Skin soaking question

[kodiakkid]

How long do you need to soak a set of canebrake skins before gluing?

[ranger 3]

Not long at all, what I do is put them in water and by the time I put the TB on I take the skins out and towel pat them down.

[Pat B]

I usually drop them in warm(not hot)water while I prep the bow and get everything I need for the job ready. You will know when it is ready. Canebreaks are thicker skinned than copperheads and western rattlers so you will probably have to wrap each limb after skinning. I use old bed sheets torn into 2" wide strips. After an hour or so, before the glue completely sets I remove the wrap and look for bubbles of air or excessive glue. For air I put in a pin hole and work the air out. For glue pockets I try to work then to the edge or make a small slit with a sharp razor, parallel to the limb and squeeze the excess glue out. This is also a good time to trim the skins with that sharp razor too.