Cracked Deer Skull Repair

[Bassman]

Hi All,

I came across a deer skull while hiking (pic attached). The skull was half buried and unfortunately, as I was pulling it out of the ground it split in two. I’m able to slot the pieces together and they hold pretty well so I’m thinking I should be able to bond them together somehow. My thought was to drill a line of small holes along both sides of the seam, then loop wire through it before using bondo to hold it all together.

Also, there is a good bit of staining and algae growth on the antlers. What is the best way to get this clean without bleaching (I would like to have as natural a look as possible)? I used a soft toothbrush and warm water which helped but still a good bit of discoloration. Was planning on using hydrogen peroxide for the skull.

Has anyone done this type of repair? Is bondo the right bonding agent? I’d like to start doing my own euros and figured this would be a good one to practice on. Any insights or experiences would be appreciated.

 

[realunlucky]

Elmer's glue if want invisible. Holds pretty well I've repaired a few broken nose pieces with it after kids knocked them off the wall. For this I'd possibly look at epoxy and a wood block underneath add some strength to the weakened bone and you could also use attach it/or display it if that's your plan.

As for clean up you'll need probably power wash the growth off and blend a stain into the antler to recolor them. You have a heck of project in front of you. Post up some finished pictures

 

[Bassman]

Elmer's glue if want invisible. Holds pretty well I've repaired a few broken nose pieces with it after kids knocked them off the wall. For this I'd possibly look at epoxy and a wood block underneath add some strength to the weakened bone and you could also use attach it/or display it if that's your plan.

As for clean up you'll need probably power wash the growth off and blend a stain into the antler to recolor them. You have a heck of project in front of you. Post up some finished pictures

Thanks, Unlucky. I'll give the power washer at a low setting a go and see what happens. I've also heard of coffee grounds being used instead of stain for the re-color. Any advantages or disavantages to either method? I was planning on using a flat spray-on clear coat to finish. Will be sure to post up pictures of the finished product

 

[Stalker69]

Apoxie sculpt, sculpt all, or any of those type materials will be your best bet. I’ve repaied skulls, broken tines, teeth of all kinds of with them.