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Tanning snake skins for bow backings

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Eric Krewson:
Some skins need to be fleshed, a timber rattler is one of them, copperheads and western diamondbacks do not have to be in my experience. I tack the skin flesh side up on a board wet and use a spoon to flesh it. After I have the skin fleshed I dry it on the board I have it stapled to, cut off the belly scale portion, roll it up and store it in a zip lock bag away from any sunny spot in my house. I have kept skins for years this way with no damage.

I soak the skin in water and blot it dry before I apply any glue and put it on the bow. I don't remove the scales until the skin in on the bow and the glue has dried.

While we are talking applying skins to bows, don't wrap the skin to attach it to the bow like you read. Use your thumbs to roll over the skin side to side and move the air bubbles and excess glue off to the side. You can also continually tweak the skins pattern to be perfectly aligned with the centerline of the bow as well. I usually spend about 15 minutes per limb with my thumbs or until the glue starts to set and and I can't shift it anymore. 

 

Eric Krewson:
My method makes for a very neat skin job that isn't coming loose like some wrapped skins.

Fox:
Thanks guys! Hopping to get some big pythons! Heading down to Florida today to find some

bjrogg:
I do just like Eric.

One tip the smaller skins have nicer patterns on bows. Big skins patterns are sometimes too big to look good on bow. At least that’s my personal opinion.

Bjrogg

Pappy:
I just skin /flesh a bit and tack to dry as the others have said, but a big python will require more fleshing and is worked more like raw hide , the hide is really thick, I have a couple of 12/14 footers and as I said more like rawhide that smaller snake skin.  :)
 Pappy

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