Rattlesnake Skin

[theartist07]

My friend recently found an Eastern Diamondback Rattler that had been hit by a car, I don't know if the driver was trying to miss it or what but it got just the head and an inch or so behind it. He called me wanting to know if i wanted it, he said he had already skined it out and it was still a little over 3 feet long. Of course i took it in hopes of making some pens. He had placed salt on the skin side and baby oil on the scale side. I haven't had time to work with it so my ouestion is, it's getting a little dried out now, should i repeat the steps he did or is there something else i need to do to keep it in good shape until i'm ready to work with it? It's really a beautiful skin and i9'd hate myself if it got in a condition that i couldn't work with it. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

Jim,
North Carolina

 

[ZanderPommo]

some use tanned skins. i clean off all the gross stuff on the yucky side, and stretch it out to dry with thumbtacks. usually ends up thin and flexible enough to use for pens

 

[Papa mark]

Jim contact seamus7227 for his method to tan a snake. Very simple process and after you have it done this way the skin in soft and pliable and ready to wrap around a tube. He taught me this method and now I am working on my 4th skin that people have given me and it is very easy.