glass decoy eyes

I've ordered a huge gross of them from a company in China. They should be here on Monday. They're clear so one can paint them to the color(s) they require.

I'll let you know how they turn out. PM me your address and I'll mail you a pair for you to look at and the contact information for the company.

Mike
 
Glasseyesonline.com. He has an eBay store or you can get them from the web site. I been buying eyes from there for several years. Very fast to ship.
 
What/how are you painting the clear glass eyes?

I have had bad results with my home painted eyes when the paint separated from the back of the eye, after the eye was mounted in the head. The filler in which I mounted the eye "grabbed" the paint and as the filler dried, the paint stayed adhered to the filler, but the eye moved, creating a very slight air gap between the glass and the paint, giving the eye poor appearance when viewed from different angles.

I'd love to go back to painting eyes again if I could find a paint that would truly adhere and not cause this problem. Please give me your technique for painting eyes.............
 
I have had problems with acrylic paint seperating from the eye but have not noticed a problem with enamel. I normally apply a few coats of enamel.
I would think you wouldn't have to worry about it either way if you are using the method with the clay.
If I am making a true hunting decoy just to kill birds over eyes are not a big concern and I will use the cheap glass eyes. If I am going more for art then I use a better grade eye. On Duckhunter.net there was a discussion on eyes and it was pointed out the Grayson Chesser uses black eyes for most of his decoys.
 
Ben: thanks for the suggestion. That is the method I now use (clay to mount the eye, then filler around it), but I am also looking for recommendations on what type of paint to use on the clear eyes.....

Lee L. uses enamels, any other suggestions???

Lee, are you using model type enamels? How are you getting custom colors or shades?

Mike
 
Black model paint on the end of a small paint brush for the pupil if it doesn't have one. Krylon, Rustoleum or model spray for the rest. You could blend by holding a lighter color out away from the eyes and lightly misting one color. Then you could add a darker color over that after it's dry and that will give you a two tone effect. I have done this with an airbrush but never with spray paint but the same technique should apply to each. Several years since I have blended. Now I just do one color for the iris.

Let me add by saying that whatever paint I use I will not brush it on. I have to spray it on some kind of way. Brushing can be a pain.

Also if you want to see your pupils from the front of the decoy use eyes that have the concave indention for the pupil. Most of them will come with the pupil painted. The flat back bead type will not have this.
 
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Are these the flat glass eyes, or do they ahve the concave indentation in the back? I could not tell from the pictures on the webiste for the supplier. Some of the pics made it look like they had an indentation, others made it look like they were flat.

Don't need to send me any, as I know where to get them. I just need to know if they have the indentation.

Thanks!

Mike
 
Gentlemen,

it has been 20, maybe 30 years since I set a pair of Herter's decoy eyes in the carved head of a decoy. Paul Dobrosky taught me to take a little bit more from the front of the head in line where the glass eye was going to be set. It let a little more light into the back of the eye, and if done right, when you picked up the decoy and turned it a trick of the light would appear to make that pupil track the person turning the decoy.

Is that something that is done now days? The Herter's eyes made it work for me.
 
Mix 5 minute epoxy and add a little tube oil or testors works for me doesn't take muck paint either. Just a few drops almost
 
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