Bean decoys... 2 part Question

H

Hank Yorke

Well-known member
First part...
How do I tell Soulle decoys from regular old Bean's?

Second part...
I have 4 and the cork seem very brittle. Would you seal them in spar cut with mineral spirits or similar or straight spar? If they are not Soulle birds, I will refinish all four and gun them.

Also if anyone has paint templates/schemes for original Beans I would love to have it. Thanks.
 
Post photos of the heads, members could tell you right away. Soule birds back in the 50s, 60s, 70s, had pinned dowels through the head and keel. "Snakey heads" would be a clue, as is the quality of pressed cork (few voids). In earlier days, George sealed the birds with shoe glue, then just the bottoms sealed with glue, then at one point, no glue. A couple different folks tried to carry on post Soule, quality of cork diminished (more voids), and head patterns lacked the soft curves and cut backs on drake high heads (time is money). Either way, given modest value of even 100% untouched decoys, I've sealed with 50/50 spar varnish and thinner (cork will absorb 4 coats sometimes) and gun them, just my opinion.
 
Brittle may have been an understatment... one foot from a 65# lab and I now have a bobtail mallard...

Bean.jpg

 
Hank, you have been given good advice on sealing. Use a polyurathane glue. Place butt section on with two dowels run right up the "kiester".

A lot of life left in those decoys!
 
well, that looks like a Soule era head...I've epoxied (sp?) the butts back on a few birds, held with long nails, broken just like your photo...decoys have held up ok after sealing.
 
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