snake skin backing

[jturkey]

i've got a corn snake skin my brother wants on his hickory bow i'm planning on backing with either silk or linen but to bring out the color of the snake skin better would i need a light color or dark color material i know hickory does not really need a backing just want to bring out the colors of the snake skin as much as possible. will post pics after i get them on any advice is appreciated

[burchett.donald]

   I just done a hickory with timber rattler and they came out beautiful. All you need between that skin and the hickory is a glue of your choice. I put mine on green with hide glue with no problems. I keep a 72" long food saver bag in my pack in case it rains to protect my bow.

[Pat B]

You could dye the hickory back instead of adding silk or other backing. If you are using a stave no backing is needed.    If a board bow a backing might be needed.
   Rit cloth dye or unsweetened Kool-Aid mixed with denatured or rubbing alcohol will give you a good choice of colors and is way less working than backing.

[gstoneberg]

And, you might want to consider a lighter color.  I died my trade bow yellow and it looked great through the skin.  I've seen orange and red as well, though the red looks a little pink through the skin.  Still very cool.

George

[Alpinbogen]

Dying the back of the bow would be easier than doubling up on backings.  Mask off the entire bow first to minimize dye and glue drips, then have at it.  I've even used a black sharpie marker beneath some skins.
 

[jturkey]

ok sobasically to bring out the colors in the skin i need to go with a lighter color (eg.. yellow or orange) since they are already in the skin not the darker shades(eg.. black or brown) i want it to look as natural as possible due to him being such a perectionist and all when it comes to being percise with colors and different shades. i know a backing is not needed with this stave but it has one small grain violation. I have been shooting it already with no bad effects but would like to be on the safer side as much as possible. that is the only reason for the extra backing as well as the color would be pretty simple to add that way as well.

[gstoneberg]

Not necessarily.  Depending on the pattern in the snake, either a dark or light background might work better.  In my limited experience, snakes with mostly dark colors look good with a light background and the lighter patterned snakes look good with a dark background, at least to me.   You can get a general idea how it will look by holding the damp snakeskin  over different colored backgrounds.  I've used sharpies or leather dye to color the bow back under snakeskin.    There are no rules here, do what looks good (and natural) to you.  Have fun.

George