Foam Decoy

John Ascherman

John Ascherman

New member
I'm a 63 year old retired guy from Indiana. I've been duck hunting for 40 plus years.I didn't do good in art class either. I am no way an artist as you can tell. I finished my first ever decoy. It's foam with Restle coating. The coating (fine walnut) came from Harbor Freight. The tail was two sides of a plastic bucket glued. I won't do that again. My second decoy that I'm making the tail. I went to Walmart and they have a plastic cutting board in the kitchen department. It's almost a 1/4 thick and can be cut with a jig saw. Cutting board was $5. My original cuts was made with a hack saw or a Dewalt reciprocating saw. I need to buy a 10 inch band saw if I keep doing this. I have read and seen about every possible video on the internet about painting and making decoys. I want to personally thank Steve Jay Sanford. If it wasn't your great post on carving foam decoys. Steve had great pictures of all the cuts. He also has all the paint colors names and numbers. I went to Home Depot to get all my samples. I have plenty of paint to touch up all my decoys for the rest of my life. Thank you thank you Steve. I struggled getting the tail cut at the right angle without a band saw. Plenty of liquid nail, gorilla glue makes it all come together. Most of my curving I used a drywall rasp. I found the rasp cut better than the other way. It must be the way the 4x8 sheet is made? I'm good at receiving criticism. I hope to make more as time allows. We will see if the few birds that we see in Indiana, if they flare or not.IMG_5004.jpegIMG_5003.jpegIMG_5002.jpeg
 
it sounds like you are an innovator, finding and repurposing materials to accomplish durability. I didn't do well in art class either and only have one credit of art in high school. I grew up in the time that abstract ruled the art world and I didn't fit in well when the only thing I wanted to do was wildlife art and my art teachers didn't understand that. Sometimes you just have to make your own way and your own methods. Your first couple of decoys look a far cry better than my first, but I had no one to ask. That's different here. Welcome, take a trip down to the carvers corner section, you will find a variety of topics about making decoys.
 
John Ascherman said:
I'm a 63 year old retired guy from Indiana. I've been duck hunting for 40 plus years.I didn't do good in art class either. I am no way an artist as you can tell. I finished my first ever decoy. It's foam with Restle coating. The coating (fine walnut) came from Harbor Freight. The tail was two sides of a plastic bucket glued. I won't do that again. My second decoy that I'm making the tail. I went to Walmart and they have a plastic cutting board in the kitchen department. It's almost a 1/4 thick and can be cut with a jig saw. Cutting board was $5. My original cuts was made with a hack saw or a Dewalt reciprocating saw. I need to buy a 10 inch band saw if I keep doing this. I have read and seen about every possible video on the internet about painting and making decoys. I want to personally thank Steve Jay Sanford. If it wasn't your great post on carving foam decoys. Steve had great pictures of all the cuts. He also has all the paint colors names and numbers. I went to Home Depot to get all my samples. I have plenty of paint to touch up all my decoys for the rest of my life. Thank you thank you Steve. I struggled getting the tail cut at the right angle without a band saw. Plenty of liquid nail, gorilla glue makes it all come together. Most of my curving I used a drywall rasp. I found the rasp cut better than the other way. It must be the way the 4x8 sheet is made? I'm good at receiving criticism. I hope to make more as time allows. We will see if the few birds that we see in Indiana, if they flare or not.View attachment 76132View attachment 76133View attachment 76134
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Good morning, John~

Fine work all around! I am very happy to have helped.

All the best,

SJS
 
John Ascherman said:
I bought the heads off an auction. I have no idea.
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John~

Those heads are in fact Herter's Model 72 Mallard/Black Duck heads. Model 72 is their line of over-size foam-bodied decoys - with hollow Tenite heads. The heads a well-deserved "standard" in the world of gunning decoys.

Herters Catalog - Model 72 Mallard and Black Mallard.jpg

I bought a dozen when I was around 15 years old.

Herters 72 Mallard Drake.jpg

All the best,

SJS
 
Steve Sanford said:
John~

Those heads are in fact Herter's Model 72 Mallard/Black Duck heads. Model 72 is their line of over-size foam-bodied decoys - with hollow Tenite heads. The heads a well-deserved "standard" in the world of gunning decoys.

View attachment 76212

I bought a dozen when I was around 15 years old.

View attachment 76213

All the best,

SJS
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Steve here is a picture of one of the cans head, the mallards are the same. I should make some, but between baby sitting and making decoys and everything else in life. I need to buy a few heads. I ran out of mallard heads. I'm on #3 and #4 of mallards. After that I'm going to make a couple of canvasbacks since in the auction that I got the heads from, only had 3 mallard and 3 can heads. I don't know how I had time to work..lol
 

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John Ascherman said:
Steve here is a picture of one of the cans head, the mallards are the same. I should make some, but between baby sitting and making decoys and everything else in life. I need to buy a few heads. I ran out of mallard heads. I'm on #3 and #4 of mallards. After that I'm going to make a couple of canvasbacks since in the auction that I got the heads from, only had 3 mallard and 3 can heads. I don't know how I had time to work..lol
Click to expand...
John~

I am out of town right now. I will check my supply of Herter's heads once I get home.

Growing up, my Dad had 6 Cans in with his Broadbill. I coated and painted them a few years ago - and then shipped 5 of them off to a West Coat gunner. I kept one Drake for the memories.

Model 72 Cans - SJS 3-13 small.jpg

All the best,

SJS
 
Steve Sanford said:
John~

I am out of town right now. I will check my supply of Herter's heads once I get home.

Growing up, my Dad had 6 Cans in with his Broadbill. I coated and painted them a few years ago - and then shipped 5 of them off to a West Coat gunner. I kept one Drake for the memories.

View attachment 76245

All the best,

SJS
Click to expand...
Yes keeping one for you memories is great. I tell younger kids that hunt. They should keep a book on all their hunts. Weather, temps, wind how many they killed. As we get older, all we have is memories. Let me know if you want to part way with some mallard heads. John
 
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