What color is best under copperhead skins?My limbs are clear glass over zebra wood so they are a medium shade.thanks
I'm no expert, but I think they look great over a light wood. Someone will be along with a picture or two I'm sure...
Here are some over Bocote'. Similar to Zebra wood.
(http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/DSCN2100-1.jpg)
The darker it is under the skins, the less that the color of the skins will show. Copperhead skins are some of the "thinnest" skins that you can put on a bow, the best thing to do would be to paint the surface of the limb with something "light colored".
In maineac's picture above, you can see the darker patterns of the zebra wood showing through. While looking unique with the wood pattern showing through, I prefer the look of the pattern on the snakeskins themselves.
I myself, would have a hard time covering up a beautiful piece of wood with "anything" 'cept for a clear finish. The black carbon, on the other hand just isn't attractive to me and in my opinion would look much better with some nice snakeskins on them......painted a lighter color on top of the carbon, of course.
I had a pretty lengthy conversation with Bob Morrison about the very same question that you asked. He's putting some copperhead skins over some black carbon on my Zipper SXT longbow limbs as I type. I should have them sometime in the next week or so.
Winterhawk1960
Depends what you like. Copperheads are very thin so the underlying limb color will show through.
Here are some over a maple limb and a black glass limb
Maple limb
(http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh236/Prairiedrifter/bows/Picture027.jpg)
(http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh236/Prairiedrifter/bows/Picture026j.jpg)
Black glass
(http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh236/Prairiedrifter/bows/Picture006.jpg)
(http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh236/Prairiedrifter/bows/Picture005-1.jpg)
I prefer them over the light background.YMMV
Better over light colors. If you're putting them on a black limb, paint the back of the limb tan first.
Pretty much what everybody has already said. I put copperhead skins over black glass on a recurve I made several years ago and from 5' away you cuoldn't even tell there were skins on the bow. They were just completly black. You've got to lighten the glass!!
Lighter woods work best but Copperheads are made to go over osage.