gluing snake skins

[osage outlaw]

I put some skins on a bow tonight.  I took a few pictures of the way I do it.  I put painters tape on the sides of the limbs to make the glue cleanup easier.  I start with a thin coat of TB and let it dry. 






I rounded the front of my tip overlays so I cut the ends of the skins to match the shape




I soak the skins in water for a few minutes to soften them up.  I hang them up for a while to let the excess water drip off.  I put a thin coat of TB glue on the limb and then start laying the skin from the nock end towards the grip keeping the pattern centered on the limb as I go.




I use roll my finger or thumb slowly down the limb to squeeze out any air bubbles or pockets of excess glue.  I do this probably 4 or 5 times down each limb to make sure it's good.




Sometimes the sides of the skins will dry faster and cause it to curl up and pull away from the edge of the limb.  I make cuts on the extra skin to allow it shrink without coming off the edge.  This really helps around handles and recurved tips.




The trimmed tips fit decent




I'm not sure if I'm putting a wrap on the handle of this bow.  I matched the ends up on the grip in case I leave it bare.  The pattern almost worked out perfectly. 




It's done.  I brought it inside the house to hopefully dry faster tonight.  It's pretty humid outside with rain predicted.  I'll post some pictures of how I clean up the edges tomorrow.

[BowEd]

Good tutorial Clint.Thanks for showing.
It's kind of the fun/final look part of bow making.Cow horn overlays?

[bjrogg]

Looks great Clint. Must be a pretty handle if you’re thinking about leaving it bare.
Bjrogg

[Aaron H]

Good tip on making slits down the sides Clint.  Beautiful skins

[Will B]

Those skins look great. Thanks for taking the time to show the steps for getting the skins to look great

[dylanholderman]

as someone who has never backed a bow with snake skins this looks great 

[Hans H]

thanks for sharing that, never tried before
Hans

[DV IN MN]

Clint,

Looks great. Great tip on the edge cutting. Did you leave the scales on the skin?

[Weylin]

Good tutorial, Clint. Thanks for sharing. That'll be a looker when it's done.

[osage outlaw]

I remove the scales after it's dry. 

I take a smooth file and hit the edge of the limbs to cut a clean line.




The tape makes cleaning up the extra glue very easy.

[JW_Halverson]

Among your many fine features, Clint, your commitment to excellence in your workmanship is amazing.

[loefflerchuck]

Thanks for the tips Clint. Good idea with the tape. I used to always use hide glue, but I only have used snakeskin over sinew and the wet skin and hide glue mean the bow tiller will not be fine for at least a month. If I'm in a hurry I use TB and dry snakeskin.