Need help with whitening a Warthog skull

[Major Bonkers]

Well, I can give you a bit of advice based on red deer skull mounts.

Having got the skull into the boiled and bleached condition, the next stage is to pack the brain-pan with plaster and allow it to dry.

You then need to get a board to mount the skull onto. These are usually - in the UK, at least - cut into a vague shield shape. Remember to add an eye or some such to the back of the shield in order to hang it on the wall: installers of kitchen cabinets have a special type of eye which is perfect for this (as well as hanging pictures). I am in Poland at the moment, but here is link to the sort of thing.

You then put a screw through the board (from the back) into the plaster of the skull.

Again, you may want to add a small self-adhesive engraved plastic plaque underneath. These are usually about 3"x 2", with plain black block writing on a white background. They record: your initials; where the animal was killed; and the date. Available from eBay. NB: if you do want to do this, make sure to leave enough space on the shield/ board and measure the placements of skull and plaque before you start drilling holes.

With deer skulls, sometimes the skull is cut with a saw in order to lose the lower jaw and some of the upper jaw and angle the mount forward. This strikes me as a bit pointless with your warthog skull, as you particularly want to keep the jaws and tusks, but I include the option in the interest of completeness.

 

[RichD]

First, fill the tusks with candle wax (melt a candle and drip it in) to stop them splitting / cracking. Then, you can see on the tusks the dark rim where they extruded from the gum line. That gives you a good idea how much they should stick out. I haven’t mounted a warthog but my approach for all skulls is to fill the brain cavity with car body filler and then a bit of wood. Let it set and then put a screw through the back of the shield and through into the wood in the brain cavity.

Thank you. I filled the tusks with E6000 as I saw that recommended by a few folks as it is non-expanding. I like the idea of the car body fill, like Bondo, to fill and screw into. I'm in the process of making a plague in the shape of the African continent with my 8 year old grandson. He has really shown an interest in my hunt, skulls, and the plaque projects.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I never pack the brain cavity with anything. It isn't necessary. Hang the empty skull on the plaque. Just be sure and drill the hole for mounting screw in the proper location. Here's a mule deer skull I am about to mount on a wall pedestal.

And here is one already on the wall.

And here's the mounting hardware on back side. Use a forster bit to frill out the recess. DO NOT use the brads that come with mounting strap (sold at Home Depot). The will pull out and your trophy falls and breaks onto pieces. Drill holes out on strap so it will accept small screws.

The problem for you is how to stick the jaw on the skull so you can hang it vertical on the wall. This is a big pain in the arse! I do it with screws but it is very tricky. Most people simply set the skull on a shelf for this reason. Like this one. They actually display MUCH better that way. No need to attach jaw. Just set the skull on it. Use your Africa plaque for an antelope skull.

 

[RichD]

I never pack the brain cavity with anything. It isn't necessary. Hang the empty skull on the plaque. Just be sure and drill the hole for mounting screw in the proper location. Here's a mule deer skull I am about to mount on a wall pedestal.
View attachment 576094
And here is one already on the wall.View attachment 576095
And here's the mounting hardware on back side. Use a forster bit to frill out the recess. DO NOT use the brads that come with mounting strap (sold at Home Depot). The will pull out and your trophy falls and breaks onto pieces. Drill holes out on strap so it will accept small screws.
View attachment 576096
The problem for you is how to stick the jaw on the skull so you can hang it vertical on the wall. This is a big pain in the arse! I do it with screws but it is very tricky. Most people simply set the skull on a shelf for this reason. Like this one. They actually display MUCH better that way. No need to attach jaw. Just set the skull on it. Use your Africa plaque for an antelope skull.View attachment 576098

I think the idea of the shelf is the easier solution rather than the wall mount. I was going to make a plaque in the shape of Botswana, but will revise and save the Bots for the next trip. This forum has been an incredible source of info from planning my trip to everything post-trip.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I think the idea of the shelf is the easier solution rather than the wall mount. I was going to make a plaque in the shape of Botswana, but will revise and save the Bots for the next trip. This forum has been an incredible source of info from planning my trip to everything post-trip.

Glad to help. Note that my warthog is badly grease stained. Crappy work by African taxidermist. They sent the first one covered with paint. That was an awful mess to clean up. I need to clean up this one too but we are short on peroxide. Waiting for a shipment so I can bleach the muley I shot a couple weeks ago.