Snake skin sheaths

[HELLGAP]

I posted this to another thread and should have made new thread. I got some great advice then went and made a couple . Ill try another one tonight, sewing is the hard part like normal. My first attempts at a true inlay. I used 7/8 oz leather and inlayed the snake skin with 4oz veg tan leather I dyed the one because of a mistake but got it under control on the second. the skin is spitting cobra. Very pretty stuff.

 

[Billy Helton]

Looking good I have tryed inlaying several times and find it diffucult but you are well on your way.

 

[HELLGAP]

Thanks Bill , I am near done 2 more. The trick to doing the inlay itself is trace out the pattern with pencil lightly and use a super sharp razor blade to cut the 4 oz inlay. I was going to do a sting ray inlay tonight but went for the white cobra skin and one grayish brown. I also used the snake of half the belly and some of the scales cuzz they dont show any scales if you cut out in the centre of the skin. I also am using fully tanned high grade snake skin its like rice paper and skin on it very nice to work with.

 

[Paul Long]

I'm really not that familiar with Cobra, but it appears from your photos, that the inlay portion showing is all belly. Who ever skinned that Cobra went about it backwards as the slit should have been up the belly and not up the back where the more decorative scales are.

Paul

 

[leatherman]

Depends on how you skin the snake. On some snakes the belly is patterned almost as nice as the back, the water moccasin and copperhead for instance. In these cases you can make the cut right along the transition between the belly scales and the back scales and its just as easy to skin the snake.

Now the creepy part, that darn snake wont quit moving till well after you skin it so you essentially have a moving target.

The above observations come from personal experience skinning many snakes, your results may vary.

 

[HELLGAP]

Paul you have a very valid point and I agree but the thing is the skins are huge , I can cover the entire outside of a sheath with most of the skins I bought. I just bought some more different snake skins these have wild pattern s . Look at the sheath s I just finished with a bit of belly and a bit of scale pattern.