A while back one of the officers of the Alabama Society of Traditional Bowman asked me if they could buy a bow from me at a cut rate price to auction at their Children's Hospital Benefit shoot next weekend at Tannehill park South of Birmingham Al. I thought about a fair price for such an event and told Abe" how does free sound".
I should have taken pictures along the way as I started with a really dogleg, propellered, snaky stave and turned it in to a really nice stave over a two day heating, bending (and a little cussing) session.
I told Tom Kinder (the snake skin guy on the auction site) about my project and he sold me a super matched set of western diamondback skins at a real reasonable price.
I started taking pictures when I started the skin application and although these type of tutorials have been on the Trad Gang before I thought some newbies might like to see the process so here goes.
I finished the bow completely to the final sanding before I start applying the skins.
First I like to mask off every part of the bow except the back. There is so much extra glue involved that ends up on various parts of the bow if it isn't masked, I like to cover everything up. I have found some glue spots will escape the closest scrutiny and only show up after the first coat of finish is applied which only makes a mess.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/ekrewson/bow%20making/snake1.jpg)
I like to rough up the back of the bow slightly. I ues a toothing plane blade with only the weight of the blade doing the cutting.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/ekrewson/bow%20making/snake2.jpg)
I trim away as much excess skin as I can while the skin is dry.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/ekrewson/bow%20making/snake3.jpg)
After trimming I put the skins in a bowl of water and assemble the necessary stuff for the project. I have a bowl of water for cleaning my hands, one for the skins, a metal handle glue brush, carpenters wood glue and lots of paper towels. I don't like to use TB11 because you can see the yellow color through the skins when you get them on, the tan glue is neutral.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/ekrewson/bow%20making/snake4.jpg)
Lay the skin out, belly side up and blot the excess moisture with a paper towel.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/ekrewson/bow%20making/snake5.jpg)
Brush on a light coat of glue to the skin and back of the bow. The glue is pretty thick so I dip the brush in water so it will mix with glue on the skin and bow to thin the glue a bit and make coverage more even.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/ekrewson/bow%20making/snake6.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/ekrewson/bow%20making/snake7.jpg)
I lay the skin in place on the limb and spend the next 10 minutes making sure the pattern is centered while forcing air and excess glue to the outside of the limb with my thumbs. I may make several dozen passes with my thumbs making sure the skin is just where I want it and there are no pockets of glue or air under the skin.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/ekrewson/bow%20making/snake8.jpg)
After about 10 minutes I trim the edges of the skin, not to the edge of the limb but leaving just a little extra to re-adjust the skin if necessary. A poorly centered skin really messes up the beauty of a snake skin backing.
You can see all the excess glue on the tape, what a mess to get off the bow if you didn't mask it.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/ekrewson/bow%20making/snake9.jpg)
One more trip down the limb with my thumbs will squeeze out a few more small drops of excess glue. With the skin trimmed I can see the smallest amount of glue that need to be removed.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/ekrewson/bow%20making/snake10.jpg)
I put the matching skin on the other limb the same way and will let the skins dry for a day or so then continue with more pics and the rest of the project.
Nicely done Eric.
Eric...Thanks and I look forward to seeing the process finished up.
Drew, a newbie
That is inspiring Eric! One of these days.............and you almost make it look easy.
Can't wait for the rest.
Great stuff Eric! Can't wait to see the rest!
Superb Eric, thank you Sir!
:notworthy:
Is the white carpenter glue really handling the bending well over time?
F-Manny
The glue is really the stainable, waterproof variety instead of white glue. No problems with it in since I switched from TB2 years ago.
A few more steps. After a day of drying, I use a small, fine cut riffler file to trim the skin to the edge of the limb, pushing the file to the belly only.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/ekrewson/bow%20making/snake11.jpg)
This leaves a very crisp edge and a few scrapes with my cabinet scraper removes any small file marks. This is the end result. How about that osage burl tip overlay? "G" brought me one a foot across with plenty of future nock overlays.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/ekrewson/bow%20making/snake12.jpg)
Time to remove the scales. I like duct tape because it has the most"stick-um" and makes the job go better. You will always miss a few and will need to go over the limbs several times and look in different light angles to spot the ones that escape the duct tape.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/ekrewson/bow%20making/snake13.jpg)
I guess I should explain the reason for removing the scales to readers who haven't applied skins before. If you try to apply your final finish to the skins with the scales on they will prevent the finish from sealing the skin, acting like shingles on a house. Later they will flake off leaving the skin unprotected with no finish.
Still a little drying to do before the final finishing. The rest later.
Great job showing the process Eric :thumbsup:
Awesome... :thumbsup: :notworthy:
good stuff thanks
hey this is a good thread would it work with carp skins ? we have plenty of over here. :thumbsup:
hey eric you're buddy daniel here it's looking great!
Very nice Eric! Looks a lot like a bow I've been shooting. I wonder why? ;)
Looks great Eric. :thumbsu
p
Getting close to finishing.
The next step is controversial but works good for me. I brush a VERY thin coat of superglue on the skins, emphasis on very thin. It took two brushes because the superglue sets up in each brush pretty quickly. I brush in a circular motion to spread the glue Be sure to have a fan going or other good ventilation because the fumes are pretty rough.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/ekrewson/bow%20making/snake14.jpg)
After a couple hours drying I sand the back of the skin lightly with fine sandpaper to remove the points between where the scales were. I am using 400 grit paper.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/ekrewson/bow%20making/snake15.jpg)
That is truly awsome brother,thanks for sharing with us.
Time to finish up with the skins. After sanding I apply 3 coats of clear satin Spar Urethane to the entire bow. This really causes the color in the snake skins to stand out. Most people who get my bows hunt with them so a flat finish is best. When I get the leather handle and lettering in place I will add one more picture.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/ekrewson/bow%20making/snake16.jpg)
All done! R/H 52#@28", 64" nock to nock.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/ekrewson/bow%20making/snake17.jpg)
If any of you guys are going to the ASTB Children's Hospital Benefit shoot at Tannehill Park south of Birmingham this weekend, this bow will be auctioned off to raise money for the kids, probably after the free BBQ supper on Saturday evening.
Eric,
On behalf of the ASTB and the Children's Hosptial I want to thank you for such a wonderful gift. I know that you have put a great deal of heart and soul into making that wonderful bow and I know that whoever wins will be very pleased. I look forward to seeing it up close. Again thank you very much.
:clapper:
Thanks for sharing Eric! That's a beautiful job. Whoever gets that bow will have a dandy.
Now that's how a "how-to" should be done. :thumbsup: Inspirational! You sir are a class act. Thanks for sharing.
GOOD STUFF
The bow was auctioned off this past weekend at the ASTB shoot at Tannehill state park south of Birmingham. Wonderful tournament, over 300 trad shooters. It sold for $360 and the money is headed to the Alabama Children's Hospital.
Great news....Good on ya Eric :thumbsup:
Good Job Eric! The person who bought the bow got a heck of a deal.
Greg
Great job Eric that is one beautiful bow.
yep, i seen that bow there, i didnt really get a up close look at it except for when i was getting score cards, looked GREAT though...