I'm planning to mount my elephant tusks on small pedestals myself.
As you know, the ends of the tusks are very thin and fragile. Most people have metal bands around the base but I assume that is more for looks, to hide cracks and make the pedestal ornate, rather than for support.
Ideally it seems that mounting a pipe or rod coming out of the nerve cavity to bolt to the pedestal (like a typical shoulder pedestal mount) would be the easiest. It seems that epoxy or some sort of cement to hold the pipe would be extremely heavy and may never set up in that application.

How do most taxidermists mount tusks on pedestals?

Your input appreciated.

Thanks,
Kyler

My tusks from 1997 with Russ Broom are still laying at the base of the lion mount. It seems Im also waiting for the perfect mounting idea. I did get my elephant foot stools done and they turmed out pretty good. I was thinking of shaving down a ten inch piece of redwood 4x4 until its a close fit and either using silicone or insulation foam to hold it into the nerve cavity. This would allow you to screw your base into it without damage. I was going to use heavy steel plate for a base so it wouldnt tip over. If you weld a pipe to the steel plate at the right angle the tusk would slip into the pipe and be held in place with a large lag type screw

My bull is from Broom too.
I'd really like more details about your elephant foot stools. If you could email me the details I'd really appreciate it.

kylerh@remax.net

Thanks,
Kyler

Kyler,

Jerry Huffaker trimmed of some of the very thinnest part off the bottom of the tusks and then used some type of resin in the cavity to hold the mounting bolts. Yes it does add quite a bit of weight. He trimmed the bottoms in suede.



Regards,

Terry

Thanks Terry,
Jerry was already kind enough to email with his phone number to call for the specifics.

Kyler

Kyler, check your e-mail. gunny.

Got mine mounted in Namibia in dolf wood pedestals, a wood native to the elephant's home range.

Problem is that one of the tusks began to crack up. Apparently they should be oiled regularly with either baby oil or a thin coating of vaseline.
Regards, Tim

I plan a differant approach to mounting than I have ever seen. I will fabricate caps for the nerve end to protect the thin end. The caps will be copper (roof flashing) approx 4" wide. There will be siver twisted wire around the ends. The tusks will be mounted on an oak cradle similar to ones you see samuraii swords mounted on with the shorter tusk slightly lower and in front of the longer one. They will then be displayed on a teak coffee table in the den . The base will have an engraved plaque with pertinent information as to where,when,how etc. Hope it looks as good as I believe it will.

Zimbabwe,
That sounds like a great plan. Photos would be enjoyed when you get them completed.

Tim,
You may have a point there. I know pig tusks crack eventually too. It would be nice to hear of any opinions of how to preserve or care for the tusks properly.

Thanks,
Kyler

Kyler,

I made my own out of steel for the first set and they came out okay but it was a lot of work.
Jonas has a set in theri catalog made of epoxy that I might try for the second set. It should be easy to machine and easy to epoxy the tusks into.

BigB