# Low Cost Snake Skin



## BRobbins629 (Mar 1, 2007)

A few weeks ago I posted a pen in SOYP of a fake snake. See -

http://www.penturners.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=22026

Its just a picture of a snake skin I downloaded from the internet and I was not very happy with the resolution.  I sent an email to the king of snake pens - Don Ward aka Its_Virgil - and asked if he would be kind enough to take a higher resolution picture from his skin collection.  Not long after I got this in an email:








Using my technique of sizing in photoshop and/or powerpoint I cropped a section, printed a few of them on computer label stock, wrapped them around some sierra tubes, and used the technique Don describes in his snake skin tutorial to cast clear resin around them. If you save this picture, you should be able to duplicate the process and we thought it would be great for any who wants some practice casting before they use expensive snake.  If that doesn't work, send me a pm and I will send you the original file Don sent to me.  Please steal shamelessly.

As a thank you to Don, I sent him a couple and here's what he turned:







Is it real or is it memorex?

Hopefully we can twist Don's arm (shouldn't be too hard) to make and photograph the real deal for comparison.

Thank again Don - for this and all you do for the pen turning community.


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## wudnhed (Mar 2, 2007)

Wow, great work guys!  I'm going to try it.


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## workinforwood (Mar 2, 2007)

Wish I had the photo's of my 5 yr old daughter with the garter snake she caught in my yard.  I had them processed to paper, but guess I forgot to load them on the puter.  That snake was almost as long as she is tall.  Can you gut and skin your own snake to use on a pen?


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## Darley (Mar 2, 2007)

[:0]! NOTHING will beat the real things


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## TAld (Mar 2, 2007)

> Can you gut and skin your own snake to use on a pen?


Don't know - I never get that close to a snake alive of dead [:0]


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## its_virgil (Mar 2, 2007)

Yes, but you only have to skin the snake. Slice mid- belly from from one end to the other and start the skin peeling and brab the carcus in one hand and the skin in the other and separate. I have instructions on how the guy from whom I purchased skins cures them. I can email them to you but can't post them here. If you, or anyone else,  would like a copy, send me an email. 
do a good turn daily!
Don


> _Originally posted by workinforwood_
> <br />Can you gut and skin your own snake to use on a pen?


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## ilikewood (Mar 2, 2007)

I feel a PETA coming on[}][]

Or is that PITA?[]


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## bjackman (Mar 2, 2007)

Don,
You've seen these in person, how do they compare?

oh, and please send me the tanning info.


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## its_virgil (Mar 2, 2007)

Bill,
The one I turned looks quite real. I was impressed how good it looked. I'll add sierral hardware to it later and post a picture of it next to a real skin....maybe that will help. 
Do a good turn daily!
Don


> _Originally posted by bjackman_
> <br />Don,
> You've seen these in person, how do they compare?
> 
> oh, and please send me the tanning info.


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## its_virgil (Mar 3, 2007)

Here is a picture of the blank Bruce sent me of the faux snake skin assembled into a pen. I think it looks really close to the real thing. A little of the actual look is lost in photographing and posting but I think the photo shows just how close it is to the real thing...skin, not Coca Cola. Bruce did a great job with the blank...from the photoshop work to the casting. His blank is the first one I've seen using my tutorial and it's nice to know that my instructional tutorial articles(at least the snake casting one) seem to be straightforward enough to follow. I often wonder how others find them. Bruce did a great job. I also know he is trying to make the printed skin look even better both color-wise and  texture-wise. I would bet we see an improved version soon. There seems to be some interest in this technique. Bruce also sent me one of his blanks with Mona Lisa under the resin. I include a picture of that pen also. Oh yea, the faux snake is the ???? pen. Thanks Bruce. Only the turning of these two pens is mine. The rest is the work of Bruce.
Do a good turn daily!
Don
(the middle pen)


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## BRobbins629 (Mar 3, 2007)

Thanks for turning and posting Don - they look great.


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## bjackman (Mar 5, 2007)

From the photo, I'll guess the middle one to be the faux.


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## its_virgil (Mar 5, 2007)

Correct guess Bill. Bruce is working on getting a little depth or texture to the printing of the skin. 
Do a good turn daily
Don


> _Originally posted by bjackman_
> <br />From the photo, I'll guess the middle one to be the faux.


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## Jamie (Mar 5, 2007)

Just curious, what is a really nice rattle snake skin worth? I have a beauty, with 14 rattles.


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## its_virgil (Mar 7, 2007)

I purchase what I use for 40 cents per inch. There are several skins on ebay...check the prices there.
do a good turn daily1
Don


> _Originally posted by Jamie_
> <br />Just curious, what is a really nice rattle snake skin worth? I have a beauty, with 14 rattles.


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## Borrego (Mar 9, 2007)

I would sure appreciate your instructions on curing snake skin if you would be so kind.
Feel free to email instructions to:
jlfortiner@gmail.com

Thanks, 
Borrego


> _Originally posted by its_virgil_
> <br />Yes, but you only have to skin the snake. Slice mid- belly from from one end to the other and start the skin peeling and brab the carcus in one hand and the skin in the other and separate. I have instructions on how the guy from whom I purchased skins cures them. I can email them to you but can't post them here. If you, or anyone else,  would like a copy, send me an email.
> do a good turn daily!
> Don
> ...


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## emtmike (Apr 14, 2007)

I donâ€™t know. Maybe its just me but I donâ€™t know how I feel about â€œfake skinâ€ pens. Reminds me of the guy who sells the knock off Rolex watches from the inside of his trench coat.


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## its_virgil (Apr 14, 2007)

We did this experiment for those who wanted an alternative to practicing on real skins...although, it looks pretty darn good. Had a color shift but Bruce is working on "photoshopping" a better image.
Do a good turn daily!
Don


> _Originally posted by emtmike_
> <br />I donâ€™t know. Maybe its just me but I donâ€™t know how I feel about â€œfake skinâ€ pens. Reminds me of the guy who sells the knock off Rolex watches from the inside of his trench coat.


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## latech15 (Apr 17, 2007)

I agree that it is a good idea to practice with the pics while learning to cast.  At least that way your practice pens are pretty nice as well.  All of my pens that I keep in my desk are ones that I messed up on or that the finish is not so good.  I sell or give away the good ones and keep the duds.

I think that as long as you are not tring to sell the Faux snake pens as real the go for it.  

BTW, I think they look great.


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## gketell (May 1, 2007)

If anyone wants to practice, Bruce Robbins sent me the full-size/high-quality scan from Don (Thanks to both!!) and I've posted it here: http://www.ketell.com/Misc/RattleSnake_scan.jpg.

GK


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## jwalt191 (Oct 29, 2007)

Don,

I have found all of your tutorials very helpful from the snakeskin blanks to the CA/BLO Finish. I will post some pics tonight of the blanks I have made in the past few weeks. Will you send me the formula for tanning the hides myself, and let me know if you have found any other snake skin suppliers that are resonably priced. I will try the faux skins this week and we will see how they look. Thanks again.

Jim


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