Old Herters

T

Tony hall

Member
Man, I haven’t posted in a while but I’m as giddy as a kid on Christmas morning! Just cruised Facebook and saw a few bags of decoys with herters on top. $30. Messages the guy , said he just posted and got 20-39 messages. Someone was gonna come tomorrow for $40, I said give me 20-30 minutes and I would be there. Got 3 dozen original condition herters, enough carrylite clips and some 100’ packs of carry lite line (with original package at $1.25 a pack ) for $40.

Also a print off of herters models dated 1967. Idk if that’s actually real.
Anyway, I’m happy as a clam. Although they’re almost to nice to hunt.
 

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Nice score! Congrats. Finds like this always make me feel similar to holding a winning longshot quinella ticket at the tracks.
 
Tony,
That is awesome. They are the older ones I believe because they don't have the exposed keel weight encapsulated in the foam. I could be wrong though. Do they self right?

RVZ
 
Rod, I honestly haven’t pulled them out of the truck yet. Ended up going back to work, working till 6 am ( work for the utility company) then came home, drove son to school and napped. Definitely checking to see today. We hunt big water and it could be a bunch of trouble fixing flipped birds the whole time.

-Tony
 
Tony hall said:
Rod, I honestly haven’t pulled them out of the truck yet. Ended up going back to work, working till 6 am ( work for the utility company) then came home, drove son to school and napped. Definitely checking to see today. We hunt big water and it could be a bunch of trouble fixing flipped birds the whole time.

-Tony
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Sounds like a big problem....but I'm a giver so I'd give you your $40 investment back to get out of them, LOL.

I actually just got 4 brand new never his the water Herter's bluebills in deal. Really don't have a use for them and thought about listing them on here but shipping to the east coast probably isn't worth it.
 
Well Rod/Kevin they do self right. After catching up on sleep I went to try and catch some pike and small mouth and tossed one in a few times and they flipped over. They seem to mostly be the pinkish foam variety. Idk where that dates them, but I will say they’re in better shape than majority of my divers , sans some plastic ones that will go up for sale now. They don’t seem to like the cold🥶.

It rained here this morning so they all got good rinse and they’ll get out up in the attic later tonight till August/September.

-Tony
 
JasonM said:
If you have the spare time do yourself a favor and restle coat them before next season.
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Amen to that. Speaking from experience I bought two dozen model 72's back in the 80's. I'm not sure they were ever used but were rigged with 20 feet of line and strap anchors. They started to get beat up quickly. I sent them to Herters and had them burlapped. Still in fine shape today. Restle coating would be the ticket.

RVZ
 
JasonM said:
If you have the spare time do yourself a favor and restle coat them before next season.
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That might happen this season, but still have to finish a dozen or so super mag mallards that I’m making from a goose mold I got off eBay. Have 4 restle coated but stoped molding this past winter because I was having to use more foam because of temps.

Plus have to help hunting partner repaint his rig of Jack Ring decoys (7 dozen).

If these go on mainlines I will for sure restle cost them. The kids like helping with that. And being divers they can probably paint all the bodies without any help!
 
Tony~

Great find! That 1967 vintage sounds about right. In addition to the flat bottoms (no extruded keel), they probably have solid brass screw eyes and washers - and not brass-plated steel that came later.
Herter's Durlon foam decoys (the over-size Model 72s and the life-size 63s) were first sold around 1955. I still have some Broadbill (aka Bluebill) my Dad bought around then. And, I've been gathering up bunches of Model 63 puddlers in recent years for hunting on small waters locally.
2 Herters Model 72 excerpt cropped.jpg


3 A Herters - Model 72 Bluebill excerpt cropped.jpg

I think I have 40 or so - some earlier, some later (extruded keels). I coated them with epoxy+fine sawdust them re-painted them all about 10 years ago. Still the "industry standard" of Broadbill stool in my opinion.

D8.jpg

BTW: I always secure the head positions - which I vary - with caulk before painting. It prevents the heads from loosening up and compressing then foam in use and it prevents the anchor line from wedging 'twixt head and body.

Here is my tutorial: https://stevenjaysanford.com/re-painting-broadbill-decoys/

Enjoy!

SJS
 
Jason and Steve. I think the restle coating will happen. These will be on mainlines and we typically leave decoys on the lines and pile them in the bow of the boat. Steve, do you think that the epoxy is that much better than TB3? Significant increase in price btwn the two.
-Tony
 
Tony hall said:
Jason and Steve. I think the restle coating will happen. These will be on mainlines and we typically leave decoys on the lines and pile them in the bow of the boat. Steve, do you think that the epoxy is that much better than TB3? Significant increase in price btwn the two.
-Tony
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Tony~

I have never tried Titebond III for coating decoys. I always have both epoxy (from US Composites) and Titebond in the shop. As I understand the original Restle/Trestle Coat, Restle Decoys used Titebond (or something like it) with ground corn cobs. The latter are hard to find here in the East. I use either Home Coat (finely ground walnut shells) or fine sawdust from my bandsaw (table saw dust is too coarse).
https://www.uscomposites.com/epoxy.html?gad_source=1 (Sorry - having trouble with Link function....)

I use their 635 Thin Epoxy with Medium Hardener - for both decoys and boats. Much more reasonable than WEST, for example.

Hope this helps!

SJS
 
The titebond 3 done with ground corn cob is a tough finish. I ,ve done 2 coats glue, non watered down, with 2 coats ground cob on a few dz. Herters and Fowl Fooler's and they've held up great for many years. Bought the ground cob in a 25 LB. bag from same company Fowl Foolers obtained theirs probably about the same time their decoys were being marketed. Still haven,t went thru half of it all these years latter. Last Dz. 72,s I was gifted about 4 years ago I even Restle coated heads . Came out great. I do prime over media with tinted Kilz prior to paint .
 
The goose mold o got in January I popped out a few with 2lb foam and walnut coated them with TB3. They will be geese or super mag mallards that will live a cushy life . Bout the walnut from harbor freight.

I will probably use the TB3 and walnuts for the herters. Interesting about restle coating the heads too. Maybe I’ll try that. I do know that my twins (10) and 5 yo son will be painting these things if we do them. That’s the only bad part about dozens of birds is maintaining them

Tony
 
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