Removing Snake Skins?

[Etter1]

#3624

I did a bow last year and it looked beautiful until it dried. You may remember that I skinned out a samick red stag with copperhead skins. The problem is that copperhead skins are too thin to lay over black glass. They turned very grey and I also made some rookie errors on that first go round. After that, UPS smashed the thing to bits and broke one of the snake skins and it delaminated from the limb.

How would I go about removing the old skins and trying fresh. My buddy found a 62″ road killed canebreak the other day that should work perfect. I attached them with tightbond II and then sprayed several layers of urethane varnish on them. Please remember that I am not a skilled woodworker and will need everything explained in simple terms. Thanks so much! I’d really like to get this bow looking good again as it shoots very well, is very light, and I killed my first island deer with it.

[coastalbendbows]

#22191

The bows that i have re skinned I used a razor knife to get them started and then sanded the glue ofand re applied the new skins

Hope this helps

[handirifle]

#22533

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but I believe you could use steam from a teapot to soften the glue.

[Troy Warner]

#29487

etter1 wrote: I did a bow last year and it looked beautiful until it dried. You may remember that I skinned out a samick red stag with copperhead skins. The problem is that copperhead skins are too thin to lay over black glass. They turned very grey and I also made some rookie errors on that first go round. After that, UPS smashed the thing to bits and broke one of the snake skins and it delaminated from the limb.

How would I go about removing the old skins and trying fresh. My buddy found a 62″ road killed canebreak the other day that should work perfect. I attached them with tightbond II and then sprayed several layers of urethane varnish on them. Please remember that I am not a skilled woodworker and will need everything explained in simple terms. Thanks so much! I’d really like to get this bow looking good again as it shoots very well, is very light, and I killed my first island deer with it.

First thing is it sand the urethane varnish off. Second thing is to use steam (I would use a large tea pot or percolator coffee pot for better control of where the steam is directed) to loosen your glue bond, peal the skin off. Next clean your bow limbs with a mineral spirits type cleaner, I have used rubbing alcohol, but you want to pay attention to the original finish on the sides and belly of the bow so you don’t “smoke up” the finish.

With the steam you want to take care not to steam to much in any particular area the really high heat can weaken the bond of the bow laminations if it gets to hot, it’s like leaving the bow in a car in July with the windows up, not quite that drastic but you get the idea.

Now that is what I would do, someone else may have a better solution.

Good luck and be sure to share pics of the finished skins.

Troy

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