Cork dust

M

memphis john

Member
I am working with black cork, and I am still in the learning process. I am on my second decoy, and want to fill in some gaps with cork dust. What type of glue do you mix with the dust, and how do you apply the dust
 
John, I used Titebond wood glue and saw dust mixed. I spread it with a piece of cardboard, let it dry overnight and then sanded.......................Kevin
 
black cork? save the dust, mix in a bowl with valoil-if you can find, to make a slurry,,, using rubger gloves, rub on to fill the voids and allow time to dry---best done in spring and summer---outdoors-sun dried!
You can probably also use the dust with any type of sealer---just mix like a tempura batter.
Have fun!!!
 
What George said, then sand.....repeat.......then sand repeat.....then sand. you end up with a pretty smooth surface to paint without the pock-marked surface that you see with the mass produced black cork dekes such as the Bean ones.
 
Second the use of Titebond II.

This past year I tried something a little different. I took the finished bird, and then made a mix of Titebond II and water and dunked the bird and saturated it. Place on a grate and allow to dry for several days. Then I came back with straight Titebond II mixed with dust and glue and filled in the holes. Allow to dry and sand smooth. It has held up very well. Sealing with Titebond does two things in my opinion: the glue is waterproof, so it does seal the cork like spar or Val oil, and it also acts as a binder which black cork does not have.

Very best,
Steve
 
You can also use bondo to fill the voids. But that seems like a lot of work. I have seen very smooth black cork decoys filled with bondo that look like wood though.
 
I like the bondo idea. Would thickened epoxy work? I have a bunch of that and it would harden quickly (one day).
 
You can also use bondo to fill the voids. But that seems like a lot of work. I have seen very smooth black cork decoys filled with bondo that look like wood though.
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Personally, I'm not a fan of Bondo. It sets very hard and not flexible. Over time, it will break down. I've tried it on a bunch of head/neck joints and ALL of those joints have broken down over the years. For that matter, Gorilla glue also stinks as an adhesive for decoys. It expands great and fills voids, but sets very hard and is not flexible at all. As wood and cork expands and contracts with freezing and thawing, the joint breaks apart because the glue never budges.

A dear friend that I hunt with in NJ does have some black cork birds that were coated with thickened epoxy + dust, and those birds have stood up well over the test of time and salt water.

Best,
Steve
 
I have seen very smooth black cork decoys filled with bondo that look like wood though.
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At some point, I got to ask why you would make it so smooth. I can see filling major voids, but I like to see some of the cork texture through the paint.
 
I don't know about all the new things out there to seal cork with

but when I was 18 I made a 3 buffleheads and 3 canvasbacks out of black cork
carved them in the livingroom of an apartment I lived in, talk about a mess!
I sealed those decoys by mixing the cork dust with thompson's water seal
made a slurry and wiped it all over the decoys. they came out looking textured on the outside.
I can say that they are now 26 years old and are in great shape, no chipping or peeling of the sealer.
I painted them with a few coats of oil based paint I bought at the hardware store and that has lasted as well
that sealing method did a great job on those decoys
good luck
 
I have done some repairs on Beans using the method that I mentioned above. But, I'm with Chuck here. I personally like the look of the cork texture. I'm in the process of re-painting all of my old Beans and am leaving most of them natural unless they are missing cork......................Kevin
 
I'm with you Kevin. 90% of my blocks are black cork and I only fill in large voids. I like the look of the cork. Use Titebond III and dust when I fill and seal with spar varnish. They usually get 3or4 coats of spar.
Good Luck John
 
I don't fill the voids, if they are big, you can glue in a chunk of black cork. If you are looking for a smoother body then I would just go with tan cork and be done with it. By the time the glue/dust mixture is added, the weight of the decoy is probably the same as tan. Just my .02 dc
 
If you use Elmers Indoor/Outdoor Wood Filler, you can easily fill voids and the stuff is as lite as air, so it doesn't ad the weight you get mixing dust with glues or sealers. It is also not messy to work with.
 
Mike, Is that all you use to fill in the holes on bean cork? Never done it before.
these are blacks oversized 1978 models I need to repair.
 
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