care of snakeskins

[troutremble]

I just killed a 5' rattlesnake and put in freezer until i know what to do with it. I plan to back my next osage bow with it but dont know if it needs to be tanned or how to cure it. Any advise would be appreciated.

[Flatshooter]

DO NOT TAN THE SKIN! After skinning (lightly scrape skin to get all meat off skin) Simply spread skin on a board and tac edges scale side down. There's a great "how to" on this site when you're ready to skin your bow. It's not hard to do.

[Pat B]

First skin the snake then tack it out on a board, flesh side out and remove any meat, membrane or fat and let it dry. When dry you can roll it up and store it until you are ready to skin your bow. There is no need to tan it. For skinning bows it is better either green or dried.
When you are ready to skin the bow, soak the skin in warm water to soften it back then glue it down.

[knap_123]

after its dried use a spoon to scrape the scales off. they'll come of easily so dont get to ruff. if you dont, when you tru oil it or whatever sealer you us once glued to the bow. the scales will fall off and so will your finish.

[razorsharptokill]

What will the flesh side look like if tanned? I have some skins but they look like rough suede on the inside.

[Pat B]

Sounds like your skins are tanned, Jim. Dried hides look like parchment and are almost transparent.

[Dano]

All good advice, except I don't mess with the scales till after backing the bow. A few swipes of 4/0 steel wool removes em, go from head to tail. Take the time to look for any strays, they will cause problems with the finish later.

[Stiks-n-Strings]

I followed the how to on skinning a wapiti and skinned a bear super mag 48" that had a few dings.
Turned out great. and some great advice here, these guys know what they are doing that's for sure.
Kris

[scrub-buster]

I use the blue painters tape to remove the scales after I backed the bow and before sealing.