# Has anyone converted wall mount to pedestal?



## bass.deer (Oct 31, 2007)

My son has a wall mount that he would like as a pedestal, he cant hang things on his walls. I know a taxidermist could to it but that would be pricey so I am hoping to find a less expensive way to do it.


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## cooperjd (Aug 18, 2009)

i have not, but i have seen it done. might be on this site somewhere...

build a pedestal... on the back of the pedestal have a 1x4 or something coming up from the back, then mount the flat back of the shoulder mount on that. does that make sense?


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## rkillar (Jun 14, 2008)

I one time removed the back from one of my mounts, cut it at a different angle; so it would orientate on the wall differently (it's head was way up high like it was smelling something and I wanted it lower). I't worked out good. To start I set the mount in about 3 inches of water and let it rehydrate for about an hour then I was able to unstapled it, peal the hide up, make my cut and put it all back together. It is a gamble as to weather you could ruin the cape of not depending on how well it was tanned. If there was any available hide on the back maybe you could cut some off and experiment. That being said if your not good at taxidermy work you'll probably mess it up, some people have to mount several deer heads B4 they get one good enough to actually display on their wall. But if a hide is properly tanned you can usually rehydrate it. I just dug out a commercially tanned elk cape out of my closet that I shot and had tanned out 20 something years ago, rehydrated it and mounted it-no problem. If you do mess it up you could just cut the horns off and bring it to a taxidermist and have it mounted any way you like-He'll have extra capes.


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## cooperjd (Aug 18, 2009)

I found this image online. I was thinking something similar... but personally I’d put the deer so the chest is touching the top of the pedestal. Or is there’s a gap I’d put some sort of habitat down to hide the board sticking up above the pedestal


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## douglasjwood (Apr 19, 2017)

cooperjd said:


> I found this image online. I was thinking something similar... but personally I’d put the deer so the chest is touching the top of the pedestal. Or is there’s a gap I’d put some sort of habitat down to hide the board sticking up above the pedestal


That is a great way to display a fine trophy! 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk


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## moecarama (May 17, 2005)

That looks good ;I think a old fence post would look good also as a pedestal.


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## 10essee (Mar 2, 2012)

I did mine when we moved into our new home as I didn't have the right wall to hang it on.


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## bass.deer (Oct 31, 2007)

10essee said:


> View attachment 6373513
> 
> I did mine when we moved into our new home as I didn't have the right wall to hang it on.


That looks great, how did you do the base?


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## 10essee (Mar 2, 2012)

bass.deer said:


> That looks great, how did you do the base?


I built two matching six sided frames to fit the space I had for it. Then floored the lower frame with 1/2" plywood, determined my height and framed the sides up and attached top frame. Used clean pine lumber and some Black African Walnut flooring I have been hoarding for several years to create the panels. The fence post came from a job site I worked on when we developed an old horse farm. Post is very old and weathered. Once I secured post to bottom I coped out the top plywood to slip down over the post and screwed it down. Went to craft store and bought some sheets of foam like in flower arrangements and " landscaped " into the recess of the top. The switch grass and small dry vegetation came from my backyard and the moss came from the same craft store.


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## 10essee (Mar 2, 2012)

Here the attachment which is just two simple pieces of 1/8" flat bar mortised into the post and bolted with exterior timber lags. The mount is secured to bar with several coarse wood screws. When I thought I had enough screws I added two more. Hasn't budged in 2.5 years. I do redo the "habitat" every year to make it look fresh and remove the dust on the grass and small scrub.


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## bass.deer (Oct 31, 2007)

Very well done.


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## d3ue3ce (Jul 2, 2009)

rkillar said:


> I one time removed the back from one of my mounts, cut it at a different angle; so it would orientate on the wall differently (it's head was way up high like it was smelling something and I wanted it lower). I't worked out good. To start I set the mount in about 3 inches of water and let it rehydrate for about an hour then I was able to unstapled it, peal the hide up, make my cut and put it all back together. It is a gamble as to weather you could ruin the cape of not depending on how well it was tanned. If there was any available hide on the back maybe you could cut some off and experiment. That being said if your not good at taxidermy work you'll probably mess it up, some people have to mount several deer heads B4 they get one good enough to actually display on their wall. But if a hide is properly tanned you can usually rehydrate it. I just dug out a commercially tanned elk cape out of my closet that I shot and had tanned out 20 something years ago, rehydrated it and mounted it-no problem. If you do mess it up you could just cut the horns off and bring it to a taxidermist and have it mounted any way you like-He'll have extra capes.


You wont ruin a tanned hide by rehydrating it unless you soak it for an extended period of time and then dont let it dry for an extended period of time. . . . A few hours of rehydrating wont ruing it.


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## moecarama (May 17, 2005)

Nice work on that one!


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## chuckhanisch (Dec 10, 2015)

That turned out nice.


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## Ajax2744 (Feb 8, 2018)

I'm a taxidermist and for pedestal mounts we run 1/2" all thread through the bottom line for the form before we mount it. But if you were careful and made two cuts on the bottom of the mount you could run all thread in with a drill. Sharpen the end going into the form and when it catches it will screw in easy. You want at least 8" of thread in the mount and don't over screw or the all thread will be sloppy. The problem is the back of the animal will be unfinished. You could glue a nice pwice if leather over it or cover the hair with a trashbag and paint it with spray paint. Pedestals definitely look way better with landscape around them but a good log and a strong hanger can suffice.


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## bass.deer (Oct 31, 2007)

Ajax2744 said:


> I'm a taxidermist and for pedestal mounts we run 1/2" all thread through the bottom line for the form before we mount it. But if you were careful and made two cuts on the bottom of the mount you could run all thread in with a drill. Sharpen the end going into the form and when it catches it will screw in easy. You want at least 8" of thread in the mount and don't over screw or the all thread will be sloppy. The problem is the back of the animal will be unfinished. You could glue a nice pwice if leather over it or cover the hair with a trashbag and paint it with spray paint. Pedestals definitely look way better with landscape around them but a good log and a strong hanger can suffice.


All I have ever seen are the back of wall mounts with a wood board with hangers. I am planning on converting one from wall to pedestal and I can see the need for a plate to be more solid and keep it from getting bumped off, of course a solid whack would knock it off. 

Why are the pedestal mounts so much different?


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