What's on the bench? November 2018

Steve Sanford said:


And, Yes, I cannot help myself. I need to re-paint almost any used decoy I see. It's another of my many compulsions - and downright dangerous around valuable antiques. Fortunately, Santa will be bringing me two more "worn-out" Wildfowlers that need to get back on the water.

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I mentioned before that I wrote a fictional story for the magazine Parker Pages several years ago about how this one became a derelict. My wife got it from a little antique shop we deal with- it came with the remainder of a broken not cut decoy line - i like to look at it and think about what conditions were like the last time it was hunted and decided to leave it with its well earned scars



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Rick~


You made the right call on that gorgeous bird! Do you know its maker/origin?


(and, I assume that old side-by-side was washed up alongside it right on the beach?????)


All the best,


SJS

 
Steve Sanford said:
Rick~


You made the right call on that gorgeous bird! Do you know its maker/origin?


(and, I assume that old side-by-side was washed up alongside it right on the beach?????)


All the best,


SJS
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yeah the D grade Parker and the 1928 Old Town are derelicts as well, [cool] -actually the canoe was - came out of barn in central NY with no canvas and a 2' hole in the hull with planking and ribs missing there and all its sailing rigging gone

it looks a little better now
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as for the decoy maker - no marking - a balsa body, from the keel and the ghost of the little paint lines that show- i've wondered if its a wildfowler
 
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Let me see if I can get the last post on the monthly what?s on you bench thread.

Just finished 9 fancied up working scaup decoys for retirement presents for various waterfowl biologists I?ve worked with. These are working decoys with quilted maple bottom boards and cherry keels. Yes, Steve I know you will love the greaters and that the backs should be darker. But these work for me.
 
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Good morning, Brad~


Great Broadie-beaks! And, yes, you anticipated my reactions to a T....



I was just about to ask "What wood is that?" regarding those sweet bottom boards. Good choice to show the grain to the lucky recipients.


All the best,


SJS

 
Steve I did darken the backs a bit more but I still like the visibility and look of all that white.

Rick, it is Western maple. Curly, quilted, crazy grain. I was given 3 or 4 guitar blanks that had been rejected. I handplaned and used a cabinet scraper to get them smooth. After 4 or 5 costs of spar varnish and sanding they are ready for the carp to admire the patterns.
 
Those Bluebills, (did I mention, absolute favorite duck?!), are B. E. A. UUUUTIFUL! I wish I worked with you...

Jon
 
Glad you like them Jon. The first 3 have been gifted and the intended species successfully gunned over them. Now they can become decor if the new owners wish, but they were given as decoys. I made 9 of them and each is being gifted to a federal, state or private waterfowl biologist with on average 30+ years of experience. It is an honor to be able to acknowledge their contributions to waterfowl management. They didn't all work for me, but they all worked with me over the course of my career.
 
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