Recurve bow building - how to back a bow with snake skin

[@fishmut]

Clay I have to say what a sick looking bow , love it . 👍

[@johnnypope6614]

Thanks for the tips. I have had good luck using a needle/syringe combo, for pinpoint glue deposits, when I've had air pockets in leather work. Linoleum too... Thanks again

[@clayhayeshunter]

works great!

[@theguywitheyebrows]

tru-oil=amazing that skin looked phenomenal. great work, im definitely building a sinew and snake skin backed bow because of this video. probably hickory, thanks a million!

[@clayhayeshunter]

👍

[@hankczinaski915]

Snake skin on snaky bow looks amazing.

[@clayhayeshunter]

Thanks Hank

[@frankhughes5702]

Hey Clay! I think a great video would be you and Ryan Gill get together for a Florida hog hunt!

[@clayhayeshunter]

We might try to make that happen.

[@Todzilla386]

Great idea!

[@stefanvanvuuren3931]

Looks great Clay, well done. Can't wait to see some hunting series videos with this beauty. This is definitely on my to-do list.

[@ricardokylo7249]

i guess im randomly asking but does anyone know a method to get back into an Instagram account? I was dumb forgot the account password. I appreciate any assistance you can give me.

[@bobbyroman6785]

@Ricardo Kylo instablaster =)

[@arnaulpujol8439]

Muy bueno le pusistes el cuero de vibora cascabel muy bueno quedo mortal

[@jasonfryer7002]

Absolutely GORGEOUS‼️✴️ Definitely an heirloom bow

[@franotoole2702]

Another fantastic vid clay. very much appreciated. hope to be working with some snake skin in the near future. what might help you to dry out your wood more efficiently try putting a dehumidifier in the box instead of the heat lamps. it wil regulate the heat / moisture evaporation alot easier with less chance of the wood warping or splitting. i use it for prepping my woodturning and knife blanks. would work great in that small area.

[@clayhayeshunter]

That would work great!

[@jesseeriner4639]

Hey man, is it better to use a tanned snake skin or one that just been dryed out with salt for a backing on a self bow?

[@krunopandzic1247]

Cool looking finish 👍

[@larryreese6146]

Didn't care much for the nocks at first but with that snake skin they really look good. Beautiful bow. A lot better looking than fiber glass. Hang that bow on the wall in your living room to show it off. It's a show piece.

[@clayhayeshunter]

Thanks Larry

[@ndoghouse6853]

Another way to get them bubbles out you can use a hypodermic needle and inject some tightbond underneath and press back down. Rub with damp cloth to clean up extra and tape a wrap of masking tape (blue or purple) around till set. Works great for me but takes a bit more patience.

[@clayhayeshunter]

good tip

[@ndoghouse6853]

@@clayhayeshunterhey Clay! while I got you here. I just broke my forth recurve using dry heat and don't know why? I can bend side to side to srraighten or remove twist no problem but for some reason the front to back for recurve aint working. Im heating with heat gun for 10 minutes till belly wood just starts to color. any tips? I'm thinking trying steam next time? do you bend before or after tillering? I notice if you bend then you remove more wood then I loose a bunch of bend. I've been working wood for quite a while but haven't bent much.

[@turnstyles7485]

You did show using the old jogging pants leg to hold down a rawhide backing in a previous video. I think maybe it was in the board bow series.

[@clayhayeshunter]

Ah thanks. I remember now!

[@Billythebassist]

That thing is sweet... Clean work man!

[@billmckechnie7491]

Beautiful work. I unfortunately have a violent aversion to snakes and that bow laying next to you in the fall leaves might create some entertainment or animosity depending on which side of the fence you fall on. It is still a beautiful bow.

[@bigjm83]

Hi Clay, I was curious if this would work on finished bows, I seen in the comments below that Rodney asked the same question. If a guy just lightly scuffed the back in theory it would work and also it might give you a little more poundage? Strange question I know but I’m new to the Boyer trade.

[@matthewmo8858]

If you have a small air bubble, can you just poke it with a needle and top with glue or something?

[@paulws58]

Great video.

[@rodneyburton8078]

Awesome job! Would this same process work well for a finished laminated longbow if i sanded the finish on the back of bow before applying skins?

[@guitjolin]

I use a product called "limbsations" on my laminated bows. Super easy, removable, lots of color and pattern options...onestringer.com/bow-accessories-and-skins/limbsations/

[@BigRigOutdoors]

Please tell me your going to keep uploading the red cedar selfbow videios I was really getting into that one.

[@clayhayeshunter]

Yes. I’ve got the next one lined up for next week.

[@mickusable]

Can snakeskin be used on a machine made recurve to make it a little different from the norm, great work by the way Clay.

[@clayhayeshunter]

Absolutely. The methods are a little different though. I think 3Rivers has a tutorial on their site.

[@mickusable]

Clay Hayes thanks Clay, I'll have a look.

[@Rogers_Outdoor_Adventures]

Do you build custom bows for people?

[@Chriskelly19067]

You are awesome dude

[@shaunchng65]

would the layer of snake skin and glue increase the poundage a little? can i do this to my ILF recurve limbs of RCX-17RCX-17?

[@bowmac54]

Looks Great!

[@tomallen8527]

Hey there Clay. I really have enjoyed your bow building. I’m making one for my granddaughter. Why do you put skin, sinew, or leather on the back of the bow? Is it structural or just for aesthetics?

[@clayhayeshunter]

Snake skins protect the sinew. Sinew, if done right, can add speed and performance.

[@AFCAWorldBodybuildingArchive]

Do you work out? Your arms look slightly more massive than they used to 💪

[@clayhayeshunter]

Does a few pushups in the morning count?

[@AFCAWorldBodybuildingArchive]

@@clayhayeshunter it does! Every physical activity does. 💪😎

[@donaldroberson915]

I use leg wrap for horses wooks like a Ace bandage

[@clayhayeshunter]

That works well

[@slingshotwarrrior8105]

What a coincidence I use t-shirt material in the internal glueing process. Of making my scrapper slingshot frames, accept I bond in a different way.

[@shanek6582]

Hear that mockingbird after dark, I’ve just moved to the mountains but I’ve lived in palm Coast Florida for several years, there was a mockingbird that came to an orange tree in my backyard for three years, he’d sing from 10 pm till dawn sometimes. I actually snuck up on him and filmed him singing one night by holding up my cellphone camera to one of the eye pieces of my PVS7 night vision. I don’t know how they don’t get eaten by snakes and house cats singing in the dark like that.

[@clayhayeshunter]

They’re cool birds!

[@Firmglint91]

Could you possibly do a few videos on how to make a horsebow/ mongolian horse bow???

[@clayhayeshunter]

Perhaps sometime down the road.

[@laytonpratt]

Can I put a snake skin over a rawhide backing.

[@kristopherballinger1670]

Okay Mr. Hayes... I have found myself in a pickle. I have been shooting my bow since I was 4 years old and I am now 21 but I’ve always shot right handed in that time frame. My current bow is 45lbs at 28” but with my draw it’s around 47-49lbs. I was recently given a left handed bow and never thought anything of it. Well the other day I was just wondering what on earth I was gonna do with it. It’s a 50lb Shakespeare Necedah x-26 58”. So I decided to just go try it out just out of fun. But I ended up finding out that I shoot better with it left handed than I do with my right handed bows. It feels more natural and I’m much more consistent. But I am right eye dominant so I was gap shooting it and driving tacks anywhere from 10yrds to 40ish. So my question is, should I make the switch to lefty or just forget about it and keep doing what I’m doing with my right hand bows?

[@clayhayeshunter]

Shoot what you shoot best. But I suspect you’re shooting it better because you’re more focused on shooting the bow properly. If you have that level of focus to the right handed bow you’d shoot it just as well. And you said you’re gaping with the left handed bow. That suggests that you’re shooting the right handed bow with a more instinctive method. Aim that thing!

[@curiousshaman2723]

Is it possible to make bows out of juniper and if so are they good bows

[@clayhayeshunter]

Watch next weeks video. That’s exactly what we’re doing!

[@ZorAk771]

Do you have any of these snake skin backed bowed that have been well used? It seems that over time the skin could become dry and stringing and unstinting the bow could split or crack them. I guess you'd have to keep it well oiled.

[@clayhayeshunter]

I seal them up really well so they have a protective layer over the skin. But they can bet beat up after a while.

[@Sertao2013]

Will you do a video on putting on the fake snake skin 3 rivers sale and the coating thats put over them ?

[@clayhayeshunter]

I could probably do that. Thanks for the idea.

[@pjohnburt]

Kind of confused... Is the skin still wet and he places it on the bow?

[@clayhayeshunter]

Yes

[@stevekx500]

Have any tips on applying real snakeskins to a fiberglass backed bow? I was thinking of using 15 or 30 minute epoxy. Thoughts?

[@clayhayeshunter]

I think someone wrote an article about that in an older issue of Traditional Bowhunter Magazine. You might drop them a line at tradbow.com

[@shanek6582]

Does sinew backing make Osage any faster? My Osage selfbow shoots faster than a custom longbow I bought years ago that’s Osage with fiberglass laminates.

[@clayhayeshunter]

It can but it really depends on how well the bow is built in the first place.

[@NoBody-kv3yd]

Can wood glue be used as backing glue?

[@clayhayeshunter]

Yes

[@didjhopkins4135]

that is the sexiest bow I've ever seen!! I think the next snake that crosses the road in front of me might be in trouble ;)

[@clayhayeshunter]

😆

[@ShaneSteeI]

Would it be possible to take a factory recurve or longbow and turn it into a two piece takedown?

[@clayhayeshunter]

I suppose that would depend on how it was constructed but I think it would be possible for many of them.

[@ShaneSteeI]

I think many of us have older factory recurves and longbows that might need some revitalizing. It would be cool to see a video or two about modifying those bows and bringing them back into service and perhaps turning them into viable two piece hunting bows.

[@huckhickson6955]

Does the skin increase draw weight?

[@clayhayeshunter]

Rawhide would a little bit snakeskin doesn’t.

[@davidpyles9572]

can this be done with a factory recurve ?

[@clayhayeshunter]

Yes but the methods will be a little different. I think 3Rivers has a tutorial on their website.

[@stevenl8420]

Hey bud how come you dont sell any of your bows i wouldnt mind buying one with some arrows bc there is no way id ever be able to build on as much as id love to.

[@clayhayeshunter]

I’d rather teach someone how to build their own. Plus I don’t like dealing with custom orders.

[@tylerwong9627]

On your video of sinew backing this bow it looked like you don't heat up your gelatin hide glue before use. Is that what you do or was that just missing from the video?

[@clayhayeshunter]

It’s warmed up. It’ll gel if it gets cool.

[@tylerwong9627]

@@clayhayeshunter Ok that's what I figured. Love your videos, I appreciate the response.

[@Makete100]

Have you used fish skins for backing?

[@clayhayeshunter]

I’ve used shark skin.

[@Makete100]

@@clayhayeshunter wow would love to see that.

[@osbaldohernandez9174]

Where could I get one of these bows from u

[@clayhayeshunter]

Shoot me a message through my website. Twistedstave.com

[@admilsonaparecidoalvesmore5105]

Volte que aprender inglês kkkk gosto muito de seus video

[@tylerparker3024]

Do you know what needs to be done to a snake skin to prepare it for this other than fleshing? And probably salting I'd imagine

[@clayhayeshunter]

Don't put salt on it. Salt will soak up humidity. You don't have to do anything to it. Just glue it down. If it's dry, rehydrate it first.

[@tylerparker3024]

Oh ok. I figured you'd have to do something to keep it from rotting, thanks for the info I sure appreciate it

[@stevebostic9812]

@@tylerparker3024 You can use salt to draw the moisture out of the skin after removing from the carcass. I stretch mine out on a piece of plywood for salting. Works pretty slick. Just runs the salt off before rehydrating for applying to a bow.

[@stevebostic9812]

Rinse

[@ratamahatta1300]

Hey Clay! Are these skins from snakes that skinned themselves or did you hunt them and skin them by hand? ....can self-skinned skins be used for backing a bow?

[@GaiasPupil]

Lol @ the animals in fast mo

[@urmominabox87]

Is your two piece bow instructional available for purchase anywhere else other than Patreon. I'd love to support what you're doing but can't stand the idea of paying into a business that is so diametrically opposed to freedom of speech and freedom of expression.

[@clayhayeshunter]

It will soon be available as part of an online course. If you’re not on my mailing list go to the website and sign up. I’ll send out a notification when it’s available.

[@crazypeoplearoundtheworld304]

Your content is fantastic, but the lighting of your camera is terrible.