Nothing grand,..just cleaning up some deer skulls for a couple of friends and this is the what they'll be mounted on...

 

 So I cut the patterns out of the maple for a few Euros several weeks ago,...Yesterday while I had some tools out I ran the router around the edges. There is a few divets here and there but I'll clean them up a little with a rasp. If you rasp the edge first so your router doesn't hit those spots it's easier   ,..but what fun would that be. Also my bit is probably getting a little wore,...leaving a few more burn marks every time I use it,..I honestly don't mind those,..adds a little age for me.

Did some hand sanding and knocked the splinters off of the one that is going on this deer today...just ran some 80 over it to deburr it...I'll hand sand it down to my liking and stain. Hand sanding and finishing is something I enjoy. I've never claimed to be a woodworker...just do some piddling related to my interest 

Edited March 24, 20215 yr by aaronc

Lookin' Good!

 That looks nice Aaron. I have found with Ogee bits that if you cut most of the waste to within a 1/16" of finish any imperfection in the shape will show up. At this point I will stop and correct those problem areas and then continue the router cut in shallow passes till I get to the finished depth. This also helps with any burn you tend to get on cross grain.  

8 hours ago, DuckSoup said:

 That looks nice Aaron. I have found with Ogee bits that if you cut most of the waste to within a 1/16" of finish any imperfection in the shape will show up. At this point I will stop and correct those problem areas and then continue the router cut in shallow passes till I get to the finished depth. This also helps with any burn you tend to get on cross grain.  

 

 

Thanks for the feedback   Much appreciated. 

Recessed a little spot for my hanger,..have some stain down...may knock back a little more but going to leave this one relatively dark. Oil finish will change the look of it,..final cleaning and whiten up the skull a bit, and then attach.

 

 

In routing maple, I've had some luck dampening the profile before the final cut to depth. 

 @aaronc are the darkened areas in the skull natural or is this something you applied?

37 minutes ago, DuckSoup said:

 @aaronc are the darkened areas in the skull natural or is this something you applied?

 

Nope that's just how it looks at the moment. Those technically are called suture lines, it is where the different bones that make up a skull are connected with softer tissue. "Dirt" simply collects in them and they show up. 

 

Sutures of the skull: Anatomy | Kenhub

Edited September 12, 20214 yr by aaronc

That link appears to may not be working,..feel free to google that. 

Very nice and I see a bunch of new files laying there.  New tools!!!!!! 

3 minutes ago, HandyDan said:

Very nice and I see a bunch of new files laying there.  New tools!!!!!! 

 

Yep,...I have one more small batch on the way and going to get my handles on. 

Got a little more done today. Skull is whitening tonight, and whipped up some home brew finish for the plaque. Got it applied and done. Sometime in the next few days I'll give the skull a once over and then attach. Last thing I'll do is mix up a little bondo and chopped fiber glass to put in the brain cavity. It will give me something secure to screw into when the skull is mounted to the wood.

 

 

That's gonna look pretty sweet!.

10 hours ago, aaronc said:

Last thing I'll do is mix up a little bondo and chopped fiber glass to put in the brain cavity.

 I think I worked with a couple of guys that had this process done.

So this is the whitened version...not museum white but no major grease spots etc...it's about where I usually stop. Just a nice clean look. The peroxide basic white powder paste was applied to the front and back. I have some touch up to do just under the burrs with it but that is it...gettin there.

i had to clear out my dad's estate a few months ago, he had some 30+ critter heads he had bagged over the years.  all professionally mounted, some full shoulder mounts, others just heads or horns/antlers.

 

he thought that I could sell them off for good money and add that to the estate down the road.

 

bzzzzz....

 

wrong.

 

no one was interested in any of it.  made over 2 dozen calls to all sorts of folks.  nothing.

 

well dad, they ended up being given to a local artist who draws such things, as life models to learn how to properly draw critters.

 

he remarked in his last days "I could have hunted more"  perhaps.

 

lesson:  your passions and hobbies matter to you, not necessarily to anyone else.  enjoy your life while you can.

 

nice work shown.

17 hours ago, DAB said:

lesson:  your passions and hobbies matter to you, not necessarily to anyone else.  enjoy your life while you can.

 

Ain't that the truth Dab. 

Don't know how you hooked up with the artist, but I would call your solution a win-win-win.

Added a little bondo in the brain cavity today..it will give me something secure to screw in to. Just something I saw somewhere and started doing..there are stories out there of various mounts and euros falling off of walls. The bones are relatively thin and brittle anyway,...just depending. Will be attaching to the plague next session.

 

 

Another buddy of mines crossbow 8 from last year is next on deck. It went in the pot day before yesterday for another cook,...gettin down to just bone now.

 

 

Finished today.........on to the next one  

Edited October 2, 20214 yr by aaronc