[walter sniper]

 

[Far Beyond Driven]

Can they be too nice to use? I've seen worse paint jobs sitting on mantles...

 

[walter sniper]

Can they be too nice to use? I've seen worse paint jobs sitting on mantles...

My shelf birds and hunting birds are painted the same. Firm believer in better looking decoys produce more birds. It’s what I do.

 

[Duke of Flintown]

Do you have a picture of one you've water swatted before? Kinda Curious, doesnt seem like it would do much damage?

 

[walter sniper]

Do you have a picture of one you've water swatted before? Kinda Curious, doesnt seem like it would do much damage?

Lol
That’s why I make my own
Plastic sinks and I can repair mine

 

[roger15055]

Walter sniper- you are so very talented!! I couldn't have decoys that nice! Take two hours after the hunt to put them away! I would like to see a video of you doing one from beginning to end.

 

[don novicki]

Absolutely beautiful. I wish I had that kind of talent.

 

[Cork Dust]

Can they be too nice to use? I've seen worse paint jobs sitting on mantles...

It's not the paint work , but the construction that makes decorative birds fragile. If you build a robust decoy, it will last, independent of the volume of time you put in on painting details. I just carve my bills a little thicker and don't go overboard on the wing and feather detail.

What are you using for head stock, Walt. Looks like pine on the mallard?

 

[Far Beyond Driven]

I'm not the Op.

When I make corkers I leave the tails blunt and thick, and carve the heads from old growth pine. I got a stock of 2x6 from a remodel that are straight with about 30 growth rings per inch and carve beautifully.

 

[Cork Dust]

I'm not the Op.

When I make corkers I leave the tails blunt and thick, and carve the heads from old growth pine. I got a stock of 2x6 from a remodel that are straight with about 30 growth rings per inch and carve beautifully.

Walt's stock reminds me of the bottom board stock I bought this last winter which was a conifer from New Zealand...very broad growth rings.

 

[walter sniper]

It's not the paint work , but the construction that makes decorative birds fragile. If you build a robust decoy, it will last, independent of the volume of time you put in on painting details. I just carve my bills a little thicker and don't go overboard on the wing and feather detail.

What are you using for head stock, Walt. Looks like pine on the mallard?

Basswood heads

 

[Cork Dust]

Basswood heads

Interesting, the scaup are basswood heads done off a Jim Wicks head that he gave me because his dog chewed the bill end off. The wood is out of Wisconsin mill and very tight. Redheads have tupelo heads that I bought off of eBay...very nice carving wood without the "fuzz" of basswood. I am trying to add some different high head postures to my full cork redhead rig to augment the wooden soldier look. They all have two base coats of gesso on them now over two coats of sealer. The finished scaup hen is a basswood head from this run, on an e Allen body that I enlarged a bit. The hens on the first row are black cork with basswood heads all sealed in epoxy-two coats prior painting.

 

[Cork Dust]

Interesting, the scaup are basswood heads done off a Jim Wicks head that he gave me because his dog chewed the bill end off. The wood out of Wisconsin mill and very tight. Redheads have tupelo heads that I bought off of eBay...very nice carving wood without the "fuzz" of basswood. I am trying to add some different high head postures to my full cork redhead rig to augment the wooden soldier look. They all have two base coats of gesso on them now. The finished scaup hen is a basswood head from this run, on an e Allen body that I enlarged a bit. The hens on the first row are black cork with basswood heads all sealed in epoxy-two coats prior painting. View attachment 433051 View attachment 433051

The redhead file is there, but won't enlarge...so I'll post it again.

 

[walter sniper]

Yes Tupelo is amazing, like balsa. But a good block of Tupelo is $$$$$$
Here’s a redhead I did out of Tupelo sitting on my shelf

 

[Cork Dust]

size you desire, outside of their standard stock dimensions. I just bought a tupelo size large enough to function as head stock, and the eBay price was quite reasonable.

Canvasback in Ronan's and oils. From nearly fifteen years ago.

I overpaint Golden's bone black with gray with some modeling medium in it and the comb it to get the vermiculation on redheads, just another approach for folks to consider.

Hen cans are Restle/Trestle coated using Titebond III and cork dust, two coats, over WWII era balsa life raft shards. Jim Wicks, prior ceasing to carve waterfowl decoys did a lot of ringnecks in balsa...looked like a the material was a joy to work. This stuff was not, since it was composed of different density and ply direction pieces pinned together with hardwood dowels. I made two more birds out of the last of it and never tried the "good stuff".

Pleasure to "talk" with you, Walt, hope your season goes well! Take care!

 

[Cork Dust]

Sorry, my computer keeps failing to enlarge the last file I post...

 

[walter sniper]

Finished up these guys tonight

 

[fowlattitude]

Very nice looking work!

 

[Cork Dust]

Walt, did you start carving via one of Willy McDonald's classes?

 

[General Ottsc]

I've got to stop clicking on your threads, it's giving me G.A.S.(Gear Acquisition Syndrome)