HELP!!! I'm skinning my Morrison ILF

[2madjacks]

First off I know this has been beatin' to death        , but I've tried to do plenty of searches and seen lots of great looking skins. And still... I need a little more reassurance.  Mainly trying to get a timeline laid out providing everything goes as planned.  

I will be using diamonback rattlesnakes to get this job done and my limbs are Boo and about a medium to light color. Does the limb color effect the overall skin color that much? Should I paint the limbs darker before applying skins?

I've dicided to use Titebond II or III, but one of my questions is the total "dry time"?  Next question is how dry does it need to be to remove the scales and trimming after applying the skins?

For the finish I think I'm gonna go with 2-3 coats of Helmsman's spar.

Last question is total dry time from glue up to shooting again, are we talking weeks or days?

Thanks for your help!!
James

[Orion]

Limb color does influence the final appearance of the skins.  Black glass will darken the overall appearance, clear glass will lighten it.  However, the difference is not great.  The skins themselves can also vary quite a bit in color tone.  

I would not paint the limbs.  I have dyed the underside of the skins to darken them.  

Be sure to roughen the surface with a flat sanding block before applying the skins. I use 120 grit sand paper.  Some go as coarse as 80 grit.  Of course, wet the skins and pat them with a paper towel or absorbent rag to remove most of the moisture before applying the glue. Either Titebond II or III will work.

When you put the skins on, you'll have about a half-hour to move them around to get them straight and work out air bubbles before the glue begins to set up.  I give the glue one day to dry.

After trimming the edges, check to make sure the skins adhere along the entire length of the limbs.  If not, you might need to work a little glue under any lifted areas with a toothpick.  

Then do the masking tape to remove the scales. After couple applications of tape, view the limbs under a light, moving them around a little to identify any scales that still remain, and push them off with a fingernail/thumbnail.

I use Helmsman spar and it dries fairly quickly, if you spray it on thin, which you should.  I  generally do a coat every 6-8 hours, and usually apply 4-5 thin coats.  Be sure to hit the skin/limb edges on every coat you apply.  

Beginning to end -- about 3-4 days.  God luck.

[2madjacks]

Thank you sir.  Thats exactly what I was wanting to here!!  

[Craig]

I always take the scales off before I glue them on. I use my finger nails. It makes a cleaner glue job. You don't have those scales sticking on your fingers and skins.

I also use titebond III, but I use 2 coates of gun stock finish and then put 5 coats of Satin Deft spray can. I was shooting my bow in 3 days.

 

[huntmaster80]

I used the method above, but if the edges are not glued well VERY carefully glue them down with superglue type glue.  but do not get any on the scales or they will be very hard to get off.

I also wait till they are dry to remove any scales with masking tape.  it may take a few tries but they will come off.  i probably put close to 10 coast of spar on mine.