Snake Skin tanning

[AA3JW]

Don't really know if this is the right place to ask this, but I will any way.  A buddy of mine just had his dog get bit by a rattlesnake, almost $1900.00 later the dog is ok. The snake was back in his yard, and actually tried to attack him, so he shot it. He knew I was into leather work and asked me if I wanted the snake. I said yeah. He brought it over, and after cutting the head off, it measures 5 ft from the front to the rattles. Currently it is in my freezer (not making my wife too happy). What is the best way to treat the skin after I get it skinned, and scrape the flesh?

 

[ID45]

I tack it out on a piece of plywood trying not to over stretch it then scrape off any flesh.I always hang it rattles up to keep any liquid from draining into them.Then mix rubbing alcohol and glycerine 50/50, paint it once a day for a week, sounds too simple but have used it many times

[koreric75]

funny, same scenario here....buddy was out squirrel hunting and came across one and nearly stepped on it...

it's skinned and stretched, wasn't sure what to tell him to do besides that...never did find out if he got any squirrel...lol.  He's hoping i can use it for some inlay on a belt and wallet for his boy for Christmas.

[Chief Filipino]

I used this technique with some python skins and it came out pretty well. I used vegetable glycerin and denature alcohol. The only issue I had was the scale covers popping off over time. I haven't used them on a project yet so no customers were harmed, but they are tanned.

 

[battlemunky]

Great video Chief, thanks for posting it. Simple. I never knew it was that easy. I had a few snake skins that were basically turned into snake rawhide through the years. If I'd have only known...

[Chief Filipino]

14 hours ago, battlemunky said:

Great video Chief, thanks for posting it. Simple. I never knew it was that easy. I had a few snake skins that were basically turned into snake rawhide through the years. If I'd have only known...

You're welcome. Ya it is fairly simple. with python there was A LOT of meat that was stuck on and extremely difficult to get off, I think because it is a constrictor and their muscles are different than vipers (?). I have not taken on a rattlesnake yet so I don't know what the de-meating process is like. The only issue I had was the scale shield thingy sloughing off over time. I've heard some people say to use resolene on it after it's dry but I didn't do that, maybe I should on the next one. 

[AA3JW]

Thanks for the replies. Looked at some of the utube videos, looks easy enough.  I got it skinned and in the liquid today. Hope it comes out good. Fleshing it was a pain in the butt! Here's what it looked like before going into the liquid. it was the full snake originally.

 

[Chief Filipino]

4 hours ago, AA3JW said:

Thanks for the replies. Looked at some of the utube videos, looks easy enough.  I got it skinned and in the liquid today. Hope it comes out good. Fleshing it was a pain in the butt! Here's what it looked like before going into the liquid. it was the full snake originally.

Wow that's beautiful! Was there a lot of meat left on the skin after getting it off? Did you cut it while still on the snake or peel it off? Just curious if it is a common thing with all snakes. There was a ton of flesh left on the python skins I did. 

[AA3JW]

I cut all the way down the stomach with a pair of EMT shears, then just peeled it off. There was not a lot of meat, but there was a really heavy thick membrane all the way down the skin. I used a combination of a skinning knife, and a brass brush while keeping a weak flow of water running down it. Still didn't want to come off.

 

[Chief Filipino]

16 hours ago, AA3JW said:

I cut all the way down the stomach with a pair of EMT shears, then just peeled it off. There was not a lot of meat, but there was a really heavy thick membrane all the way down the skin. I used a combination of a skinning knife, and a brass brush while keeping a weak flow of water running down it. Still didn't want to come off.

 

Did you stretch yours? I just thought that maybe it would help both of us. I didn't stretch mine but from the videos I've watched of skinning mammals they stretch it... maybe I'll try that on my next one. 

[AA3JW]

On 10/11/2018 at 9:55 PM, Chief Filipino said:

Did you stretch yours? I just thought that maybe it would help both of us. I didn't stretch mine but from the videos I've watched of skinning mammals they stretch it... maybe I'll try that on my next one. 

Have not stretched it yet. When it comes out of the liquid either today or tomorrow I will "board Stretch" it.

 

[AA3JW]

On 10/13/2018 at 6:28 AM, AA3JW said:

Have not stretched it yet. When it comes out of the liquid either today or tomorrow I will "board Stretch" it.

 

Here it is stretched on the board.

[Chief Filipino]

On 10/16/2018 at 12:16 PM, AA3JW said:

Here it is stretched on the board.

How did it come out? looks good!

 

[koreric75]

7 hours ago, Chief Filipino said:

How did it come out? looks good!

 

I'm curious as well...my buddy gave me the skin friday, but all he did was salt it after putting it on the board, i'm not sure if we need to do anything else to it before attempting to make anything with it...i know one thing for sure, it stinks!...lol  Can you go back and do the glycerin/alcohol mix tanning solution after drying and salting?, and would that help get rid of the dead animal smell?

[Chief Filipino]

12 hours ago, koreric75 said:

I'm curious as well...my buddy gave me the skin friday, but all he did was salt it after putting it on the board, i'm not sure if we need to do anything else to it before attempting to make anything with it...i know one thing for sure, it stinks!...lol  Can you go back and do the glycerin/alcohol mix tanning solution after drying and salting?, and would that help get rid of the dead animal smell?

I don't know why it would you couldn't do the alcohol/glycerin, they both just preserve it. I think if you washed the salt off it would be alright.... hate to say experiment with it but sometimes that's the only way to find out. 

[ScoobyNewbie]

I’m pretty sure that if it stinks, It’s rotten. And the best thing you could do with it is pitch it. 

Start over on a new one. 

The salt is only a stop gap for maybe a week or two at most, if you keep it in the fridge or freezer. Wash the salt off and then soak it for a week or two in the glycerin/alcohol mix. Then pin, stretch and dry. 

[koreric75]

On 11/11/2018 at 7:37 PM, Chief Filipino said:

I don't know why it would you couldn't do the alcohol/glycerin, they both just preserve it. I think if you washed the salt off it would be alright.... hate to say experiment with it but sometimes that's the only way to find out. 

I'm hoping so, he had been hunting for years and this is the first time he's come across one, 

 

2 hours ago, ScoobyNewbie said:

I’m pretty sure that if it stinks, It’s rotten. And the best thing you could do with it is pitch it. 

Start over on a new one. 

The salt is only a stop gap for maybe a week or two at most, if you keep it in the fridge or freezer. Wash the salt off and then soak it for a week or two in the glycerin/alcohol mix. Then pin, stretch and dry. 

It's not a rotten smell but it ain't a good smell either... It's been cool here and I'm keeping it in a sealed bag with as much air as I could suck out of it until I can get the glycerin.... Thanks fellas, I kinda knew this was the case but he's "sure" that salt was all that was needed to "tan" the skin...I explained to him pretty much what y'all said, the salt preserved it until it can be tanned but if I put it on a belt as is it'll be too rotten smelling to wear before the leather even broke in...

[Chief Filipino]

On 11/12/2018 at 8:41 PM, koreric75 said:

I'm hoping so, he had been hunting for years and this is the first time he's come across one, 

 

It's not a rotten smell but it ain't a good smell either... It's been cool here and I'm keeping it in a sealed bag with as much air as I could suck out of it until I can get the glycerin.... Thanks fellas, I kinda knew this was the case but he's "sure" that salt was all that was needed to "tan" the skin...I explained to him pretty much what y'all said, the salt preserved it until it can be tanned but if I put it on a belt as is it'll be too rotten smelling to wear before the leather even broke in...

On the python skins I tanned with glycerin/denatured alcohol they came out of the bath still kind of stinking. It took a week or so to stop smelling. When I hold it up to my face now and give a whiff it doesn't smell rotten but it has that tanned smell. 

[koreric75]

2 hours ago, Chief Filipino said:

On the python skins I tanned with glycerin/denatured alcohol they came out of the bath still kind of stinking. It took a week or so to stop smelling. When I hold it up to my face now and give a whiff it doesn't smell rotten but it has that tanned smell. 

Good deal, I'm hoping that is the same for me, the rattler is in the solution, hoping a week or so will do the trick

[ScoobyNewbie]

That would be cool.

[koreric75]

On 10/9/2018 at 12:10 AM, koreric75 said:

funny, same scenario here....buddy was out squirrel hunting and came across one and nearly stepped on it...

it's skinned and stretched, wasn't sure what to tell him to do besides that...never did find out if he got any squirrel...lol.  He's hoping i can use it for some inlay on a belt and wallet for his boy for Christmas.

Finally got this skin into a project...I had to put it in the solution of glycerin and alcohol for almost two weeks, the first week when i pulled it out i noticed there was still quite a bit of flesh on the backside after it was rehydrated, so back in it went (same jar, just added a little more to cover it) and another week, now it's pliable and still amazingly strong for how thin it is.  The work to get the membrane off the back is not fun, but definitely have to do it or it's going to rot.

[Rockoboy]

10 hours ago, koreric75 said:

The work to get the membrane off the back is not fun

From my very basic experience tanning a few kangaroo hides and some fish skin, I thought the idea was to remove any flesh and fatty deposits from the skin before tanning. Are snake skins tanned differently for some reason?

[koreric75]

43 minutes ago, Rockoboy said:

From my very basic experience tanning a few kangaroo hides and some fish skin, I thought the idea was to remove any flesh and fatty deposits from the skin before tanning. Are snake skins tanned differently for some reason?

No, you're correct, my buddy had already stretched it and rubbed salt over it before i got it...it was dry and felt brittle when i got it so had to put it in the solution just to get it rehydrated before i could attack the membrane and flesh...hindsight being 20/20 he now knows in the future to give it to me first...lol

[Rockoboy]

OK, I think I salted my hides, then rolled them up until I had time to deal with them. I don't think they dried out, maybe I wrapped them In cling wrap ... I cannot remember.

I do remember one fish skin I did was about a month after catching and skinning the fish.

[battlemunky]

That looks great @koreric75!