I've got the snakeskin stretched and drying on a board. Do I need to treat it with glycerin and let it cure awhile before I start gluing to the bow back?

No glycerin needed
Needs to dry all the way.
When you get ready to glue it to a bow soak it in water about 30 min., scrape the inside with a dull razor blade to remove the unwanted membrane, rinse it again. It will be as flexible as it was when you skinned it .
use a water based glue Titebond 3 and center and pet it down you run air and extra glue out.


I wash mine in dawn dish soap after skinning, then peg it to cardboard.

If you use glycerin or antifreeze to cure the skin glue won't stick to it.
Do as Mark said. A teaspoon also works well to remove fat or membranes from the skin. Always wash with detergent. I like Dawn also. Be sure your limbs are degreased too before adding the skin. Just a finger print can cause the skin to not stick.

x2

Thanks a bunch, men. And if the skin is wide enough for two bows, can I split it down the middle and roll it up and refreeze until I have the next .bow ready?

After it's dry no need to freeze it. Just keep it some where mice can't get to it.

What kind of snake? pictures?
A timber rattler like my picture, cut it down the middle with scissors when dry

After dry I cut the belly scales off, then you can roll up quite easily for storage.

Quote from: rainman on May 31, 2021, 08:12:06 AM
After dry I cut the belly scales off, then you can roll up quite easily for storage.

x2

I always remove the scales after I glue the skin on a bow and use duct tape, I have rolled up gigantic dried timber rattler skins with the scales on with no problems.

Duct tape is the way to go for scale removal.

I will try duct tape next time Eric 

I use painters tape for scale removal.  But I use a lot of skins that are not as tough as Rattlesnake.  Corn snake, and Copperhead I have ripped the skin using duct tape.

Where they on or off the bow, all of mine were glued to the bow with glue set, I have done some copperheads, I used painters tape at first but duct tape on the later ones.

I just use the same 2" masking tape I use in the bow room.
I pull the tape just like the picture, slow and press it back down to get the ones it didn't pick up.

Water snake

They were on the bows Eric.

You have better duct tape than I do, mine is the el-cheapo brand from the dollar store. Back in 67 when I was a helicopter crew chief in the army we had some duct tape we called 100 mph tape, you could patch holes in the helicopter skin with that stuff and it wasn't coming off.

They still had that tape in 96.  I was a pilot.

Quote from: Pat B on May 30, 2021, 10:58:29 PMIf you use glycerin or antifreeze to cure the skin glue won't stick to it.
Do as Mark said. A teaspoon also works well to remove fat or membranes from the skin. Always wash with detergent. I like Dawn also. Be sure your limbs are degreased too before adding the skin. Just a finger print can cause the skin to not stick.

I was given a skin that was soaked in Glycerin from my Grandfather. Will Dawn soap work to get rid of the residue before gluing up? Also is there any special recommendations if I want to put it on a bamboo backed bow?

TC, I think I'd soak the skins in denatured first to remove as much glycerin from the skins then wash in Dawn. Do you know when the glycerin was applied?