How to attach snake skins to laminated bows???

huntelk · July 10, 2007, 12:26:00 PM

How do I glue snake skins to a laminated longbow. My brother just tried to do a pair and they are not working out. He use elmers wood glue (tight bond better?)and soaked the skins....They won't stick and the glue won't dry??

He aslo trimmed them a bit before glueing and they shrunk....

Help!!

Thanks

Steve

bjk · July 10, 2007, 12:38:00 PM

If you do a search, you'll come up with a bunch of buildalong type threads...I use TBII...rough up the surface a bit, soak the skins to make them pliable, but dry on paper towels after, coat roughed up surface with TBII, lay out skins taking care to make and keep them flat...trim edges with new, sharp razors in 24 or so hours...finish with whatever after you are sure they are good and dry...use some CA in any spots that lift or have bubbles.

Question -- were these air dried skins or tanned?

huntelk · July 10, 2007, 12:55:00 PM

Air dried. Maybe my brother did not dry them very well after the soak?? Not sure. I saw them last night after 24 hrs and I could still slide them around a bit.... not sure what happened.

Steve

Jeff Strubberg · July 10, 2007, 02:01:00 PM

Steve,

You might check and see where your brother got the skins. You want dried skins, not cured skins. Most cured snakeskin is full of glycerin to keep it pliable. Glycerin and glue do not mix.

Bill Carlsen · July 10, 2007, 04:19:00 PM

I've done a couple of bows with dried skins and used plain old contct cement. One bow was done at least 7 years ago and it looks as good today as it did the day I did it.

bjk · July 10, 2007, 04:27:00 PM

Get some TBII, gently pull them off...soak the hell out of em...clean surface, rough it up a bit, papertowel dry skins, reapply as above...worse case they don't work...sounds like it is going down that road anyway.

Eric Krewson · July 10, 2007, 07:35:00 PM

TB11 is so yelow it will show through the skin, use tan- light brown color Elmers carpenter glue instead as it us neutral.

whitebuffalo · July 10, 2007, 09:29:00 PM

couple of awsome projects,,
ENJOY
http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=000062#000000

http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=000085#000005

huntelk · July 10, 2007, 09:39:00 PM

Thanks all:

Eric:

My brother used the elmers carpenter glue....Not sure what happened, cost me/him that set of skins that you turned me on to... Could the skins have been too wet?