So I'm interested in giving my bear Montana a little bit of a more natural look, because it's basically just a black bow. I've seen people put snake skins on the back of limbs as well as the front....for those that have used them on the front...do they hold up to bow stringers? I have the type with a pocket on one end and a loop with a rubber block on the other end, will the rubber block beat up the skin? Or are they pretty durable once they are glued and sealed?
I don't know about how they fair on bows but Snake skins are fairly durable. I don't think you'd have any problem with them on your bow, so long as you use a good glue like Barge Cement. I'm sure someone with more experience will chime in soon.
It's pretty durable stuff, but repeated use of the rubber pad will cause some wear in the area over time. Hitting it with a coat of varnish periodically should keep it in good shape for a longtime. On the other hand, it's easy to just get a stringer with a pocket on each end.
I wouldn't recommend barge cement for skins. It's a contact cement, and you can't adjust/move the skin while applying it to the limbs.
Most folks use Titebond II or III. First, mask off all parts of the limb you don't want glue. Lightly sand the limb back with a sanding block and about 100 grit sandpaper, then size them with the glue. Wet the skin so it becomes pliable, dab it off so it is just damp, apply glue to the inside, spread it out evenly and position the skin on the limb. Might want to cut the skins close to the appropriate width and length before gluing. Press out any bubbles and let it dry. Trim the edges with a sanding block when dry. Remove the scales with masking tape and your fingernail, working from front to back of the skin. Finish with the material of your choice.
Good info, thanks for helping me out. I'll post some pics when Im done
I wouldn't try to glue skins to the belly side of your limbs (side facing you while shooting). I asked Bob Morrison (whose skinned a lot of limbs) about this one time and he said skins can withstand the tension of being glued to the back of a limb(side facing away from you while shooting), but they can't withstand the compression of the belly side and the skins just won't stick to the belly side of a limb long term.