Question for oil birds

Is the Deft Spar you guys are using "gloss" and what do you think of this article?

http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/articles/make-your-own-oil-varnish-blend/
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I've gone that route to finish fancy tiger maple flintlock stocks. It makes a great finish, but The long drying times would not be something I'd want to paint over. But it would be great if I didn't mind waiting weeks to paint. You don't want to force dry it either ( cobalt et) as instead of drying it will turn to gel and screw up your stock or whatever
 
To eliminate the chalkiness of dried Ronan and Rust-Oleum. Allow the paint to cure. Then rub the surface with a piece of linen or canvas. The warmth from your hand and the friction produces a slight sheen patina, brings out the grain in the wood, plus helps to toughen the finish.

Be very careful thinning oils, as a little goes a long way. To much and you break down the paint and crazing most likely will happen in the future. As many flat artists trying to stretch their paint to save $$ found out.

I seldom use a top coat but when I do it's either Finish Feeder (no longer produced) or a little Bri Wax with mineral spirits. I prefer a sheen on working decoys, as dead flat paint holds water a long time and throws a shine much worse than a gloss finish.
 
From all the replies sounds like I may be thinning too much

Definately going to look into walnut oil

Jode I haven't been using a top coat for the oils .. Any recommendations.. I am ROUGH on my stuff. Don't mind , and would actually like a little sheen
 
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The problem with oil birds often, is they are never let to cure before hunting. Even when dry to the touch the paint will be "soft" for several months. But this same elasticity is perfect for wood decoys( expansion etc)

If you choose to topcoat ( there are some issues that can arise), you can use any quality artists varnish. Grums, Windsor Newton etc....... Mix matte and Dama50/50, but be aware the varnish depending on brand will often take quite awhile to dry as well. In the old days ( with VOCs) some makers swore by McCloskys hardware store varnish, but I've never used it.
 

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The first seminar I went to for oils we were told to start applying paint while the sealer was not yet dry or still tacky. Been following that advice for about 6 years with no problems .
John

John, I have followed this course for decades. The original Parker's instructions advocated a couple of coats of boiled linseed oil applied, with the second coat's excess wiped off, left to tack and then initiate paint application. I do the same with Ronan's over val-oil. But: these painting instructions were prepared for wood and cork decoys, not the plastics that now dominate their customer base.

Dave Speer, I have had the same experience with oil based paints over epoxy, mostly on bills and heads. I treated that hen can I just made from balsa like I would an epoxy that blushed prior applying the cork coat texture...we'll see if there is any difference in the paint's longevity. Steve Sanford uses Behr latex without reported issues...

Jode, that is why I added that Trueart link at the end of my post. The author discussed the culprit in linseed oil that induces yellowing over time. Do you EVER see a bright white feather group on waterfowl when you get them in-hand outside of wing speculum trim? All the birds I shoot have oxide tinted feathers, with tan, grey or yellow hues...note under the alkyd resin header the author mentions safflower oil as another alternative, may be easier to obtain than walnut oil.
 
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The first seminar I went to for oils we were told to start applying paint while the sealer was not yet dry or still tacky. Been following that advice for about 6 years with no problems .
John

John, I have followed this course for decades. The original Parker's instructions advocated a couple of coats of boiled linseed oil applied, with the second coat's excess wiped off, left to tack and then initiate paint application. I do the same with Ronan's over val-oil. But: these painting instructions were prepared for wood and cork decoys, not the plastics that now dominate their customer base.

Dave Speer, I have had the same experience with oil based paints over epoxy, mostly on bills and heads. I treated that hen can like I would an epoxy that blushed prior applying the cork coat texture...we'll see if there is any difference in the paint's longevity. Steve Sanford uses Behr latex without reported issues...

Jode, that is why I added that Trueart link at the end of my post. The author discussed the culprit in linseed oil that induces yellowing over time. Do you EVER see a bright white feather group on waterfowl when you get them in-hand outside of wing speculum trim? All the birds I shoot have oxide tinted feathers, with tan, grey or yellow hues...note under the alkyd resin header the author mentions safflower oil as another alternative, may be easier to obtain than walnut oil.
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Painting over tack is a great way to promote better paint bonding, but you need to get where your at going quickly without over blending or you get mud lol. RL you are right about the coloration, I Rarely use straight white and really like unbleached titanium. I prefer to mix my off white to my taste rather than have an unknown amount of yellowed discolaration years down the road. But it's all a learning process no matter how long we've been at it.
 
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Is the Damar varnish y'all are using the spray can or brush on
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I rarely topcoat unless someone requests it, but I have only used the brushable . Don't use it straight or it will look like glass. If you paint fat you also run the risk of the varnish curing before the paint , resulting in a "shattered glass" look down the road. Most varnishes recommend lengthy paint dry times before application because of this.
 
Most quality artist varnish is for interior use only (most state to allow the oil paint to cure for 6-12 months before application). Even the toughest outdoor Spar Varnish has a short life, due to UV. Ask any Cris-Craft or quality wooden boat owner, or better yet spend lots of time at a boat works. The boats need revarnished on a regular basis.

In that regard, I consider varnish a poor "top coat" for any working decoys. Many old collectable shelf rider decoys, have been varnished for interior enjoyment by the care taker of the decoy.

The best article I ever read about decoy paint. The article Mr. Joe French wrote about Mason Decoy paint, (and why it is superior) in Decoy Magazine.

I am in agreement with Jode. Using oil paint, patience plays a vital role.


Years ago I wrote this, and put it on my shop/studio wall... "TRUST THE PAINT"
 
I don't know specifically what Michael Braun used. My interpretation from his PM was to buy the crystals and make my own via soaking them in turpentine. As I said, I ended-up buying beeswax pellets at our local food coop and melting these to add to the solution. I did this on a run of nearly four dozen black cork bluebills and redheads for my use. They will be four years old this fall-no issues thus far.

I don't care for sprays, too much overspray and not much product delivered once you subtract the propellant and solvent...
 
Actually, when you sum the continuous diel sun exposure interval and layer-on the harsh marine environment they are used in, spar varnish finishes are quite resilient. A spar varnish application on a decoy receiving intemittent seasonal use will last a very long time.
 

That's not a bad system, I'd go one coat of deft thinned 50%, sand w 120. Then one coat Ronans also thinned . Then tubes over that. You will notice your tubes " soak" into the Ronans pretty noticeably. Once dry you shouldn't be able to scratch the paint off, even with pressure .

Jode, do you thin the ronans with tung oil, mineral spirits or something else?
 
You gotta be careful with deft. It can get too slick and paint wont stick, have to make sure you scuff it up good and get in all the nooks and crannies with sandpaper before applying basecoat.
 
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