How to Mount Deer Velvet Antlers

Preparation

• 1

  Position the antlers over the foam form provided in the antler mounting kit to get an idea of where to center the antlers on the form.

• 2

  Drill holes between the antlers on the skull plate using the 1/8" drill bit and drill. Countersink the holes drilled with the ¼" drill bit so that the heads of the screws drilled into the antlers are flush with the skull plate.

• 3

  Place the antlers on the foam form and line up the center of the antlers with the center of the foam form. Drill one screw through the horns and the foam form to hold the antlers in place on the foam form. Do not screw the antlers in tightly.

• 4

  Align the antler skull plate top flush with the foam form as much as possible. Leave a gap between the antlers and the bottom of the foam form. Insert clay under the antlers, between the antlers and foam form. Push the antlers into the clay and position and center them on the foam form. Arrange the antlers on the foam form so that there is a slight, even gap around the outside of the antlers, between the antlers and the foam form. Drill the second screw in to the antlers through the clay and foam form. Tighten down the first screw.

• 5

  Mix the papier mache that came with the antler kit with a small amount of water. Stir the papier mache with the popsicle stick from the kit. Cover the gaps between the antlers and foam form with the papier mache. Smooth the papier mache out with the popsicle stick so that there are no rough ridges. Let the papier mache sit and dry for about an hour. Use a piece of fine grit sandpaper to sand down any excess ridges once the papier mache has dried, if you choose.

Mounting

• 6

  Lay the square piece of velvet over the antlers and foam form and center it. You will be covering the foam form, the antler base, and the bottom of the antler tips with the velvet piece so that the outside of the antler form looks suitable for mounting. Attaching the velvet to the antler form is the next step.

• 7

  Staple the velvet to the back of the foam form with the staple gun. Start by putting in one guide staple on the top center back of the base, and one guide staple on the bottom center base back, then one on either side in back. Staple the remaining velvet onto the foam form, folding and tucking the velvet neatly around the base in back as you go along. Fold over any excess velvet and trim off with the scissors if necessary so that the velvet does not bunch up in back. Trim excess velvet from around the antler horns on the front of the antler form as needed so that the velvet looks good and lays nicely. Some antler mounting kits come with a piece of braided rope material or leather that you can then glue around the antlers in front to add to the decorative effects. If your antler mounting kit did not come with braided rope, you may want to buy a separate piece at a craft store to glue on with a hot glue gun. The braided rope material can also hide any mistakes or jagged edges of the velvet piece that show up after it has been trimmed around the horns.

• 8

  Drill holes from the back of the wooden mounting plaque through to the back of the foam form. Screw in the mounting screws from the back of the wooden mounting plaque, adhering the foam form and antlers securely to the wooden mounting plaque.