February Workbench

it would give that one a rakish, drinking appearance.
On a happy note-i am not painting the last ten chests on the chiloe transformation---man, this project is taking on a life of its own, and all i wantis for it to be over so i can start some cork stuff..Pics to your home computer when the pile is mercifully over.
Have some polonia being milled this week, and i am awaiting my half--Might be fun making some hollows out of it. Friend cut a fairly big one down a number of years back, and it has been laying by the edge of his woods--Scott Green and I cut and got Kenny's help dragging and loading--Scott trailered it to millsboro last Sunday, so i am hoping to go pick up this weekend.

I have a drinker I just cutout today! Well surface feeder to be exact. Got the heads glued on today so I can finish shaping then cut in side pockets. Last step will be drilling up from the bottom into the heads to insert wooden dowels...no heads falling off!

a lot of guys use dowels--when i did wood, i did also. The drawback with cork with wood heads and dowels is that you really have to remember to not use the heads as handles, when picking up the dekes-I found that exerting that pressure constantly loosened the head.
From bottom, i have been using a long deck screw and a dowel--Between that and the gorilla, i can pretty much torque the heads down, then seal with plastic wood.
If you find the dowels are just fine, have at it! If i keep mesing with the wood stuff, i may end up switching back, jut for tradition's sake.
One3 thing for sure, putting a number of variations in the rig will really make for a much more natural appearance out where you intend to mess with ducks!!

Cork mallard pair for the rig. Hoping to add about 10 more to my decoy bag over the next few months.

Ed, did you wash the hen yet? Head may need a B U wash to kill some of the blondness . You getting bettah, buddy!! Hens are fun, eh? Grinding two of them today.

Thanks, George. Yep... hens are a real freakin' blast! Just love the frustration in trying to get the feathering to look somewhat authentic. And yes... I did the BU wash; probably have to give it another light wash though.

Got a wood duck pair grinded out and sanded up this morning. Waiting for the wood filler in the screw hole to dry; should be ready to GAC & black tomorrow. Donating them to my local DU chapter for their dinner in a couple weeks. Chapter chair gave me some comp tickets to attend, so I figured what the heck.

clearing some decoys off the carving bench before I start carving a Canvasback rig, a lesson with Paul Dobrosky has improved my carving greatly

Great looking bird Larry!

I just got this greenhead close to being ready for paint. I think he came out pretty good. I'm trying to not put detail into the bill...just shape it and go.

all you need--you can paint the nostrils and nail!!

george w wrote:all you need--you can paint the nostrils and nail!!

Yup! The only thing I did was take a wood burner to outline the bill. The mallard I did before didn't have anything to outline the bill and it was a pain trying to paint the bill right. So out of making things easier, I just burned the bill in so I can see it when I paint.


By the way Ed, that is a great mallard pair!! They look awefully familiar...I can tell you're learning from George. They're nice though.

gotta get Ed to get a small chest freezer to keep sepcimens--Lots easier getting to colors when bodies are in front of you--Photos are great for various positions, BUT, imo, the viewer of the pics is kind of captured by the photographer's choice of light-ie sunshine, cloudy, early late---The aesthetics of photos, i lke, but i have relied upon the bodies for at least twenty years--Used to take the old canon fx with 90-240 telephoto with a 2X converter off on camera hunts early on in the provcess--Amassed a a rather extensive collection of slides--Still use them ocvcasionally, but they are languishing on shelves in the dungeon.
Davey, with experience, you will tend to avoid having to burn the nail process--Trick is to do the half that seems hardest first, as in left side if right handed--When you do that, the urge to just do a fast mark will leave, and you will instead, focus on the shape of the left side of the nail, if facing it. Trust me, it works--You will become conscious of your verbal left brain leaving you alone, and the visual right takes over.
Great reference for you
Drawing on the right side of your brain. The author's name eludes me right now.

Another one that I finished today Hen Broadie

Finished the woodie hen. As George suggested, I used the bird as a reference. Helped match up some colors, but I'm still not happy with it. Tertials and scaps could be better and I need to either redirect the primaries or extend the side pocket a bit so I can add the blue/white specs. Easy to become a critic of your own work when looking at a photo!

Think I'll black it up and start over again. But first, I'll paint the drake...

more raw umber on the sides and chest of her---Nice pose, and the paint you have on is pretty spiffy, if not a mite errant! Could be that coloration is the result of the light source for the photo, too. Going to e mail you something, if i have it!

Ed, I don't think that hen woodie is bad at all. Maybe just go a tad lighter on her side pockets, but for a gunner, thats just fine!

Larry, I like your hen broadie. Think she's a little dark on the side pockets though?

Thanks, Davey! Decided not to touch that hen after all. As George would tell me... "It's just a decoy."

Here's her mate for our local DU chapter's dinner/auction next weekend. Painted him up this evening.

Great job on the Drake Ed! I like him!

Great transition between the back and chest, fella!! Nice, smooth changeover, for sure..Pretty good overall coloration --Woodie is a great example of the simple yet elegant thought on paint!!

Thanks. I appreciate the feedback from other decoy-makers.

George: That pair makes it #76 & #77. Should reach 100 by summer. Gotta get crankin' on my Westlake birds. Already have two cut-outs done. Haven't decided yet on the 3rd species to attempt.

Ed. good to see you are approaching the century mark--It amazes me how quickly those little bridges are reached! Just wait, in a few years, you will be looking for a shed to store them! Luckily, most have gone elsewhere, but it is good that your own rig is expanding.

george w wrote: but it is good that your own rig is expanding.

That is what I need George. I need to build up my own rig. Problem is it gets expensive, so I sell decoys to buy more materials.

Just cleared the bench of all outstanding projects just started working on a rig of Cans

Like that Broadie Larry!

I've been busy as shit at work so I haven't made much progress with my workbench. Today I finished burning the bills and got the eyes set. The bird on the right is already sealed and ready for primer, but I may shorten the bill. For some reason it looks too long for a mallard lol! Hopefully tomorrow I'll have the time to get the other 3 finished and sealed. So far I like this rig. Nice and thick tails and wooden dowels in the heads, they should be very durable.

looks good, agreed that bill looks more like one for a Can