Staining/dying backing material

[hedgeapple]

After reading some posts about common carp skins not being pretty at bow backing, I started thinking about the idea of staining, dying or possibly painting backings.  My initial thoughts would be to stain the underside of deer rawhide in something similar to a snake's sking pattern.  Since the rawhide is mostly tranparent the stain should show through the hide moderately to lightly.  Has anyone tried this?
Dave

[medicinewheel]

Since you have to wet the rawhide for applying it's not a good idea to paint on it's backside before the gluing. The fleshside is not as good a paining ground as the hair side, also.
I've done several bows with paintings on a rawhide backing with both acrylic and India ink. see below.
Your plan could work as that: stain the bowback dark first, put on your rawhide, thin your India ink with water and it'll pretty much have the effect you seem to want!
Or:
Paint acryilic on the back of the bow, steelwool it and then put on the rawhide; but rawhide should be sanded very thin, like pergament (I used goat pergament on several bows; I believe it's the best choise since it is very fine, VERY strong and very even in thickness AND it's great painting/drawing/writing ground)

Hope this helps; I love painted bows!






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[Pappy]

I think carp looks pretty good,no stain on this one.
   Pappy

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[DanaM]

Pappy thats grass carp skin which is beautiful, but the common(big goldfish) carp doesn't have a good pattern

[GregB]

Medicinewheel,  great job on those painted bows! 

[medicinewheel]

Thanks Greg! - yes I think grass carp looks fantastic, especially on Osage!

[hedgeapple]

Medicinewheel, GREAT looking bows.  I'm not that artistically inclined, more artistically reclined.  haha  Thanks for the advice.  The rawhide I'll be using is from young does.  They are stiff rawhide sheets right now.  With the stretching and sanding I've done to them so far, I can practically read a newspaper through them.  I think another soaking, stretching and sanding will have them in good shape for backing.

I'm mostly looking to create a faint pattern.

Pappy, that's one nice bow.

[medicinewheel]

... With the stretching and sanding I've done to them so far, I can practically read a newspaper through them.  I think another soaking, stretching and sanding will have them in good shape for backing.
...

Yes, that's the stuff!

[Ryano]

Frank, I love the art work. Especially the one in the first picture. My hands are to shaky to draw like that. Mine would look like a 2 year old did it....lol.