# preserving snakeskin



## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Yes! My son brought in the largest snakeskin I have ever seen. It is obviously a black snakeskin, is over 6 ft. long and 5+ inches fat (or rather the snake that came out of it is). I want to preserve it. Anyone know how?


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## oldgaredneck (Jan 2, 2007)

Tack the skin scale side down to a flat board and liberally coat it with salt....


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## Fire-Man (Apr 30, 2005)

motdaugrnds said:


> Yes! My son brought in the largest snakeskin I have ever seen. It is obviously a black snakeskin, is over 6 ft. long and 5+ inches fat (or rather the snake that came out of it is). I want to preserve it. Anyone know how?



A Long Picture Frame---lay skin on cardboard---put glass over it---Frame!! Randy


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## Country Gent (Apr 3, 2007)

I have done several rattlesnake, and copperheads this way.Skin snake before sun goes down.On stable wood that is thick, tack skin down placing a tack at least each half inch, scale side to wood.Salt heavy using as fine a salt as possible.lean boarded hide against shady side of shed and leave for 3 days. Protect from varmints.with warm wash rag wipe off all salt, and scrape(gently any remaining fat.Salt once more leave same as before.Next cleaning sort of wash with Go-jo cleaner(in the tub container)try to find the type with lotion, clean only salted side.Roll up the hide and store in a cool dry spot.take down in a week , and then clean with same soap again leaving thin coating. You are now good to go and the skin can be used for anything.If it is shed skin place under glass.C.G.


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## Gary in AL (Jul 8, 2002)

Salt alone dries the skin and makes it hard. What has worked well for me on 3 -4 skins is the following:

3 days in a heavy salt & water solution
Remove & Rinse throughly
3 days in a heavy glycerin & water solution
Remove & Rinse throughly
Tack it fleshy side down on a pine board 
(don't ask why pine that is just what I was taught)
Leave it on the board until it is dryish

The first one I did, a 5' eastern diamond back, was about 6 years ago and it is still soft. You could easily make a belt out of it.
Good luck!
Gary


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## Shack-E (Mar 25, 2007)

I have tanned for many years. Mix glycerin and alcohol together and put snake skin and mix in a jar. This will be a soft supple skin you can make him a belt with or just display.
Use equal parts of the glycerin and alcohol, roll the skin up and be sure to cover it with the mix. Leave in the jar for 3 days or longer if you like.
Rub the skin or just wring it out....


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

We were taught to use borax as a preservative for bird skins.


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## Shack-E (Mar 25, 2007)

Tanning and preserving are so different. 
Borax is wonderful for preserving. 
I think I made a mistake by not remembering the question correctly. I mentioned how to tan a snake skin rather than to answer the question of "how to preserve." Sorry.
Borax would do just fine for preserving a "snake skin" too.


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## XLT (Apr 7, 2005)

Shack...will this work for any skin? or just snake skin?


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## pixelphotograph (Apr 8, 2007)

I have a snake skin over 10 years old that I spread down pinned flat and shellacked the fool out of its still good to this day.
I cut mine directly from the snake.


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## Wolf mom (Mar 8, 2005)

Froze the snake, let it thaw a little, straight cut to the belly side & peeled the skin right off - nothing came with it. Had no idea what to do next so lathered it with a good hand cream daily for a while. 

I now have a 6' supple bull? snake skin w/head in my closet that I don't know what to do with. It has a story (I tried to rescue the snake & it died on the way to the vets.)

Ya never know what's in someone's closet!


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## ellebeaux (Aug 18, 2004)

What's the difference between tanning and preserving? I'm confused.

I was taught to scrape the fat off the skin.

Stretch it out on a board with thumb tacks.

Coat liberally with boric acid powder.

Leave it that way until skin dries out ( a couple days to a week).

Rinse off the boric acid.

Place the skin in a jar of antifreeze.

Leave for a few days until supple.

Rinse off.

Hang to dry.

I have done this with two different skins - a copperhead and a rat snake. Can't say that they came out that great, so I'm not sure what I did wrong. They are both brittle and greasy at the same time!

Good luck.

B.


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