Decoy rigging for that old school look...

Sean K

Sean K

New member
I was curious how some of the carvers on here like Pat Gregory and others rigged their carved decoys? Curious what type of line, swivels, clips, and weights you used. Any pictures of a few examples? I am finishing up a few Ringnecks and I am thinking of how I want to rig them for a more vintage look.

Thanks, Sean
 
Sean~

For that REAL vintage experience, be sure to use un-tarred cotton seine twine - so at least a few of your decoys will go adrift during their second season - and be treasured by those who find them on some distant lee shore.....

More seriously: Are your birds wood or cork? Solid or hollow? Keel/no keel?

All the best,

SJS
 
Sean~

For that REAL vintage experience, be sure to use un-tarred cotton seine twine - so at least a few of your decoys will go adrift during their second season - and be treasured by those who find them on some distant lee shore.....

SJS
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you mean like this one?
2012-12-26_09-48-33_855.jpg
Click to expand...
 
They are solid cork bodies, basswood heads, with a keel. They are painted with acrylics and I will probably do a wash over them to give them a patina look. They however will not have a distressed look. Does that help some Steve? Thanks for your response.

Steve, I love the look of your decoys and your boat work. You are a talented artist and craftsman with a deep sense of heritage for waterfowling. I definitely enjoy your posts.
 
I like to take an old leather belt or leather matting and use as my loop on the birds. Cut a strip about 4 in x 1.5 in wide. Fold and drill two pilot holes with 1/6" drill in the area to screw into the wood or cork. Use 1/4" x 1.5" long brass screws to place directly under the decoy head. I have started to add brass rings to this leather loop and then tie into the loop instead of the leather. Over time the leather wears down and rips. I have few birds carved about 10 years ago that the leather is wearing out and I sewed the leather back together. Also another favorite of mine is to make spoon weigths instead of keel. The birds do drift in heavy winds so adding a small keel can help redirect. Have not had too many problems with drifting except in high winds. But at that point it is probably way past time to have picked the spread-up and leave.

Regards,
Kristan
 
I started with texas rig monofilament...
Switched to tarred line, cause I wanted the retro look.
I've hunted the heck out of my decoys, and now I've switched back to monofilament, and it's the nicest things about my decoys! Ha
 
Good morning, Sean~

Thanks for the kind words.

I do not know who put the first keels on decoys, but they have been around a long time - late 1800s - and it is hard to beat a hole bored through the keel for attaching anchor lines.

I like the simplicity - no hardware to pull out or chafe other decoys. I bore mine at 3/8-inch and chamfer the edges to minimize chafe on the line. I believe the prevalence of leather loops - screwed or tacked to the body or keel - was to avoid chafe on the cotton lines used originally. Leather would certainly be kinder to any line than a rusted staple.

I use tarred nylon. Most of my lines are braided but some of my earlier stuff is twisted - a slightly older look. I avoid thin line because it tangles too easily in my hands. I like 72-pound - which is about 1/8-inch in diameter. I burn the edges but try to avoid a big plastic blob of hardened nylon by wiping the molten nylon before it cools and hardens. I tie a bowline on both the decoy and the anchor. The tar helps hold the knots.

The anchors are one place where you can go Old School - especially if you make your own. For my heavy anchors, I mold them in an old cast iron muffin tin and use heavy copper or brass for the shanks. I found some nice 1/2-inch brass rings on-line and so the line is tied to the ring and not the shank itself.

Someday, I want to have a mold made with my initials, logo, etc so I can make truly custom anchors. One could do the same thing with keel weights.

Hope this helps,

SJS
 
Steve,
I use tarred nylon. Most of my lines are braided but some of my earlier stuff is twisted


Are you saying you are using braided tarred line? I only know of 3 strand twisted.
 
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