cracked cedar decoy head

E

ed gagne

Well-known member
im looking for some advice on what i should do when a head cracks pretty badly after i have carved it and glued and screwed it on the body.
the course of action i took was to drill two holes and put two 2 1/2" finish nails down through the top of the head.

i want to know if you guys think this will hold through years of hunting and if i should even sell this decoy to a customer.

the crack starts from the center out leftwards on one side and from right of center out rightwards on that side but not completely through.

thanks
eddie
 
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Eddie,
Those two nails may just hold it together fopr life. Time will tell. Is there any room in the crack to add some two part epoxy? Some type of wood filler?

If a customer was interested in it I'd for sure point out the fault and price accordingly. Don't want any rumors starting.

Good luck with it.
 
the cracks arent that big but they did concern me. there is enough room for glue but not putty.

im just looking to see if anyone else had a similar problem, what they did and if it held up?

btw its a decoy that needs to be done before xmas, its going to a hunting partner for a gift to his brother.

i'll let him know about it and assure him that i'll fix it should it break down the road.

thanks
eddie
 
Take the screw out and saw the head off at the body junction and stick a new head on it I can't picture in my head how it is cracking. What kind of wood is it? A couple small dowells glued in would probably be better than the nails.
 
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epoxy will be stronger than the wood initially. But why did it crack? stress from being screwed on or is the wood not dried properly and checking? If the latter is the case you might want to replace it
 
the crack starts from the center out leftwards on one side and from right of center out rightwards on that side but not completely through.
Click to expand...
It sounds like you have the center of the tree in the center of your head. Even if you stop these two cracks with glue and nails, which I doubt you will, it will crack somewhere else. I'd do what Lee said and cut it off...
 
Eddie,

Definitely don't sell it.

In fact, you better send it down my way and I'll put into the the decoy protection program and make sure it lives out a long and safe life in an anonymous location.

I had one of those black ducks with really bad cracks in the head. The wood dried 3 years since I carved it (and it was dried cedar to begin with). I made the mistake of what chuck said, center of the tree in the middle of the head. Doh! Since it was only for me I put in dap wood putty and went on with life. It's fine for what I need.

If I was a guy who had a business, I wouldn't sell it like that though, You've got a reputation and brand to protect. It could hurt your future sales if it got out you were selling shoddy stuff.

Charlie

PS. The black ducks floated nice, but we didn't decoy any. Decoys didn't work too well with 8" of snow on top of them and we hardly saw any birds (and no black ducks). Lots of trophy Champlain canvasbacks flying though, LOL. Oh, and a bunch of those albino widgeons too...
 
I had one crack that was for my rig. Actually the wood was cracked to begin with and I just drilled a hole perpendicular to the crack and put a dowel in it along with a bunch of thickened epoxy. I added pressure w/ a bar clamp and let the epoxy cure. The dowel was slightly shorter than the width of the head and once it was cured i used plastic wood to clean up the joint.

The decoy is on it's second season and still good to go.

That being said, I'd carve another one unless it's for your personal rig.

-D
 
It happens, just one of the hazards of working with wood eh? Good thing it wasn't a complete set of new cupboards for your kitchen!

If I get a bad crack going I usually break it right off, glue it together, and finish. Then I keep it for myself. For the ones I sell I offer a replacement warranty if anything like that happens after the person gets it. As far as I know only Dave Sikorski had one of my decoys crack on him but he didn't want to replace it. (You should have Dave, and you still can.)

For little flaws in the wood I've used bondo to fill them, or epoxy, or wood filler, and with four coats of sealer over that I haven't had any problems.

Its up to you, but you could finish it and give a replacement warranty on it if it gets worse. Nothing would kill my little decoy business faster than people showing off flawed or cracked decoys with my signature on them.

You make a nice decoy Ed.

Mike
 
ok heres the cracks.
decoysandducks127.jpg

yes it is heart wood, the cracks are in the center there and the holes i drilled are up top. there is weather proof wood glue in the cracks now thats what that dark area around them is. i smeered it in the crack as deep as i could go.

i always offer a warranty on all my birds, if its something that happens that would be from a defect in a decoy its on me. if your dog chews the damn thing then its on you type of deal.

thanks for the tips guys
eddie
 
Ed, an "oldtimer", Ron Koch, taught me to saw into the cut to relieve stress. Then fill with Bondo and sand. He always says that you want a decoy to split or crack before painting. You look to be in good shape!
 
Personally, with it being heartwood, I would saw it off and replace it, even if it were for my own rig. That wood is going to continue to shrink, which will create radial cracks as tension increases. Get some proper carving wood and try again.

Good luck!!
 
A friend of mine is a gunsmith and does some real nice repair work on stocks. He uses super glue to repair the real thin cracks that you cant get glue into. He hasn't ever had it break loose, even on a recoiling shotgun. Should be fine for a decoy. Most (all) of the cedar I carve is heartwood and has some degree of checking. I think the important thing is to make sure it is dry and the crack isn't going any further before repairing. I hollow mine real thin, until I can see the check from the inside and smear titebond 3 over the inside. Then after hollowing, I let it sit for a while before filling it with bondo on the outside. So far no problems.
 
well my hunting partner came by today and told me that the decoy for his brother (this one) will not ever see water, and no keel is required. woohooo!

i showed him the crack, the wood hasent done anything since i applied the glue. on another head that had the same thing that i fixed with just glue about 2 months ago hasent done anything either, its still in my house unpainted while i watch it.

i think this bird will be ok, and ive offered a replacement bird should this one crack. he wants it for xmas and with my other orders i wont have time to carve another. so this one will serve as a show piece for his family and guests over the holidays and should it become worst after that then i will take that one back and replace it with another.

thanks for the help guys, and i did get some more "suitable" wood. this head was just the last one i had cut out and ready to go.

eddie
 
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