Question on snakeskins

[KShip85]

I just bought a slightly damaged E. D-back skin for $0.30 an inch, which I thought was a decent price.  I knew I was taking a bit of a gamble on the damage since I did not see where it was.  After getting the skin the bottom 33" are clean with no holes but the top 22" have six holes of varying sizes.  My question is how to go about using the skin, if I still can.  The bow it will be going on is a molly and I was only planning on skinning the working portion of the bow and maybe just a bit out onto the levers. If I can remember right I've got about 44" of area to back.  Should I try to work around the holes and lay it out in one piece?  Should I cut the skin in half and start it just inside where the handle wrap will be to save material?  Never done a snake backing before so this is all a little new to me, any help would be great.  The bow is still being built so its not a pressing issue but I just want to have things in order when it is ready to go.  Also I was wondering if I should cut off the section nearer the tail as the pattern there does not match the rest of the skin very well.  Thanks for the help.


Here are some looks at it







In the last picture you can see all three holes.  Three of them are just above the 8-9" mark two are above the 18-19" mark and the toughest one to see is just above the 12.5" mark in the center of the skin.  Thanks again.


Kip

[Pat B]

Kip, on E Dbacks that big usually the pattern is too big to show up well on the limb anyway. I'd work the skin the best I could and patch the holes with scrap pieces of skin under each hole.

[Will H]

I agree with pat. I'd black the back of the bow with a sharpie before you put em on as well.

[KShip85]

Thanks for the input guys.

Will, can I used a stain instead of the marker?  I have lots of stain on hand and imagine it would go faster than a marker.

Kip

[Will H]

I'm sure black rit dye would work well. I like a Big sharpie cause I can keep it off the edges. It takes about 5min.

[TRACY]

I use road kills that have holes and I like letting that yellow wood shine through, it gives it a little more primitive character


Tracy

[KShip85]

That makes sense Will, might look at getting one of the big ones.


Tracy, if I had some yeller wood to show through I'd do it gladly.  This is a tri-lam with some ugly quarter sawn hackberry for a back :p


Kip

[Pappy]

I would do like Pat said,done that several times and you won't know the difference once it is finished.
   Pappy

[crooketarrow]

  I do 2 things with damaged skins.

  First I glue small peices of skin to the under side of the hole. This way it's really hard to see the holes unless you really look.
.
  Second if the holes ar'nt to big I'll cut them out to a dimond shape or what ever pattern you like. I'll make some kind of a pattern then do the same on the other end. I dye the bow lighter than the skin so the pattern sticks out.