Snake Skin Longbow backing

Whie doing some scouting for deer last week I came across and all too close for comfort Timber Rattler. After dispatching him for safety sake, I decided to use its skin to decorate my longbow. I took this snake home, skinned it, dried the skin and attacked it to my longbow. Here are some Pictures and how I did it. It make a great addition to your traditional archery gear.

The easiest way to skin a snake is to take some sharp scissors and cut along their belly line the length of the snake. This helps to keep a straight line. Once the cut is made, simply peel the skin off of the meat. At the anal opening, it does get tricky, so you may have to use a razor blade to trim the area.

Once the skin is off. You can either use cardboard, or as I did small brad nails and stretch the skin width ways using the nails to keep the skin as wide as possible. Alternate the nails from side to side. It is best to keep them directly across one another. Keep the nails only a couple of inches apart and tack both sides the length of the skin.

Once stretched, use borax (20 Mule team) and liberally coat the skin making sure to cover it completely. The borax will absorb all moisture and completely dry the skin. I left mine stretched for one week. Checking it every other day or so and added borax where needed.
Once it is dry, i used a shop vacuum to remove the borax, this helps to get it all off of the skin. Then remove the tacks and you are done with drying.

To attach it to your bow; First you must clean your bow. Using either mineral spirits or rubbing alcohol, liberally apply and rub thoroughly. Allow it to evaporate completely before you begin. Using good contact cement such as Barge cement. Follow the directions. Lightly coat your bow with a layer of cement, and then coat the skin - making sure the pattern aligns how you like it. Allow the cement to dry for about five minutes, then while holding the skin in the air, place the skin next to the handle and press. It will stick immediately and does not allow for much adjusting, so make sure it is aligned properly. Gently press the skin along the length of the bow limb - again make sure you are aligned correctly. Pressing with your finger. Allow it to set for a few minutes. Then using a razor blade (I used an exacto) trim the excess skin from the bow. (be careful not to cut your bow). Repeat for the other limb. Allow to set at least 24 hours before use.
To remove the scales, the easiest way is with masking tape. Press the masking tape on the skin firmly and lift. Scales will come off with the tape, repeat this until all scales are removed.
I did the bow pictured with one snake skin. I was careful to align the pattern so I could use different portions of the skin for different limbs.

I love how it turned out. This is my first attempt at this, but it is not difficult. If you do not have a snake skin, you can purchase them from 3 rivers archery where I got my instructions on how to apply the skin. (http://www.3riversarchery.com/)