questions on snake skins

[rover brewer]

I've killed and skined some snakes they are dry,seems like I've read somewhere that to use them I need to scale them,is this true and how?? please help.

[Balding Kansan]

Use tape. I use the blue painters tape. Rub it on and peel it off against the "grain" of the scales.

[Pat B]

Yes, you want to remove the scale covers. They are just dry skin but will discolor if you seal over them. Some folks use tape to remove them, others use a t spoon to lightly scrape them off or a soft wore brush.  What kind of skins are they. Some skins are thin(western D back, prairie rattlers, copperheads) and you should take care not to tear the skin while removing the "scales". You might be able to remove the scales just with your fingers.

[vanillabear?]

[Eric Krewson]

Glue the skins to a bow before you use tape to remove the scales, no chance of tearing the skin this way. I like duct tape for scale removal because it has more "stick-um".

 

[vanillabear?]

[Eric Krewson]

I have put skins on a bunch of bows, seems like I had one tear a little on the side when I got sloppy with my trimming.

Never had a problem tearing a skin while removing scales. I do have the skin completely dry(a couple days after initial application), trimmed and  sanded flush with the bow edge before I remove the scales so there is nothing loose for the tape to grab and tear.

I have backed three bows lately with copperhead skins which are the thinnest of all the skins I have used so far with no tearing problems.

One method I feel is wrong when applying skins is to wrap them after application with an ace bandage or similar wrap. You get a much better bond by spending a half hour or so pressing the skin down and working out excess glue with your thumbs until the skin is almost dry to the touch. The wrap is only going to put a lot of pressure on the edge of the skin, very little in the middle of the limb unless you have a really high crown bow.

Press the skin in place with your thumbs, working out excess glue and any air pockets to the edge while centering the pattern.

   

Trim after about a half hour.

   

File and sand to shape the next day.

   

A nice clean trim on the edge looks the best. I think skins that cover the limbs edge look really sloppy.

 

Then remove the scales. Use this method and I doubt if you will ever tear a skin while removing the scales with tape.

[vanillabear?]

[Eric Krewson]

What kind of glue do you use? When I stick one down it is really stuck, no way it could come loose and tear. I have removed skins later to replace a limb on a broken bow and have to scrape and sand a good bit to get them off.

I don't use a lot of pressure on the tape to remove the scales and use Elmer's stainable wood glue to glue them on. I do rough up the bows back a good bit before I apply the skins.

[vanillabear?]

[Eric Krewson]

Very strange, I wish I had an answer of how to prevent this from occurring.

I skinned one bow with copperhead skins that were very old and faded almost white. I put one in warm water to soak and it actually fell apart while I was trying to put it on the bow, just like wet tissue paper so I pushed the pieces together the best I could and let it dry. My duct tape scale removal didn't damage even this rotten skin.

I dyed the bows back so the stain would show through the extra faded skin and give it some color.

   

[rover brewer]

thanks for the help and the pictures that helps a lot. I have a black racer about 3' long and a garden snake about 2' long.these I would have not killed but they were in my bushes eating bird eggs.

[Eric Krewson]

Just a few other thoughts. Always pull your tape off in a head to tail direction when removing scales or you will cause little projections to pull up that are hard to sand off and get a smooth surface.

If you obtain any skins that have been salted or boraxed, you can't wash them too much to get this stuff out. Some say it doesn't matter but I have had a time getting a skin that is salted or boraxed to stick to a bow.

The first time I ran into skins treated this way I had to pull them off the bow and take them to a sink for a 30 minute washing to get them to stick properly. I couldn't tell by looking at the skins that they had been salted. A quick call the friend who gave them to me confirmed the fact.

Scott, have your skins been salted, boraxed or tanned? Still trying to figure out what would cause a skin to "delaminate" so I won't encounter the same problem in the future.

[vanillabear?]

[Pat B]

I always wash snake skins with Dawn dish soap to remove any fat that may be still on the dried skins. That may have been the delamination problem. Also oil from your hands can cause troubles if left on the bow.

[vanillabear?]