Coating E Allen BLACK DUCKS with epoxy + sawdust

[Steve Sanford]

All~

As I mentioned in the recent Brant post, I just did my 4 E Allen Black Ducks over - with the same epoxy plus sawdust method I used on the E Allen Brant - and on dozens of Herters over the past couple of years.

I bought these birds - along with 6 E Allen Mallards - from Lou Tisch (http://www.lockstockbarrell.com/) about 20 years ago. They serve as my everyday rig here in dairy country - with no wind or tide and maybe long carries. I like their light weight - and certainly admire the carvings by Keith Mueller.

I had painted them in latex originally and then touched them up over the last couple of years.

I added the black over-streaking to fight the shine and to suggest some depth to the plumage.

I installed a flush keel made from pine. Flush so they would not beat up others in a decoy bag and so they could sit flat in shallow water. During late-season hunts in the rivers, I often rig them in an inch or less of water - so the ice-filled current doesn't drag them downstream.

Here is the coated and re-painted rig:

Here is the High-head. The body is (Home Depot Behr Ultra sample jar) Espresso Beans (PPU5-1). The face and tertials are Mocha Latte (PPU5-4)

I think it's important to show the "smoky" tertials on this species. The pale area aft is obvious from above - and I believe it's a key identifier to other puddlers. The body of the High-head is different from the others - and allowed me to show a bit of the speculum. The edging - done in Graceful Gull (PPU18-12) - is too bright - but I was too lazy to mix up the proper, warmer color.

Most of the bodies don't show any speculum. Not important in my opinion.

Here are some close-ups of the faces. The rough surface precludes lots of detail - but certainly enough to suggest "the look".

The bill is Curry Powder (PPU6-01). All the bills will get protected with a coat of satin spar varnish.

I added a bit of "saddle" to the bills of 2 hens.

The lower eyelid and pale face markings are Graceful Gray.

A fresh coat of Grey Oil Primer - from my Ace Hardware in town - on the undersides.

These birds will see use in a few days - for our Youth Waterfowl Weekend.

All the best,

SJS

 

[RLLigman]

Very nice, Steve. I always appreciate your attention to detail, particularly on the heads and bills. I've air brushed hen bills, "glob" painted them and tried to stipple them as well. Yours came out perfect.

I use the Muhs mallard bodies that Lou molds, and carve my own heads from basswood. These are homage copies of a Bill Pierce, Jim Wicks, Bob Mitchell, and Jim Wicks heads from a rig a couple of years old:



The center drake with the high head is medium texture 3M Rocker Panel spray coat under two coats of Val-Oil, as are two of the feeders. The other two birds are textured with Rustoleum spray texture paint. The flash washed-out the vermiculation on the side pockets-dark gray background with light over it and then combed.

 

[Steve Sanford]

Good morning, RL~

Nice rig! Great idea about the different heads. I hope to coat and re-paint my Allen drake Mallards after they serve on Youth Weekend (but ready for our October 10 Regular Opener)

You got me looking at Lou's site for Freddie Muhs' birds. He has been gone a long time now - but was always a pleasure to meet and talk with on Long Island. His specialty was Shelldrake (RB Merg). I think I might have to get a pair of his Broadbill to paint up and sit on a shelf in my shop - in his honor.

All the best,

SJS

 

[Jon Yenulonis]

I appreciate the idea of the speculum only showing on some birds. My friend is in the process of carving and painting a rig for this season's antics. He is always making sure everything is exactly the same and consistent on his birds, when in reality, no two birds look exactly alike when sitting on the water. One may have a wing a little higher than the rest, another may be a little more relaxed than the others, one may show most of the speculum while the others show none, some are more plumed out than others, individual sizes are different and so on. And that's not even mentioning head positions!

When studying birds to learn about how to rig while hunting, that's one of the first things I notice. Due to my relentless persuit of "the perfect rig", and finding the perfect decoy, (not to mention budget), my rig consists of many different types of blocks. Foam, burlapped foam, hard urethane, cork, and wood. (no plastics-anymore anyways), While all of the sizes are virtually the same, very few bodies and heads are duplicated.

I also know that in reality, it doesn't really matter to the birds, only to us.

Point is - the birds do not display consistently perfect, nor do the blocks need to be. But thinking like such takes some of the fun out of it, for me anyways.

Jon

Oh, and by the way Steve, your blocks are absolutely BEAUTIFUL!

And thank you so much for taking the time to photograph, document and share with us.

 

[Steve Sanford]

Good morning, Jon~

Good thoughts - well-stated! And thanks for the kind words.

For me personally, the aesthetic components of a hunt are an very important part of my enjoyment. With respect to the decoys, I want them to be effective gunners (the half-gunshot test) AND give me a bit of satisfaction as I handle them in and out of the boat.

And, yes, we have all learned that being where the birds want to be is 90 per cent of good gunning.

All the best,

SJS

 

[Denny R]

Steve,
Thanks for taking the time to photograph and share your decoys.
Love your painting and the flush keel design.
I've got about 5 dozen E Allen decoys that are 15+ years old.
About 3 years ago I coated all of them with Titebond and cork dust.
Did the same coating process to a lot of Herters/foam/burlapped decoys too.
I'm really happy with the results.
Might try to convert some puddle ducks to your flush keel design......

Thanks again.