Trad Gang
Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: RM81 on June 07, 2011, 11:38:00 PM
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I'm new at this but thought I'd take you along for the ride. Disclaimer: this may or may not be the correct way to skin a bow. I've been reading up and searching every post here on TG I could find and decided to just do it.
I've had my Thunderstick Mag for about a month now and absolutely love it. So why not add some snake skins. The bow was in great shape to start with without a scratch on it. Not for long though (this was probably the hardest part).
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd444/mbhensley/skinning%20a%20bow/7b5f08cd.jpg)
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd444/mbhensley/skinning%20a%20bow/5f5d0810.jpg)
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd444/mbhensley/skinning%20a%20bow/04c74440.jpg)
I got some nice Cottonmouth skins from snakewood3 here on TG a couple of weeks ago. The skins were a bit larger than I thought so I decided to cut them in half and try to get one skin to do an entire bow. It helps when the limbs are only an inch wide.
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd444/mbhensley/skinning%20a%20bow/f1af9a03.jpg)
I also read about how hard it was to hold the bow and apply the skin so I whipped up a "bow vice". It worked great. After roughing up the surface with 60 grit sandpaper, I wiped it down with denatured alcohol.
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd444/mbhensley/skinning%20a%20bow/4390efd2.jpg)
I soaked the first skin in luke warm water while I spread glue (Titebond III) out on the limb. Remove the excess water by running it through your fingers and pat dry with a towel.
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd444/mbhensley/skinning%20a%20bow/5cc18d1f.jpg)
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd444/mbhensley/skinning%20a%20bow/c19dcbc2.jpg)
It took awhile to work out all the air bubbles but finally got it done. Not too bad for my first try.
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd444/mbhensley/skinning%20a%20bow/ed07e952.jpg)
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Onto to the bottom limb. Repeat the same process as the first.
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd444/mbhensley/skinning%20a%20bow/b5e57c1d.jpg)
(working out the air bubbles)
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd444/mbhensley/skinning%20a%20bow/7528b7eb.jpg)
After about an hour I took a new razor blade and trimmed the edges some. I contemplated putting a wrap over the skins while they dry, but the first skin was already setting up nice, so I decided to skip the wrap and just let them dry. All done for tonight. Time to relax.
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd444/mbhensley/skinning%20a%20bow/97958416.jpg)
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd444/mbhensley/skinning%20a%20bow/9cd8cd67.jpg)
More to come . . . .
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Like your bow,nice very inventive.
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Looks like you're off to a flying start.
Hap
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Looking good.
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There should be some "mojo" in those skins...lol
I grew up where those danged cottonmouths loved to hang out and can tell you 1st hand they mean business.
I'd much rather run upon a rattler or copperhead any day!
Cotton mouths(water Moccasins) are just plain mean, meaner than a "red-eyed" rabbit...lol
I think of them as the stereotypical "Mother-in-Law" of snakes...lol
God bless,Mudd
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Looks really good :thumbsup: Your last photo is best but someone glued a Heinie "skin" over your Molson Canadian bottle !! :laughing:
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Looks great!!
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very nice! I'm trying to find me a pair of those in the creek behind my house. If and when I do, I will do a skin-a-long. Keep it up! Looks good. Thanks for your service in the Air Force! <>< del
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Lookin' good!
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Looks good! Your TS Mag looks just like mine before you put the skins on it. What are your bow's measurements?
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Great Job!! :thumbsup: That Bow will be "Dressed" to Hunt!! Cant say I agree with the Choice of Beverage, but thats just Me! Was always a Mich Light Fan Myself. :biglaugh: :archer2:
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Keep an eye on them as they dry. Keep them from curling up off the limb. I started using sand bags on my limbs to keep the skins down nice and flat. I also roll an arrow shaft along the limb to help get the bubbles out.
Did you tape off the limb tips and the belly?
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Thanks everyone. I checked on them this morning and they still looked pretty good. They didn't curl up around the edges that I could tell. Tonight, I'll trim off the edges, glue down any lifted spots and take off the rest of the scales.
Mudd,
That's part of the reason I picked them. I thought I had decided on diamondbacks b/c I think they always look good over dark limbs. But right about the time I got serious about looking for skins, snakewood3 posted his ad for these.
Del,
I would have loved to have been able to get the skins myself, but I don't see very many snakes around where I live.
Larry,
It's 58", marked 55 @ 28, but it's actually a bit lighter than that. From what I can tell, I'm about the 4th TGer to own this bow. I don't see a 5th owner in it's future anytime soon. :thumbsup:
Kieth,
Thanks for the tip. I checked it this morning before work and it still looked pretty good. I taped around the riser, the tips, and a little bit around the belly. There will be some clean up though on the sides. Thinking about using a file to bevel the edges of the skin into the limb. Not sure yet.
:nono: And for the ones cracking jokes about my choice in beverage, I'll take a Heineken or Carlsberg any day of the week.
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I never used a file. So I can't comment on that. I just used sandpaper and steel wool. Those skins will be pretty rough when finished. You may want to sand in between dried coats of poly to take it down some. Use fine sandpaper.
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"I think of them as the stereotypical "Mother-in-Law" of snakes...lol"
That's classic Mudd!
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Oh yeah, going to be sharp!
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Boy you are crazy.Looks like a great job :thumbsup:
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Good job its gonna be sharp.
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Moc'sins shore do have a purty hide, don't they?
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Ben,
Bring one of your MOAB's over and we'll skin it up next. I'd like to see the look on your face as I take some 60 grit to the limbs. :biglaugh:
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great job......moccasins can have a nasty attitude, they look so nice on a bow though...... :thumbsup:
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Great job RM81, I'm in the process of skinning the limbs on my Shawnee, and know what you mean by hitting them with sand paper, my 1st thought was I'm roughing up $600.00 CF limbs, and then I went and painted them so the skins will no get so dark
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:nono: :nono: :nono:
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Got a little more done tonight. Here's how it looked after drying for almost 24hrs. While not completely dry, I thought it was dry enough to start the trimming. First thing I did was to glue any spots where it wanted to lift where the skin starts near the riser and where it ends near the tips.
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd444/mbhensley/skinning%20a%20bow/d33ad88a.jpg)
I had about a 1/4 inch overhang and started trimming with the razor. After I got most of it trimmed back, I switched to a file. You can also use sandpaper. If you decide to use a file, go very very slow and do not take off more than you need. I filed through the skin and the layer of glue and stopped when I got down to the glass.
(Edit: The reason I used a file is b/c the skins were thin and I was trying to blend into a beveled edge. If the limbs have a hard edge like most three piece takedowns, I would just use the razor knife.)
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd444/mbhensley/skinning%20a%20bow/91a5daa3.jpg)
Used masking tape to peel off the remainder of the scales. Press the tape on and rub it in to make sure you get the scales to stick. If you're glue is not completely dry, be sure to hold down the edges near the riser so it doesn't peel back. Also peel your tape from the head end of the skin to the tail end. I don't know for sure, but I've heard it can rip if you do it the opposite way.
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd444/mbhensley/skinning%20a%20bow/950be7de.jpg)
I then sanded the edge where the skin meets the bow with some 400 grit to help blend it in and smooth out some of the file marks. I also very lightly sanded over the entire skin. The more I sanded here, the more color I lost so I wouldn't suggest sanding a lot. I'm happy with the result with the exception of where the skin stop on the riser on one limb. Lesson learned. I like how the tips and the edges turned out.
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd444/mbhensley/skinning%20a%20bow/2277da3d.jpg)
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd444/mbhensley/skinning%20a%20bow/af8d3c2c.jpg)
Next is a top coat. Still not 100% sure on what I'm going to use. I have Tru Oil, Tung Oil, and Helmsman Spar Urethane on hand. Right now I'm leaning towards Tru Oil, with a light spar urethane over top. I guess I have until tomorrow to decide. Thanks for following along.
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Looks great.You have talent. :clapper:
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Looks Great.
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WOW really nice job..
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Looks GREAT!!!!!
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Nice work you have done there, glad the skins worked out.
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Really nice looking finished product. Good descriptive detail on how you made it happen, thanks!
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Looks very good. I do love those skins have very nice colors. Some of those buggers have a lot of green on them. Where I live down here most of them are near all black with very subtle colors.....almost ran over one the other day with the gator. If I had a gun I would have tried to kill him but he struggled to slither off since it was so big.
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You don't lose color when you sand it. Like I said, take a damp rag and wipe the dust off after you are done sanding. That will bring the color back. Sand after each coat.
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Sharp :thumbsup:
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Very nice! I have a very nice set of cotton mouth skins here at home...i need to find a bow to put them on.
What did you spray over them?
Josh
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Thanks everyone. I didn't spray anything yet. I started with the first coat of Tru Oil tonight. Spreading a very thin layer with my finger. Going to do a coat each day and very lightly sand in between coats. I'll post some more pics when I have something to show. Thanks for following along.
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Sweet..........
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Snakeskin is leather, a file will leave slightly fuzzy edges on larger skins like python, etc.. for those use a SHARP razorblade held at a slight angle. Just be careful not to angle it down into the limb glass or you'll get a thin sliver. If you do, super glue or loctite 420 (better) will seal it up.
Bow looks great, VERY nice patterned cottonmouth skins.
Air bubbles can drive ya nuts. A small wallpaper roller works really well. They are angled slightly and you can work all the air out to one side on future skins.
Great job!
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The file worked ok. I hit it with some sandpaper afterward and it smoothed out nicely. I did notice the fuzzy edges before using the sandpaper though. Once it's complete I'll get some closeup pics out in the sunlight and post them. Going to add a second coat of Tru Oil tonight, and lightly sand it tomorrow. Thinking of going with some 600 grit I have out in the garage. How long should the Tru Oil dry between coats. The bottle says at least 2 hours, but I've read to leave them for 24.
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Nicely done
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Sunlight will reflect and make it hard to see. Try in the house.
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Any suggestions on dry time for tru oil? anyone with first hand knowledge? I think I'm about done (7 coats) but want to wait long enough before I string it up and shoot it.
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Finally done. I let it dry for quite awhile. Ended up putting about 8 coats of tru oil on it. I'll knock the shine off of it if I take it hunting.
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd444/mbhensley/skinning%20a%20bow/30de2a67.jpg)
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd444/mbhensley/skinning%20a%20bow/b930e7dd.jpg)
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That's a thing of beauty. If my wife wasn't a snake freak I'd probably have all my bows covered in skins.
Looks like you did a GREAT job.
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That is lights out sexy man!! Great job on your bow!!
Bob.
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WOW IT LOOKS GREAT :eek: :eek: :eek:
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Well done!
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The pros don't do it any better. I am going to have to get some moccasins now. That is just too pretty!
god bless you, Steve
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Looks Great,very nice job.
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I want skins on my longbow, that looks sweet
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Awesome job. Great looking skins.
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Well done,thanks for the tutorial.
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If you lay that bow down in the woods it is going to scare you. Someone may see it and yell SNAKE!!! Loooks really good and cam, great job.
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love the skin look, good job
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Wow, really great work and man that bow looks 10x better now.