decoy question

Capt. John

Capt. John

Active member
I bought a decoys unlimited diver mold a few years back and started making foam decoys mainly because clients and some certain friends dont mind shooting birds close to the spread. The more I've been making and painting the more I'm getting sucked into the art of decoy making. I want to burlap a dozen redhead decoys but have absolutly no idea where to start. I read this forum daily because of the wealth of knowledge on here, could Ya'll help me out and point me in the right direction, like where to get the burlap and what kind of adhesive to use. I would really appreciate it. I admire you guys that can turn a block of wood or cork into a decoy. My neighbors probably think I'm nuts, I've screwed up more than one foamy and ran out the garage yelling like I slammed my hand in a door.
Thanks, John
 
You can purchase the burlap and tile mastic used for bonding material at Home Depot. I use the mastic called Acrylpro. There is a good tutorial on burlaping at the Refuge site and at DuckhuntingChat.com.

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John,

What worked well for me over the years was indoor outdoor carpet glue for your adhesion. (Henry's Brand).

Cut out a burlap pattern that fits tight with as few over folds as you can manage.

Coat the decoy with glue and begin to position the burlap. You can push it around quite a bit to get it set where you want. I then usually gave another quick coat of glue and dusted the entire decoy with saw dust (cedar worked the best for me). The saw dust absorbs the moisture from the glue and takes all the extra tack out of the surface.
I even went the extra legnth and coated the surface with spar varnish to seal it. The glue protects the foam and the spar makes for a tight but flexible painting surface.

Give it a try and good luck,
Ballard
 
I'm not sure of the agriculture practices in your area but up north here we just stop by the potato warehouses and get a truck load.....lol

You could maybe try a landscaping firm and see if they have any extra.
 
Thanks, you guys are great, I'm really looking foward to getting started on this. Can you burlap over decoys that are already painted? This may sound a bit like a stupid question but I gotta ask.
 
Thanks, you guys are great, I'm really looking foward to getting started on this. Can you burlap over decoys that are already painted? This may sound a bit like a stupid question but I gotta ask.
Click to expand...

Foamers that are already painted? I dont see why not!
 
I've started burlaping my herters. I use ceramic tile adhesive and roll burlap from the landscaping section of the hardware store (it is more open weave than sacks). I'm happy with the results so far, I have not painted any of them yet. I make a piece for the bottom, it come about 3/4" up the sides and wraps the point of the tail. I glue this on and then make a piece for the top and overlap the bottom piece about an inch. I work a coat of adhesive over the burlap until it is covered. I have also primed them with kilz to keep them from soaking up to much paint. I don't know if this is needed or not.

It is a little messy and time consuming but makes a nice looking and very solid decoy.

Gene Jr.
 
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