Black cork question…

[Michael McCord1]

I just found a marketplace ad for 2”x12”x36” black cork panels. I’ve always carved wood but wouldn’t mind coating myself in black cork dust to say I did it. Aside from making a pile of teal and buffleheads with bottom boards, can it be glued up ok if I can get it cheap? Or just pass on it for decoys?

 

[JasonM]

I don't see why it wouldn't glue together fine. I like to use gorilla glue on my cork birds because it expands into all those voids.

 

[Geoff Pike]

Glues up just fine. I've used Contact cement, epoxy and Titebond 3 without issues. And Gorilla glue should be fine as well.
Hand tools make the mess less!

 

[Steve Sanford]

I just found a marketplace ad for 2”x12”x36” black cork panels. I’ve always carved wood but wouldn’t mind coating myself in black cork dust to say I did it. Aside from making a pile of teal and buffleheads with bottom boards, can it be glued up ok if I can get it cheap? Or just pass on it for decoys?

Michael~

Before buying, make sure the cork is not too crumbly. I have seen black cork degrade in long storage.

Glue up either with clamps between a couple of pieces of plywood or plenty of weight during cure. You could even glue some 1/4-inch AC on the bottom at this stage - to become the actual bottom board.

If using a tail board, be sure to extend it quite a bit forward. As an example - LL Been Coastals do not extend the inserts far enough.

And, when you are all carved, a soaking coat of Spar Varnish is a good (and necessary!) sealer/toughener.

This Brant has a 3/4 cedar-inch bottom board - because I wanted the body height. The tail insert goes in about 5 inches.



All the best,

SJS

 

[Chuck J]

I bought a bunch of older black cork from Mark Rongers years ago, the last of what he had been selling through MLB. It was a bit dry, but it was tighter and smaller grained than most you find:



IT IS MESSY!



To strengthen them, I put bottom boards on and a large dowel riser. Long screw goes through the keel, the dowel, and into the head.



I made a crap ton of coot and a few teal from the haul, most of them reside with Dave Robinson in the Mud Hen Ghetto of Gun Lake. Here are a few finished:



While the pieces I bought I was able to cut without gluing, Mark tossed in a couple of pieces he had glued up but not finished. Mark liked Barges shoe glue for gluing cork. Problem with this is it leaves a rubbery seam that shows through...but adds character, here is one of the coot from his glued up pieces, I gave several of these coot nick-names befitting their character.

 

[Chuck J]

One more word of advise, use an old blade in your bandsaw, and watchout for gravel. Tan cork dulls tools too, but this was extreme.



I like working cork, and the look of the cork showing through the finished product. It is well worth keeping a good blade for wood and swapping to an old one for cork.

 

[Huntindave McCann]

I like working cork, and the look of the cork showing through the finished product. It is well worth keeping a good blade for wood and swapping to an old one for cork.

When cutting black cork, if you don't have an old blade,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, you will afterwards.

 

[Michael McCord1]

Ok ok, yall talked me into it. I’ll see if I can snag it this week.

 

[Eric Patterson]

Michael

Any chance you will be in North Alabama any time soon? I have a bunch of black cork and am happy to share some with you.

 

[Michael McCord1]

Michael

Any chance you will be in North Alabama any time soon? I have a bunch of black cork and am happy to share some with you.

Yeah, last Wednesday. Had a meeting in Montgomery last week. Dang it!

 

[Eric Patterson]

Oh that would have worked out. Any chance you will be back?

 

[Michael McCord1]

Oh that would have worked out. Any chance you will be back?

Not in the foreseeable future. That was an out of state work trip for me and not one I anticipate repeating any time soon.