Using unmatched snake skins

[Eric Krewson]

I put this in the Around the Campfire group of topics, thought it might be of intrest to some here.

If your skins don't match, you can touch up the patterns with a little leather dye and a very small brush. I dilute the dye with alcohol and put on several thin coats until they match.

Here is an example, mis matched color in two copperhead skins, spliced and touched up with leather dye. There are actually three skins on this bow, all matched with a little wash of leather dye on the hour glass patterns. Takes a little practice to learn the technique but lets you use some pretty mismatched skins.

The pattern on the left side was dark, the right pattern had almost no color after I removed the scales, medium brown leather dye evened them up.

   

[R H Clark]

Nice job Eric.I appreciate the info.

[RidgeRunner]

Well that is plum cool.
David

[criveraville]

Thats a great idea... Thanks for sharing

[Will H]

Nice 

[gmc]

Very useful post, thanks for sharing.

gmc

[Timo]

Great idea and use of brain cells Eric!   

[JW_Halverson]

And once you are really good at it, you can drop the skins altogether and paint on the pattern!

I talked with the guy at Antler, Hide, and Claw a couple years ago about matched prairie rattlers.  He says he needs to go thru 100+ hides to get two to match.  I can't imagine how hard it would be to find two copperheads.  Nice work!

[Eric Krewson]

One thing I left out, you use the leather dye on both skins, even the darker one, just a lot fewer coats. This give both skins the same base color. These two hour glasses were nonexistent on one of the skins so I drew them in to match the rest of the skin. they looked really good until I tried a little acrylic paint to enhance the color which came out a little muddy. I also made them a little too even whereas the real ones are pretty irregular. On the bow no one notices the fake pattern.

The way I put on the leather dye was to make a very thin line with my brush, pull some color into the tan area of the hourglass with a dry brush, and blend the colors with an alcohol soaked Qtip. If I didn't like the way it looked I would remove most of the dye with the Qtip and start over. One the real patterns there is a distinct darker line on the outside edge of the hourglass but it blends into the slightly lighter shade of the pattern.

[wildman]

Very slick idea