February Workbench Thread

Kris,
If I were you I would write or burn the babies name and birthday into the bottom of that decoy and hunt it this season. After that I would put it away until your child's first hunt. Just a thought. Its a nice looking bird.
 
The reason I had all those dirty brushes the other night.

Going to need a few more details I think once they dry but I am happy with them a lot of detail does not show in the bright sun. Never done woodducks before. These two were started last summer and I did not get them painted before September when hunting season started so they sat on a shelf waiting for paint. The other day I pulled them down and started painting. I always forget how much I like painting until I start again.

These two were carved specifically for my walk in beaver pond rig. Two mallards, one black and two woodies. Finally its complete. Can't wait to throw these two in a backpack and go shoot birds over them.


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Brandon, good thought. The twins are actually boy/girl so maybe if i can get some free time i can knock out a hen from the same pattern and do a boy and a girl.
 
Gosh you guys are making some nice decoys these days! Brandon I can't believe how much your style has changed over the last couple of years. I've always liked your stuff but those woodies are WOW.

I finally finished carving a little ruddy that I drew on a block some time ago.

Mike

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what are you using for a stake for those goose decoys. I thought about makeing some but couldn't come up with a good way to attatch a stake that would be strong enough to push into frozen ground.
 
Jake I'm going to get a about 3/4 or 1 inch flat metal (steel) and make a point on the end and to hook it to the decoy I'm going to put two rivets to hold it on the decoy they are hard to get intothe ground I'm going to make a thicker stake with a foot spot to step on to put in before the decoy look up reel geese stake puncher that type thing
 
Jim - Little character never hurt a decoy... Besides, all the character I saw in your birds was #4 shot. I shoot #3's. Musta been Ijams or Ludington...
 
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ok thanks. I don't have a feild spread but it would be neat to start making a bunch of sillys. so just looking for ideas for the future.

thanks for the suggestions
 
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).

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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
 
George's Pintails have been washed and had their eyes cleaned.

One beautiful rig he's put together.

Great work everyone else. I just got up and running again after a broken foredom, time to get grinding before the Stripers show up.

-D

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Thanks for posting up for me, Padiwan! Those were a love/hate project! Still have to cut and lead keels for the bunch--That was a fun bunch to play with-I am still ambivalent regarding the stretch heads, maybe because of the number that were made. What did you break on the foredom? Just so you know, i do have some spare shafts over here, and an s if you get caught in a pinch.
 
Thanks--They should have fun this coming season, and way past that with their owner. The experience on this bunch was priceless.
You guys are also getting some unique views of the dungeon--I just noticed that the digital even got the motion of the fan blades in the old box.
If you look to the right , past the sprig, you might see part of the brant rig!
 
Wish I had some birds or sneakbox progress to post but here's what I threw together this past weekend. Decoys were starting to be scattered about the living room so these made her and myself happy.

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Knotty pine 1x10. I roughed the edges up and sanded. Then stained with antique walnut minwax. Im happy with how they turned out.
 
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