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Rick, I used to paint in acrylics and loved the speed of drying and convenience of them. I have now switched to oils, and will probably never go back. I have found that oils naturally suit my style of painting better than acrylics....... If you ever get stuck on an acrylic problem...

well, I disagree. I just know that I'd like to be able to do an effective paint job like yours, that ties together the old traditions as well as the new. As much as I like what you have done so far, that paint job, done on a smootie, and antiqued would be a stunning oldie replica. Teaching...

Rick, I really like your wigeon a lot. The blends and overall feel are nice. Mike

thanks for the tip. Will order some today......... Mike

I am restoring an old mason, Detroit grade merganser, and I am looking for a source for the tacks used by the Mason factory and other carvers when they used tack eyes in lieu of glass eyes. Can anybody give me a source of those and approximate sizes? The merg I have no longer has the tacks...

Me too..................I'd like a source too.......... Mike

Pat, as I look at the bluebill headed to the DU Banquet, again, I admire your ability to mirror those older classics and their makers' painting techniques. I do well carving them, but as I paint them, sooner or later, my paint patterns get too detailed and my attempts all look like a classic...

I am impressed with the stretching you do in terms of trying different things. I have always been a fan of Ben Schmidt and thought that his genius was not in the stamping, but developing a way of painting that was the perfect compliment for the stamping. I do not have the ability to shift...

Love the can...been trying to get one for a study skin for several years. Congrats, and take good care of her... There are some beautiful decoys in her, if you choose to use the information she can give you.................. Mike

I loved, er, do love, my 1973 vintage wingmaster magnum pump. But, as you age, you may find that you really don't take the punch in the shoulder from a pump or double barrel like you used to........... So please don't bad mouth semis..........for old farts like me they enable me to keep...

First of all, like I said in an earlier post, I wish my first decoys had looked as nice as yours. Nice job. as for painting the spots....I thought you did a good job of doing a gunning paint job on the spots..... as you progress as a carver and painter, you will want to add more detail and...

And after I get done with Stuttgart tales, there are Temple stories, Wit brothers stories, Alex stories, Sadie and the cans, Merlin and Charley, Donny Richmiller, Gary Morrow, and Mr. Hartman stories. We'll kind of detour around Uncle Steve, Harry, and Orville....... Say, is there a statute...

That is one of the David stories, and also one I could post on a family type website..............

It brought a smile to my face too. My days of being deadly, even on close in ducks are long gone. Between aging eyes, slow reflexes, a hitch in my swing, and not shooting 30 days per season anymore, well, the magic is gone. People who see me shoot now would have a hard time believing I ever...

At some point, you may eventually move to using power tools, especially if you plan to do full sized decoys. Knives, gouges, spokshaves, drawknives, surform rasps, rifflers, and files all have their place, but power does too....... I am an oddball when it comes to "carving" decoys. I...

Wow, congrats. I love owning decoys that have a personal provenance/connection.

Sorry for your loss. Fires are tragic, traumatizing events, even when no one gets hurt. Hope you can get your insurance company and agent to quickly rebuild the structure and replace lost contents. As a retired firefighter with a total of over 35 years, with three fire departments, it has...

you, your family, and your son will be in our prayers and meditations......... Mike

Good to hear. Hope to do a rig of black ducks this year in cedar to add to the rig...... Hope to get to meet you when I am down some time.......

Condolences. Not sure what that tool is used for (I assume for wiring the supports for your canvas decoys), but I understand how stressful it is to lose a tool that has been an old friend for years. I had an old die grinder go belly up a few years back, couldn't get parts to repair it...