Need Help with decoy repair!!! (UPDATE)

k folkman

k folkman

Well-known member
I have a Herter's cork decoy with a broken tail board. When the tail came off it took two large chunks of cork with it. I have Tight Bond wood glue. Will that mend the cork back together or is there a different product that I should use?...........Help please.................Kevin
 
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I'd go with one of the urethane glues, such as Gorilla Glue or the Bordens. Whatever you use, be sure it is waterproof.
Lou
 
To repair you will need to remove the tailboard.
To do this on a herters
1 unscrew the screw that hold the head to the dowl and remove the head.
2 take a flat bar and remove the keel, you will see a staple that staple is stapled throw the back of the bird down to the keel, remove the staple.
3 use a hack saw to cut throw the plywood and pick the old plywood tailboard.
4 make/fit a new tailboard.
glue whatever you need with urathene glue (gorrilla glue)
Sound like a lot of work but it's not.


I have a Herter's cork decoy with a broken tail board. When the tail came off it took two large chunks of cork with it. I have Tight Bond wood glue. Will that mend the cork back together or is there a different product that I should use?...........Help please.................Kevin
Click to expand...
 
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You have received good advice from both Bill and Lou. You don't say how big the chunks of cork are that came off with the tail or if part of the tail is still recessed in the decoy. Follow help suggestions and glue choices as have been recommended. If the pieces are small, use Elmers Wood Filler Indoor/Outdoor to patch small holes. If they are large, use glues to glue original pieces back and fill in any holes with the Elmer's Wood Filler.

If the back end of the decoy is compromised, I would drill a hole the length of the decoy and glue in a wood dowel rod from end to end, for extra strength.

Hope this helps.
 
Thanks for the advice guys. Bill, The entire tail came out intact. The cork surrounding the tail board actually broke away from the body taking the tail with it screw and all. I already glued it back together with the Tight Bond and it's clamped and drying as we speak but I don't expect it to hold. I think that I will try the Gorilla Glue as mentioned and maybe fill the gaps with an all purpose filler once dry................Thanks again..............Kevin
 
Gorilla glue expands a fair amount to fill even medium sized gaps.

I've also used expanding foam, for use around windows, doors whatever, to fill REALLY big gaps to get junked goose decoy bodies back in action. After it dries I grind/sand it down & paint it.
 
Kevin,
If there is enough material there I would put a wooden dowel or two through the broken section into the body.
Just sharpen one end and drive it in or if not much material drill a hole slightly smaller than the dowel, add some gorilla glue and insert the dowel. I make all my decoys with the dreaded black cork (I get it free) so I use dowels
quite often. Make sure you moisten the dowel if you use gorilla glue.
Just my .02 John
 
Kevin, now that pic lets you get to the "seat" of the problem.

I would definitely drill from the top, angling forward and put in a dowel rod to gain strength. Slightly recess the dowel and place Elmer's wood filler over hole and crack around the tail. This stuff works great with black cork and was recommended to me by the dean of cork himself....Bob Swann.
 
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