, then wipe with a rag, dry the fur with starch, rubbing it deep into the undercoat, and then blow it out of the fur with a stream of air from a vacuum cleaner. To protect the exhibit from damage by moths or carpet beetles, the inner side of the skin is lubricated several times with a 3-4% solution of karbofos. Soft clay is stuffed into the hooves, cleared of muscles and bones, to give this part of the leg the correct shape. The prepared model is placed in the skin and sheathed, trying to make the seam unnoticeable. Due to the fact that the wire or metal pin coming out of the limb model has a thread at the end, it will not be difficult to attach it to the wall on a stand.

You can make a pencil cup from the bottom of a boar's limb. To do this, the skin is removed or pulled together to the hooves with a stocking, an incision is made between the hooves, through which the skin is cleaned. The skin is pickled and, after sewing up the cut, its cavity is tightly filled with dry sawdust or sand. At the same time, it is correctly installed, strengthened on a temporary stand and dried, making sure that the skin is not deformed. After a few days it hardens firmly, the contents are removed and the inside of the skin and hooves are sealed with layers of gauze. The upper edge of the cup is leveled by cutting off excess skin. In order for the glass to stand firmly, it is attached to the stand with a bolt, drilling a hole between the hooves on the sole (Fig. 13).

The ashtray is made from a wolf or bear skull. A lid is cut out of the skull, which is then attached to a hinge and folded back (Fig. 14). In this case, the lower jaw can be separated, and the souvenir itself can be mounted on a stand made from a cut of birch or birch burl. You can attach a skull with an open mouth to a stand, securing it with screws: then the fangs will be clearly visible.