Putting snakeskin over rawhide backing?

[Freeflynick]

Hello!
I am building a red oak bow for my 9 year old daughter as a Christmas present, so I want it to look great but also be as safe as possible. This will only be my 7th bow, so I still don't have full confidence in my abilities, especially since this will be my first low-poundage bow.
I was thinking in order to get the best safety but also look good that I would apply a rawhide backing (using a rawhide dog bone) and then apply a snakeskin over the rawhide for looks. Are there any issues you guys see with this? Is the rawhide required? The site I am getting the snakeskin from says they are only about 0.3mm thick so I have my doubts at how good that will be for adding a level of strength or shatterproofing for the bow.
Thanks for any input.
Nick

[Pat B]

In most cases snake skins add no protection, strictly decorative. Dog bone rawhide is pretty thick. If that is what you plan to use you should thin it out by sanding or scraping. Deer or goat rawhide work well because they are thin but strong. Rawhide backing is easy to decorate without adding snake skins. Acrylic craft paint works well and comes in many colors. You could paint a snake skin pattern or something else a 9 year old girl would like. Another option is a cloth backing with a pattern printed on it.  Old neck ties have some good patterns and many are made from silk, a good backing material. You may find an animal pattern cloth at a cloth store or a thrift shop. With a cloth backing you probably don't need the rawhide.
 You might be able to find someone on PA to trade you for some good deer rawhide backing strips.