Patent Publication Number: US-2015076731-A1

Title: Method and apparatus for wall mounting a skull with adjustable antler orientation

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/702,235 filed Sep. 17, 2012 by C. Owen Walton, Jr., and incorporated in its entirety by reference herein. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to improved apparatus and method for wall-mounting a deer skull with antlers, either or both of which may be hunting trophies or realistic looking replicas thereof. The hereindisclosed improvements improve the appearance of the product while also being more cost-effective to produce. 
     Other attempts have been made to do this with little success. One such attempt is an unreal looking, two piece, plastic skull with two square holes in the top where the antlers would go, with two square rods that slide into the holes. It is instructed to attach the antlers to the rods and put the rod into the holes in the skull. The product has no adjustment to the antlers after they are attached therefore making the antlers look very unreal, particularly when the assembly is wall-mounted. 
     Another attempt is an unreal looking skull with two pegs stuck out the top, and instructions to attach antlers on the pegs. This product has no adjustment to the antlers after they are attached, making the antlers look unnatural. 
     Another attempt is a real looking skull but has no effective way to attach antlers to the skull. The user is instructed to drill a hole in the skull and in the antlers and glue a rod in the holes. This skull looks fairly good but does not have an effective way to adjust antlers after attached. 
     An attempt to make antlers adjustably attached to a skull is to make a “skull plate” (just the portion of a skull where antlers are attached) that could be adjusted. This may be an aluminum object made from short pieces of angle stock held together with nuts and bolts. By loosening and tightening the nuts and bolts one can turn and adjust antlers in different directions, but it does not work very well. The way the antlers attach to this is also very ineffective, plus the skull plate is not real looking, so it has to be built up and covered with clay when used by attaching it to a skull. 
     Another attempt to make an adjustable skull plate is a aluminum object with two vertical pipes attached to a base. Two balls with rods slide up and down in the pipes to give it some adjustment, but it does not look real at all, and has to be built up and covered with clay when used. 
     A “European Skull Mount” is a way for a hunter to preserve his trophy at somewhat less cost than the traditional way of mounting the head. Most standard head mounts today can cost from $400.00 to $650.00 and even more. A European Skull Mount will cost up to and even above $300.00. The skull mount can be done by yourself or a taxidermist by boiling, scraping, cleaning and bleaching the skull. Or the skull can be cleaned, scraped, frozen and shipped to a skull cleaning company to do the job with beetles. This process can take as long as a year to complete. 
     The European Skull Mount is a very common way of preserving one&#39;s trophy in Europe and other parts of the world. It is gaining popularity here in the USA due to lower cost and also the new look. The problem with a skull mount is the bones can loosen and come apart with age and sometimes the teeth will even fall out. Another problem is when the skull is hung straight on the wall, the antlers face in a downward direction, giving them an unnatural look. This can be corrected with a special wall plaque, but the plaque can cost from $30.00 to $65.00 extra. Thus there is a need for a better and more effective European Skull Mounting system. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present disclosure concerns various aspects of a plastic skull mount or skull plate and a method of manufacturing them including a rotating ball and socket system for attaching, adjusting and locking antlers in place; and a positioning system apparatus and method for hanging a skull mount at approximately 45 degree angle with respect to a wall, thereby providing a more natural looking display. 
     This invention provides an effective and economical way of making a plastic or synthetic copy of a skull to make a skull mount like the European Skull Mount that is very realistic looking, and includes a special system for attaching antlers and adjusting them, and a way of locking the antlers in place, and a way of hanging the skull on the wall at approximately 45 degree angle, which displays the antlers better. The attachment system can either be fixed or removable. With the fixed system the antlers are locked in place permanently. With the removable system, a tapered rod and tapered sleeve are used. The tapered rod makes it easy for the tapered sleeve to go on, but when the sleeve is flushed or bottomed out on the tapered pin it fits very tight. This invention also is a way of making a skull plate that is realistic looking and has the same adjustable ball and socket system as the skull. This invention is also a method of manufacturing the inventive skull mount products. 
     The present invention takes all the previous attempts and drawbacks to a skull mount in consideration. The present invention is so realistic looking most people cannot tell it from a real bone skull from only a few feet away. It is made out of a very hard plastic that will never rot or come apart. It has a very easy antler mounting system that is completely adjustable and a way of locking the antlers in place. The invention has a built in positioning system that makes the skull hang at approximately 45 degree angle to the wall, which is a more natural looking because it approximates a normal head position for a live animal. This mounting angle change also changes the view of antlers attached to the skull, thereby giving them a more natural look. No additional wall plaque is needed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a side view of the ball master. 
         FIG. 2  is a side cross-section view showing the ball master in a cup, with a rubber mold formed around it. 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of one half of the rubber mold. 
         FIG. 4  is a top view of the rubber mold with the two halves separated. 
         FIG. 5  is an side view of the production rod and how it&#39;s made. 
         FIG. 6  is a side cross-section view of the rubber mold and how it holds the rod. 
         FIG. 7  is a side view of the ball and rod assembly after it is formed. 
         FIG. 8  is a side view of the almost finished ball and rod. 
         FIG. 9  is a side view of a tapered rod version of the ball and rod. 
         FIG. 10  is a side cross-section view of a tapered sleeve. 
         FIG. 10A  is an end view of a tapered sleeve. 
         FIG. 11  is a front view of a bone skull and how it is prepared to be a master skull. 
         FIG. 12  is a side cross-section view of the ball and rod and how it is glued into a hole in the antler pedicle of the bone skull being prepared as a master skull. 
         FIG. 13  is a side view of the skull and the angle of the rod. 
         FIG. 14  is a back view of the bone skull being prepared as a master. 
         FIG. 15  is a front cross-section view of the master skull being used to make a skull mother mold around it. 
         FIG. 16  is a front view of a rubber skull mold held inside the mother mold shell which is prepared for pouring plastic into it. 
         FIG. 17  is an enlargement of the part of the skull rubber mold that holds the ball and rod. 
         FIG. 18  is a front view of the finished plastic skull with adjustable antler attachments built into it. 
         FIG. 19  is a partial perspective view of an antler base showing a hole drilled into it. 
         FIG. 20  is a view of the antler showing how it is adjustably attached to the skull pedicle. 
         FIG. 21  is a front view of the finished product showing how the attached antlers may be moved. 
         FIG. 22  is a side view of the finished product with our adjustable wall hanger system in use. 
         FIG. 23  is a side view of a skull showing a skull plate portion of it that is made with our adjustable antler attachment system. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The following description discloses at least one suitable method and material used to implement the invention(s), however the described embodiments are not to be considered absolutely limiting. Rather, in light of this disclosure, one of ordinary skill in the related arts may be led to determine other suitable materials and methods that may be functionally equivalent, and all such variations are intended to be within the scope of any invention(s) for which future claims will define the actual extent of the scope. 
     Our method starts by making a ball and rod assembly  124  as part of our special ball and socket system for mounting antlers to a skull.  FIGS. 1-4  illustrate the first step of creating a mold to use for forming a plastic ball on a metal rod. 
       FIG. 1  shows a ball and rod master  107  that includes a master ball  100  and master rod  102  with a vent pipe ridge  106  formed along the side of the master rod  102 . A cone  104  is attached between a planar support  108  and the master ball  100 . The ball and rod master  107  may be a one-off item that is used to make one or more rubber molds  112 , which will in turn be used in production to manufacture quantities of the actual ball and rod assemblies  124 , as needed. Thus the ball and rod master  107  is hand crafted from any suitable materials and by using conventional crafting means and methods. The main requirements are that the master ball  100  must have a smooth firm spherical surface dimensioned the same as the desired production ball  105 ; and the master rod  102  is a straight rod of a length sufficient to extend radially outward from the ball at least as much as the production rod  103 . Also, the master rod  102  must be attached so that it extends radially outward relative to the center of the (spherical) ball. The rod is preferably round, but doesn&#39;t have to be. In fact it could be any cross-section shape that will leave a hole  102 ′ in the mold  112  sufficient to snugly enclose and hold the production rod  103 . If already available, a production ball and rod assembly  124  may be used with the addition of the cone  104  and ridge  106 . If not, a solid ball bearing, or a ping pong ball, or the like could be used along with a solid rod in a drilled hole, or a tube with a long screw through it to attach to a threaded hole in the ball, etc. The cone could be hollow or have a long screw hole along its axis. The vent ridge  106  could be a nail shank glued onto the master rod  102 , a toothpick or whatever will create an air vent channel. The forgoing are merely examples of many possible ways to make the ball and rod master  107 . No doubt ordinary craftsmen will come up with their own ways to cobble together a suitable ball and rod master  107 , especially in light of the description below that shows how the master is to be used. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the support  108  is used to suspend the ball and rod master  107  over a cup or container  110  while liquid rubber is poured in and then hardened to form a rubber “ball mold”  112 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , after the rubber hardens, the container  110  is removed and the hardened rubber is cut so that the ball and rod master  107  can be removed to leave a hollow ball mold  112 . The cone  104  has formed a funnel  104 ′ leading into a ball-shaped interior cavity  100 ′ formed around the ball  100 , and the vent pipe ridge  106  has formed an air vent line  106 ′ alongside a tubular hole  102 ′ made by the master rod  102 . 
       FIG. 3  is a side view of one half of the ball mold  112  after it has been cut according to our method. In order to easily remove the ball and rod master  107 , the hardened rubber is cut approximately in half along a plane passing through the master ball  100 , the cone  104 , and the length of both the master rod  102  and the vent pipe ridge  106 . 
       FIGS. 3-4  also show our special male and female cut  114  that is formed in the mold  112 . This male and female cut  114  is formed by cutting the rubber in half using a special knife, made especially for this purpose. This special cut allows the two halves of the rubber mold  112  to union or line up exactly the same way each time the mold  112  is used. Although not illustrated, it can be seen that an embodiment of our special knife may have an elongated flat blade that extends longitudinally outward from a handle, and is planar except for a semicircular bend out of the plane which has a cylindrical axis oriented transverse to the length of the blade. 
       FIG. 4  shows a top view of both halves of the rubber ball mold  112 , and how the special male and female cut  114  unites, holding the two halves in perfect aliment when pressed together. 
       FIGS. 5-9  illustrate the process of forming our ball and rod assembly  124  in two embodiments. 
       FIG. 5  is a view of a steel rod  103  showing notches  118  cut into the rod to secure a plastic ball  105  that will be formed on the rod  103  (also see  FIGS. 8 and 9 ). This will form a mechanical lock, making sure the rod  103  never slips, rotates within, or comes detached from the ball  105  of the assembly  124 . The outside end  116  of the rod  103  is beveled, making it easier to press into a hole for attaching to an antler. 
       FIG. 6  is a side cross-sectional view showing one half of the ball mold  112 , in a container  110 , and how the steel rod  103  is placed in the ball mold  112  along the tubular hole  102 ′. When the two halves of the ball mold  112  are put together and held by replacing them in the container  110 , they hold the steel rod  103  in place while plastic is poured into the ball mold  112  through the funnel  104 ′. The air vent pipe  106 ′ allows air to escape from the cavity  100 ′ when pouring the plastic into the ball mold  112 . If the air is not allowed to escape there will air bubbles in the finished ball  105 . 
       FIG. 7  shows the ball and rod  124  when it comes out of the ball mold  112 . Note the plastic funnel shape  120  looks just like the cone  104  on the ball master  107 , and the shape  122  formed up the side of the steel rod  103  looks like the vent pipe ridge  106 . Both these shapes have to be removed, as shown in  FIG. 8 , and any remaining bumps  120 ′ and  122 ′ have to be smoothed, so they won&#39;t keep the ball  105  from rotating when it is incorporated in the finished skull  172  ( FIG. 18 ). 
     It may be noted that the size of the rod and ball assembly  124  may need to vary depending on the size of the animal&#39;s skull and antlers. For example, there could be a few standard sizes used to cover the expected range, like “small, medium and large”. 
       FIG. 9  shows a variation  124 ′ of the ball and rod assembly that is used in our removable antler system. A special tapered rod  126  is formed from plastic molded over the steel rod  103  along with the ball  105 . The tapered rod  126  is square in cross-section with a uniform taper on each side. The rod  103  provides the necessary strength, and the taper is easily formed by molding a unitary piece of plastic that includes both the tapered rod  126  and the ball  105 . (Corresponding modifications to the mold  112  would be made to do this.) 
     As shown in  FIG. 10 , a matching tapered hole  130  is formed inside a sleeve  128  to make a tapered socket  131 . This sleeve  128  can be plastic or metal, for example. The tapered socket  131  is placed and locked into a hole  176  drilled in the bottom of an antler  174  as shown in  FIG. 19 . Unlike the standard rod  103  that is attached permanently in the antler (e.g., glued in the hole  176  as shown in  FIG. 20 ), the tapered socket  131  is attached to the antler in the hole  176  instead. The special tapered shape of rod  126  and the matching shaped hole  130  allows the antler  174  to be removed and replaced very easily, but the taper is enough to cause a “jam fit” sufficient to hold the antler while on display. This is handy for someone who is moving the skull  172  and antlers  174  for display in different locations. The product is more compact and less subject to breakage when the antlers  174  are disconnected from the skull  172 . 
     The taper  130  inside the sleeve  128  has to be close to the same as the taper on the tapered rod  126 . The tapered socket  131  can be made by molding liquid plastic around a greased master of the tapered rod  126  placed inside a metal sleeve  128 , or by casting in a mold as a solid plastic part with a tapered hole  130  inside. The sleeve part  128  is a convenience, not a necessary part of the tapered socket  131 .  FIG. 10A  shows that the hole  130  has a square cross-section to match the shape of the tapered rod  126 . 
       FIGS. 11-18  illustrate our process for making a real-looking plastic replica  172  of a bone skull while incorporating our ball and socket  124  adjustable antler mounting system in it, plus our wall mounting and table viewing features. To summarize, a bone skull  132  is specially prepared to be a skull master  133  suitable for making a corresponding rubber mold  168  for filling with plastic. Special aspects of the process include making a hard outer mold shell  154  to minimize the amount of rubber used in the mold, and then to support the rubber mold in a perfect 3-D position while it is filled with plastic. We also include a way to hold the previously prepared ball and rod assemblies  124  so that the ball  105  portion of it will be rotatably held in a surrounding ball socket integrally formed in the plastic skull  172 . 
       FIG. 11  depicts a bone skull  132  (the actual trophy animal&#39;s skull), and shows how it is prepared to be a skull master  133  that can be used to form a rubber mold  168  around it. Every detail of the visible outside of the bone skull  132  must be perfected on the bone skull  132  to make it suitable for use as a skull master  133 , because we want the finished plastic skull  172  to look just like the master  133 , down to every crack and wrinkle. 
     First take the real bone skull  132  that is going to be used to make the master. Partly fill some of the small holes  134  and the upper part of the nasal cavities  136  to eliminate undercut places where the rubber could form a mechanical lock that would keep the rubber mold from releasing. Do as little alteration as possible to the front surfaces of the bone skull  132  so as not to affect the natural look and appearance of the finished product. 
       FIG. 12  is an enlargement showing how a master ball and rod  124  is positioned in the antler pedicle  138 . The antler pedicle  138  is the raised boney part of the skull where the antler attaches to the skull  132 . Drill holes  140  in the antler pedicle  138  large enough to hold the ball  105  as shown. Build up around the ball  105  with epoxy  142  to trap and lock the ball  124  in place, but leave some of the ball&#39;s top exposed (to allow tilting movement). 
       FIG. 13  a side view of the skull master  133 , and it shows the angle  125  of the rod  103  of the ball and rod  124  when it is positioned properly in the pedicle  138 . The angle  125  is very important to be able to get the right angle on the antlers after they have been attached. As shown, the angle  125  is in line with the overall slope of the front of the bone skull  132 . 
       FIG. 14  is a back view of the bone skull  132  after it has been prepared as a skull master  133 .  FIGS. 13 and 14  show how the top back part of the bone skull  132  can be built up with epoxy to form a flat surface  152  that lines up with the line of teeth  127  on both sides. This flat surface  152  will help balance the finished skull  172  with antlers if it is set down on a horizontal surface like a table top or shelf. 
       FIG. 14  also shows holes  144  drilled in the roof of the mouth (built up with epoxy as needed) and two rods  146 . When the two rods  146  are placed into the holes  144  in the roof of the mouth, they form our wall mount positioning system. As shown in  FIG. 22 , the two rods  146  along with a hanger  148  act like a tripod to hold the finished product  172  at an approximately  45  degree angle  150  when hung on a wall  151 . The angle  150  can be changed simply by shortening the length of the rods  146 . The rods  146  may be made of wood to make length adjustment easy, although they can be made from other materials. 
     The holes  144  are carefully positioned and drilled in the skull master  133  so that they can be molded into the plastic skull  172 . Thus the careful positioning is only done once on the master  133 , not on every finished plastic skull  172 . The rods  146  are shown in  FIG. 14  but note that they are not part of the skull master  133 . 
     The hanger  148  (e.g., a metal strap with a hole) is embedded in the epoxy at the top of the flat surface  152  of the skull master  133 . This is done so that when the rubber mold  168  is formed around the master  133 , a slot will be formed in the rubber mold corresponding to the exposed part of the hanger  148 . Then when a plastic skull  172  is to be created in the mold  168 , a new hanger  148  is positioned in the molded-in rubber slot. The part of the hanger that doesn&#39;t fit in the slot sticks out into the mold cavity where it will be embedded in the plastic that is poured into the mold  168 . 
       FIG. 15  is a front cross-sectional view of a skull mother mold  154  (a hard shell with flanges  171  for bolting together as shown in  FIG. 16 ) and how it is made. A threaded rod  160  is secured in the top of the master skull  133 , and is attached to hang from a board  162 . This will hold the skull  132  secure while the mold is being made around and on it. First the master skull  133  is covered with a layer of aluminum foil  156 . The aluminum foil  156  will protect the master skull  133  and keep the clay  158  from sticking. Second a layer of clay  158  is applied in a ⅜ to ½ inch layer over the foil covered skull  133 . The clay  158  is a sacrificial layer that will be replaced by rubber, so its shape will mainly determine the thickness of the rubber skull mold  168 . Finally the outer shell (mother mold)  154  is hand formed all over the clay layer. Relatively fast curing epoxy is used, layered on with seams placed strategically for flanges  171  to be created where, later, the rubber mold  168  in the outer shell  154  will be separated to remove a molded plastic skull. 
     A bowl shaped base  164  is formed at the bottom of the skull mother mold  154 . As shown in  FIG. 16 , this base  164  will later support the skull mother mold  154  in a upright position, so that plastic can be poured in to form the final product  172 . 
     The rubber skull mold  168  is formed next. Still referring to  FIG. 15 , after the epoxy hardens and cures to form a hard outer shell  154 , it is opened at the flanged seams  171 , and removed from around the master skull  132 . The layer of clay  158  and the aluminum foil  156  are completely removed and cleaned off of the master skull  133  and shell  154  surfaces, and then the master skull  133  is placed back inside the skull mother mold  154 , and the flanges  171  are clamped together  174 . A pouring hole  166  has been cut in the hanger board  162 . This hole  166  will be used to pour liquid rubber into the space between the master skull  133  and the skull mother mold  154  (i.e., into the space formerly filled with clay and aluminum foil) to form the rubber skull mold  168 . A small air vent hole  170  is also drilled into the hanger board  162  to let air escape when rubber is poured in through the pouring hole  166 . 
     Still referring to  FIG. 15 , except noting that the layers  156  and  158  are now simply empty space, liquid rubber is poured into the skull mother mold  154  to fill the space where the clay  158  was. The liquid rubber is in direct contact with all surfaces of the master skull  133 , and hardens into a layer around it to form the rubber skull mold  168  inside the outer shell  154 . 
     After the rubber is hardened, the mother mold shell  154  is opened again, but this time the rubber layer has to be cut away from the master skull  133  very carefully to preserve the skull&#39;s surface texture, shapes, and cavities or holes as they are replicated on the inside of the rubber layer  168 . 
     Now the master skull  132  is set aside and the rubber skull mold  168  is placed back in its supporting mother mold shell  154 . Next, two previously made ball and rod assemblies  124  are placed in the rubber skull mold  168  and held in place by the tubular rod holes  102 ′ until the liquid plastic is poured in and hardened (see  FIG. 17 ). Similarly, as explained above, a new hanger  148  is positioned in the slot that was molded into the rubber. It may be noted that since the skull master  133  did not include rods  146  in the holes  144 , the rubber mold will have rod-like fingers protruding into the central cavity to form holes  144  in the molded plastic skull  172 . 
     Finally the two halves of the skull mother mold  154  are brought together and locked in place with bolts  174  or clamps across the flanges  171 .  FIG. 16  is a front view of the reassembled skull mother mold  154  ready for pouring plastic into the top through a filling hole left in the rubber by the threaded rod  160 . The rubber skull mold  168 , which exactly conforms to the inside of the mother mold shell  154  is therefor held perfectly in place while liquid plastic is poured in to fill the space where the skull master  133  was, to form the final product, a very realistic looking plastic skull  172 . 
     The best plastic we&#39;ve found so far is a liquid urethane, 2-part plastic called “Smooth-Cast®  300  Series Bright White Liquid Plastic” sourced from Smooth-On Inc. of Easton, Pa. 
       FIG. 17  is an enlargement of the area in the skull mother mold  154  and the rubber mold  168  where the ball and rod assembly  124  was placed. The friction of the rubber in the hole  102 ′ of the skull rubber mold  168  holds the rod  103  of the ball and rod  124  in place while the plastic is poured into the rubber skull mold  168 . The liquid plastic forms and hardens as a plastic pedicle  139  containing a spherical socket around the ball  105  that locks it into the finished plastic skull  172 . A light coat of wax  175  is applied to the ball  105  so the liquid plastic will not stick to the plastic ball  105  when it hardens to form a socket for the ball  105 . By comparing  FIGS. 15-17 , it can be seen that the ball  105  insertion depth into the plastic pedicle  139  can be controlled in several different ways. In  FIG. 15 , the rod  103  is fully contained in a blind hole which provides a convenient end-stop. In  FIGS. 16 and 17 , the rod protrudes outside the mold parts but as best seen in  FIG. 17 , the ball and rod assembly  124  is inserted in the rubber mold hole  102 ′ and pushed until the ball  105  is pressed up against the inside surface of the rubber mold  168 . In this way, the length of the rod  103  outside of the ball  105  in either the skull master&#39;s rod or the production rod is not a critical factor. 
       FIG. 18  is a front view of the finished product  172 . Having been formed in a mold  168  made from the original animal skull  132  (prepared to be the master skull  133 ), it looks just like the original but is made from plastic. Every little detail is captured by the rubber skull mold  168  and is therefor formed into the final product  172 . 
       FIG. 19  is a side-bottom perspective view of an antler  174 . A hole  176  is drilled into the bottom of the antler  174  slightly larger than the rod  103  on the ball and rod unit  124  and about a quarter inch deeper than the length of the rod  103  above the ball  105 . 
       FIG. 20  shows how the rod  103  is placed into the hole  176  in the antler. The rod  103  is locked into the antler  174  with epoxy. After the epoxy hardens, the antlers  174  are adjusted and locked into place with set screws  178  tightened down on the ball  105 . The final step is to fill the gap between antler  174  and pedicle  139  by adding a white putty  180  under the antler bun  182  at the top of the pedicle  139 , filling in to hide any exposed parts of the ball and rod assembly  124 . 
       FIG. 21  is a front view of the finished plastic skull  172  with antlers  174  attached. It shows how the antlers  174  can be tilted forward, back, up or down  188 , and/or rotated  190 . 
       FIG. 22  is a is a side view of the finished product  172 . It shows the hanger  148  that holds the product  172  on the wall  151 , and the built up area  152  at the base of the skull. It shows the holes  144  in the roof of the mouth, and the rods  146  that have been pushed into the holes  144 , when the product is to be hung on a wall  151 . This view shows how the two rods  146  and the hanger  148  form a stable tripod positioning system that hangs the finished product  172  at an approximate  45  degree angle  150  on the wall  151 . Preferably the rods  146  are wooden because they can be stained a nice color, and they are easy to cut to a different length for adjusting the hanging angle  150 . 
       FIG. 23  is a side view of a skull showing a top left portion of it called a “skull plate” that can be cut away from it. In a common example of their use, taxidermists use a specially reinforced bone, or an artificial molded skull plate that is capable of holding antlers for a preserved animal head. Then they will attach the skull plate with antlers to a Styrofoam head form  182  and cover everything with a hide “cape”, ideally using the actual antlers and hide cape from a trophy animal that is being “stuffed” by the taxidermist for wall mounting. 
     Various ways to attach antlers to a skull plate have been described in the background, but they all need improvement, especially if adjustable antler positioning is desired. Our inventive solution is to make just the “skull plate” portion of our plastic adjustable skull product  172 . Thus our adjustable skull plate  192  is an appropriately cut-away top potion of the skull  172  with our special ball and socket  124  adjustable antler attachment system included. Antlers  174  can be attached and adjusted and locked in place the same way as with the whole skull  172 .