April workbench

Ronald Bock

Ronald Bock

Member
We started this month off by finishing some birds. My daughter finished painting this drake spoonie and I finished his mate.
My daughter is trying her hand at minis. She just did an old squaw, a pintail, and is painting a Buffy drake today.
What a way to start the month.20250406_120003.jpg20250406_111357.jpg
 
Ronald Bock said:
We started this month off by finishing some birds. My daughter finished painting this drake spoonie and I finished his mate.
My daughter is trying her hand at minis. She just did an old squaw, a pintail, and is painting a Buffy drake today.
What a way to start the month.View attachment 65517View attachment 65518
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Daughter finished painting this cute little buffy this afternoon. Different than anything I've ever done. She has found her carving niche.20250406_151035.jpg
 
Don Mintz said:
she does a great job. You need to get her to paint some hens. Hen bufflehead decoys are magic.
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Good luck. She does not like doing hens. I do all the hens since I prefer them. It's a pretty good partnership. I'll see if I can get her to carve a mini and I can paint her as a hen. She did this little guy as a harlequin last evening. Seems to be getting better each time. 20250406_202908.jpg
 
I haven't done much hand painting for quite a while. A few decoratives here and there. I've got a decent little video on my facebook page laying out feathers by hand on a pintail hen.
 
It's been a busy end of March and beginning of April,

Started off with this outdoor chair build, It's been updated since this photo with cup holders. This is an improvement on a chair I built for my deck two years ago. Higher back, raised the arm rests. I used some leftover hardware from building my deck last summer so it is built like a tank. Shadow Approves of the design changes!
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Followed up with a table that holds my small lodge cast iron charcoal grill. I put some thin patio pavers on it so It doesn't have hot cast iron to wood contact. The deck I built last summer, still pretty proud of how it came out!
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I've knocked out a couple cutting boards and serving boards. This one I kept for myself. I'm going to make one for each of my small group of friends and gift them when we have our annual steak dinner at the end of the school year. Made from Black Walnut. This was my first attempt at a Juice Groove. I sanded this in increments up to 1200 grit and dang is it smooth to the touch.

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Finally I've started on some ducks(its been 4 years). First I took some old paper patterns and made them more sturdy with some 1/4" plywood. My Goal is a new Blackduck spread for the NJ mashes next fall. 7-9 black ducks followed by some pairs of assorted marsh ducks TBD. Black cork, Pine Tail and bottom boards, basswood heads. Going to have a combo of standard heads, low heads, sleepers and feeder/skimmers
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Played with an airbrush today. First time since last September. A wee rusty but itll come back. A little dry time and one more sit down and these will be done. Maybe this weekend.
 

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Those are looking mighty fine. The hens are beautiful, but remember all the white is going to dull overnight, always takes a couple of passes a day apart.
 
Don Mintz said:
Those are looking mighty fine. The hens are beautiful, but remember all the white is going to dull overnight, always takes a couple of passes a day apart.
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Wouldnt mind some dulling of white in the drakes, I was a bit heavy handed on the brush with them. I had my airbrush tuned back in, with feel, by the time I got to the hens. Both will need a bit more white in back ends and then of course hand painted. I will have to make a few swipes of my lighter stuff on the hens. Kind of a dull mess this morning. I expected it though, and will finish these birds this weekend. Gotta break out a brush and get some more flocked and keep the air brush rolling.
 
White through the airbrush on flocking is a problem child. it's just not going to cover in a single session. I'm usually painting lots of decoys at the same time and can cycle back after a few hours and brighten things up, but usually it takes overnight to firm up for some enhancement. Painting over flocking is on one hand very forgiving compared to painting on a solid surface, you don't really deal that much with runs and splats. On the other hand it's the most difficult thing to get a detailed paint job on a decoy. You have come a long ways in a shirt time. If I'm really wanting to have a decorative detailed paint job I will hand paint. For hunting decoys there is nothing better than oil based enamels and you know i've tried it all.
 
Don Mintz said:
White through the airbrush on flocking is a problem child. it's just not going to cover in a single session. I'm usually painting lots of decoys at the same time and can cycle back after a few hours and brighten things up, but usually it takes overnight to firm up for some enhancement. Painting over flocking is on one hand very forgiving compared to painting on a solid surface, you don't really deal that much with runs and splats. On the other hand it's the most difficult thing to get a detailed paint job on a decoy. You have come a long ways in a shirt time. If I'm really wanting to have a decorative detailed paint job I will hand paint. For hunting decoys there is nothing better than oil based enamels and you know i've tried it all.
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If i can ever be half as good as you are sir, then Ill be more than happy with my birds paint job. I will clean these birds up this weekend, get the next bunch ready for paint, and then make a few more. Twas a fun challenge, glad I still have a little touch behind the airbrush gun. I would rather go over white 2-3 times or hand paint the white on flocking than deal with runs. Id rather have flocking than hard plastic too.
 
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