I’m working on the finish work for a Osage bow with common carp skins. And decided to show how the common carp looks next to grass carp skin. Left is the common and right is the grass. I like the looks of the common carp better myself as it have more pattern and a better color to it. But is much more of a pain to work with. Grass carp scales pop off just looking at them and are noticeably longer. The common carp scales have to be pried loose, the skins are shorter, and are quite greasy. I did multiple warm water dawn washes and soaks and there’s still a significant amount of grease in them. After glued in the oils were still leaching out. I did a combination of heat, pressure, and alcohol to remove as much oil as possible. I got it so there not oily to the touch but truoil is still taking days to fully set up. But is still quite pretty once applied. Next time I’m gonna try different stronger degreasers before glue up.
Kyle
