Getting ready for 'skins...

[longrifle346]

Got a snakeskin application question. I've got black on the face of my longbow and a pair of skins that are pretty dark but with some nice pattern. I'm afraid the pattern might get lost in all the black. Wondering if I should/can spray the face with a lighter base to help show off the pattern and still have the skins stick well with Titebond. I could spray gelcoat or paint with not a lot of effort/cost. It would seem to me that as long as either had a decent tooth to adhere to it would work fine. What say ye?

[Craig]

I have sprayed limbs black and then applied the skins. They came out all some. The limbs were carbon but I wanted the color to be consistent through out.

 

[longrifle346]

Fine looking stick there buddy. I decided it was worth a try to lighten the skins up a hair and keep that pattern visible so I scuffed the limbs up well, and sprayed a base coat of gold. I'm going to let it sit overnight and Scotchbrite it. I'll set the skins tommorrow.....

[Mike Vines]

Please make sure to post pictures of the finished product if you would please.

[longrifle346]

I'll be happy to sir!

[Breeze430]

Fine lookin aroow chuker sir!

[longrifle346]

Got started early by scuffing the basecoat. Gotta say I'm not a Titebond fan, I think a good thinned contact cement would have worked better and easier and unless someone knows a reason not to I think that's what I'd use next time. I had a couple of voids and lifted edges to deal with but they were easily cured. Overall I'm pretty pleased with how easy the process was. (Note to self: Snakeskins shrink! Don't trim the tips so soon next time!)Got a couple of little "OH CRAP!"s to deal with but I've already come up with a leather solution...

Gonna let it sit overnight to cure. I'll finish the trimming tommorrow, begin the SuperGlue application, and post some pics later of the finished bow.

Many thanks to the fine craftsmen here who's tutorials I've immersed myself in for the past few days! They've proved invaluable!
  http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss326/longrifle346/Backing%20the%20Omega/NewSkins3.jpg

[KentuckyTJ]

Beautiful skins. Can't wait to see the end result.

[Mike Vines]

Looking good so far.  Did you paint the back of the bow before installation?

[longrifle346]

Mike I added a couple of coats of gold but in retrospect I'm not sure it was needed....

[Craig]

What kind of snake is it?  would you have some small left over pieces you like to get rid of. I do a lot of snake skin arrows to donate for fundrasers.
Looks great,

Craig

[longrifle346]

Craig it was a Diamondback watersnake that I got from one of our forum members here, snakewood3. I'm sorry, there weren't any remnants of any size. I got energetic this afternoon, the glue cooperated, and I've already done the trimming. I had made relief cuts every couple of inches along the sides during the positioning process so the skin would lay flat and discarded them after the trimming when I was cleaning up. Sorry, had I known I would have gladly given them to you....

[Craig]

Thanks anyway, Keep us posted when you finish with some Photos

[Roadkill]

My son killeda 3 footer while jogging a crowded trail yesterday.  We usually do not kill snakes but this one was too close to too many unsuspevting folks and house dogs.  He is skinned and willbe a hat band by rodeo time.  I will save skins from rattlers that are too involved with peoplefor you all

[longrifle346]

Well, in the interest of disseminating information, I have to report that the bow didn't turn out as I expected. Given the outstanding pattern showing in the glued-on skins I expected an awesome skin-backed longbow. It was not to be. The texture and finish is pretty doggone nice....the bad news is that areas of the skins had a milky, scuffed look after the finish was applied. The good news is that I'm certain that I know why. In trying to insure that all scales were removed I was over-diligent I believe and actually scuffed "in" to the hide, resulting in the milky look. Had I stopped the process one step earlier I think I'd be bragging on them right now.

In hindsight I believe darker skins are infinitely more difficult than lighter skins and they will/should be de-scaled differently. That one step made the difference between an awesome bow and a project to be redone. I don't believe a Diamondback or Canebrake would have shown that little bit of scuffing.

It is what it is and was definitely a learning experience. I'll strip the Omega and re-skin again with my own skins, probably a cottonmouth or a canebrake, the difference this time will be that now I have a much better grasp of materials I'll use and how to properly prepare the skins.
In the meantime the targets and stumps won't know the difference!

[Craig]

longrifle346,
    I know they say to take off the scales after gluing, but I use my thumb and sit there scraping them off befor I even start. Then there is no mess with scales in the glue. I hold them up to the light and check if I had missed any, Tite bond 2 and true oil finished with Deft spray in a satin finish so there is no gloss. I also wipe the skins with acidtone before appying glue and before appying true oil.
Good luck on the next set and keep us posted

[Blkbird]

[YORNOC]

Hey Mike, a KEY piece of advice.....if the skin shrinks while glued and drying and it deforms, it was not adhering properly anyway in that spot. You can rehydrate the shrunken part of the skin by applying a paper towel folded and soaked in warm water to the particular area. When rehydrated it will stretch again, then use a super glue type adhesive while the skin is still damp to reapply the area properly.
Been there done that many times buddy. I've done more skin applications than you can count.

Different skins have different oil content and there is no generic answer to if a skin will adhere to ANYTHING, never mind paint. So no guarentees, but you will learn from every application. Remember, paint has to fully cure, not just dry. So it may be dry to the touch in a day, but you cant properly wet sand it to a gloss finish for weeks. The same can be true for gluing over it. All depends which finish, which glue, humidity, oils present, temperature, etc.

Dont be discouraged by this, have fun with it. Just dont use your "Jungle carpet python skins" or "african gaboon viper" for your experiment....use a prairie rattler that is easy and cheap to replace if it botches up. Save the really good, rare skins for the simplest applications.
After most scales are off from masking tape, a pencil eraser takes the stragglers off real quick.  Thin skins like copperheads can be damaged by masking tape, so go easy! Thicker scaled snakes are more leather like and can indeed be top skin scratched leaving a rough looking finish, milky looking when dry and finished over. You cant rush a skin application, everything has to cure under good conditions.

Love to see pics when done!

[longrifle346]

LOL, YORNOC I'm not easily discouraged and I live and hunt the swamps and pines of Eastern NC, snakes are not something that we are usually in short supply of! I just got a little impatient, a flaw I'm working hard to rectify. I'll go on a snake hunt this weekend in the swamps around Trent Creek, there's some cottonmouths down there that'll cover that entire longbow! (And a belt and a hat and a pair of boots and some quivers and a decent sized table and.....)  

[Mike Vines]

Yornoc, you are a fine example of how generous the trad community is with sharing experiences and techniques.  Thank you for the tutorial.