Applying snake skins?

[lpcjon2]

How do you apply snake skins to a bow that you already own? Never did it and thinking about it.Thanks Tim    

[PEARL DRUMS]

Search it here, there are oodles of skin threads all the time, you will find what you need.

[DVSHUNTER]

scuff the limbs with sandpaper, wet the skins in room temp water for about five minutes, spread titebond 3 on the limbs where ever you want skin. Take the skins out of the water. They should be very pliable now. Pat them dry with a towel and laythem on the glue how you want them. work any air bubbles out making sure that the skins stay in place. Then I trim some of the extra skin off the sides and tips. After the glue sets up a little I wrap the limbs with a mesh wrap like an ace bandage for twenty four hours. After the skins dry you can use a fine file to trim the rest of the skin off. Its pretty easy, and fun. Good luck.











I don't have pictures of trimming them with a file, or the next few steps.  After the skins are dry you need to put duct tape on the skins and then peel it up. This pulls any dead scales that were on the skin off before finish is applied. I've never missed a scale, but I hear that they turn a different color under finish. Hope that helps.

[lpcjon2]

Thanks I will have to give it a try.

[Sixby]

Whats been said except I masking tape the sides and belly of the limb and anywhere else you don't want glue. Use a glue roller. One of the little cheap ones. I also let the glu on the limb dry a little bit while I spread the skin out on a piece of newspaper and roll some glue on it. It never hurts for bonding to have glue on both surfaces. after you apply and center the skins let them dry a while and finger smooth them out making sure to work any bubbles out to the side. I do this three or four times. when pretty dry I trim them a little but leave extra and do not trim all the way until you are sure the skins are dry. then I take a little razor knife and very carefully trim the edges cutting down toward the glass. Use very light pressure so you don't cut the finish or glass on the bow. When completely trimmed I take sandpaper on a board and go down the entire side a couple of times , Angle and sand one direction. down toward the glass. Now after a good day I take a piece of Duct tape and put it on the skin and peel the scales off. Pretty neat because you get a snake on the tape lol. Check out the tape and you can see where any scales are left on the skin. Then either do that again or take some short pieces and pull the rest of the scales off. I kind of tend to doing the entire thing a couple of times. Now I put on a heavy coat of tru Oil. let it dry. Sand light and do again and again and again and again and again until smooth and completely sealed. You can either leave it slick or you can spray some spar var matte on it.
Materials.

tite bond 111
small glue roller and little plastic pan. got mine at Lowes.
Newspaper
towell
Razor sharp knife
sharp scizzors
True Oil
Bowl and luke warm water
Pair of snake skins.
Pre trim skins to 1/2 in wide. !
1/4 each side of center and I in long each end.
God Bless you and good luck. Steve
80 or `20 sandpaper
1 in masking tape
Wrap if you decide to use one.

God Bless you and good luck ,Steve

[Bldtrailer]

Do the skins affect the draw weight or bow performance in any way?   Is there maintance for the skins?

[DVSHUNTER]

They have to. They add weight and nothing else. You can't tell a difference in selfbows though, but I have heard that you can in glass bows where the weight is makes up a larger percentage of weight. No maintance other than a good finish.

[Walt Francis]

The method I use is similar to DVSHUNTER with one major difference.  Instead of using an ace bandage to hold the snakeskin in place, I use painter's tape, which does not adhere to the wood when the glue dries.  It makes for less work with the clean up.

 

Now you get an idea of why I didn't show a picture of the inside of my shop.

[Osagetree]

I quit using anything to hold them down at glue up. I just keep working the air bubbles and excess glue out by using a couple fingers, working from handle to tips. Once the glue starts setting up and a wrinkles or bubbles are gone, I let it set 24hrs before trimming the sides.
I found the bandage left some wrinkles at times and the tape was too much trouble.

[Sixby]

Osage Tree , Exactly right and at the price of snakeskins I can't afford to take the chance of an air bubble or a wrinkle.

]God Bless you all and have a great day, steve

[Ricky Wallace]

When the glue dries I put on two coats of polyurethane,that helps it stick as well and its pretty!

[Pat B]

I don't wrap skins after glueing unless they are a thicker/stiffer type. Sometimes with bigger timber rattlers and eastern D backs the skin is so thick a wrap is necessary to get it down on the bow well. Copperheads and Western D backs and Prarrie rattlers will drape well over the limb when wet and don't need to be wrapped. The wrap can not only hide wrinkles, air and glue pockets but also pull the skin off center when wrapping if care isn't taken.
 I also do an initial trim with a very sharp razor about an hour after glueing but before the glue sets up completely and gets hard. After at least 24 hours I do a final trim and use a file and sandpaper to dress the edges.

[Walt Francis]

Pulling the skin off center is why I went to using the tape method; the tape holds the skin in place.  I have not had any problems with air pockets but did get a couple of wrinkles on a set of copperheads that were put on over sinew.  I will try it without using anything on the next set of thin snakeskins.

[PEARL DRUMS]

ttt

[ny state land]

Yes, let the skin start to dry and it will begin to curl. At this point take a very sharp razor and cut the excess off. this will allow you to also take a damp sponge during the process and remove the excess glue for very little clean up in the end.

[Stinger]

Can you do this over glass limbs?  The bow I have in mind with the glass limbs has been sanded already.  Will it need a finish on the limbs before I sand it and apply the skins?

Is it possible to use a larger skin and wrap it around the limb to cover both the face and belly of the limb?

[T Folts]

Yes you can put them over glass.

[PEARL DRUMS]

ttt

[Trick]

Where is the best place to get some copperhead skins? (Please don't say a "copperhead")  I just built my first bow, and I used brown glass (in case I screwed up). After it came out better than I'd hoped, I got to thinking that skins would look pretty good on it.

Patrick

[Stiks-n-Strings]

Patrick, Goodluck finding copperhead skins. Hard to to come by and when they do come up they don't last long.

Just keep an eye out for them in the classifieds, maybe you'll beat me to them LOL

Stiks