Sean et al
One week!? Yikes! There's a lot of nice birds on this site.
I've made my first foamers and just started a hollow 'squaw:
View attachment Broadbill Senior - vs.jpg View attachment Feeder Broadbill Senior - closeup - vs.jpg
This is my first foamer - made for a friend's Broadbill rig on Long Island. It's a big bird - 9" W x 18"L x 5"H. I've always wanted to make a bird gobbling down a Littleneck clam...
I used polyisocyanate insulation I had left over from insulating my shop floor. It's a bit soft, so I would not recommend it (or use it again). Head is white pine, bottom board and tail insert are 1/4" AC plywood. I laminated foam with epoxy (System 3 Regular). After carving, I sealed whole bird (absent head) with straight epoxy to penetrate and seal. I hung the bird up to dry so epoxy would work toward the tail and minimize the need for grinding. Once that cured, I mixed up - to mayonnaise consistency - a batch with silica thickener (WEST 406). I used it to glue the head on - pulled tight with a 3/16 eye-bolt - and then coated the whole topsides of the bird. While the epoxy was wet I sprinkled sawdust from my bandsaw (pine, basswood) over the bird. The sawdust absorbed the epoxy, hardened up nicely, and gave a great base for painting. All the paint is acrylic latex. I haven't floated the bird yet but made a ballast weight with a screw molded in - in case it needs adjustment after sea trials. I am hoping plywood bottom board will tend to keep it upright.
View attachment Foamer Oldsquaw Drake - vs.jpg View attachment Foamer Oldsquaw Hen - vs.jpg
These Oldsquaw were made for my own rig and are sized to match Herters Model 72 Broadbill - which is most of my ice scooter rig.
I made them the same as Broadbill Senior (above) but used 2" styrofoam boards. The bottom board again was 1/4" AC plywood but the tail inserts were 1/8" plastic (polyethylene?) from the lid of an industrial drum (from a dairy farmer neighbor). I heated the drake's tail with a heatgun and then weighted it with a spring clamp to get and keep the desired upsweep. I've got another drake sawn out but will use it to teach some kids later in the month (they'll be carving Wood Ducks).
View attachment Sanford Oldsquaw - sanded - vs.jpg
This Oldsquaw is a mantelpiece bird for a friend. It is hollow basswood with a hickory tail mortised into the body. For Oldsquaw and Pintail I use wood sawn from limbs grown to the same curve - so the grain runs with the line of the tail.
Sean: I took your advice and got some Williamsburgh oils. I'll prime with 2 coats of gesso today and break out the oils tomorrow.
The month is young...
SJS
