What's on the bench? November 2018

. Homers?

Yes, Zane, these are Homers. Following Steve's paint schedules, as best I can. RH hens are partially painted, then I have some Buffies next, that are from Bob Romstadt. Have not taken a count, but thinking I am close to 50-50 in the spread, decoys I assembled and painted vs purchased. No longer have and plastics in my spread. Still have the Gadwalls coated and primed, scared to tackle the paint still!
 
Good morning, Dave~


Great job! Those newer heads (Bob Mitchell?) on the Cans are sweet.


BTW: Bring a pair of primed Grey Ducks on your way north - we can knock out a pair in an hour or two....


All the best,


SJS

 
Steve, I will get an early start in the morning so we have plenty of time for a painting class!

I agree , really like the new Can heads, much improved.
 
I initially thought the heads was a bit too large for the bodies but now I think it is ok. I have about 60 Al McCormick decoys of which 6 are sleepers. Last year I added 17 Broadbills with standard heads and this body. Figured that I could change it up for a more realistic spread and thought it was time for some snuggle heads.

Joe
 
Good morning, Joe~


The proportions look perfect to my eye.


I'm rehabbing some Brant. These are Herter's Model 92 bodies with Autumn Wings Goose heads - a nice combination.


View attachment sm SBrant 01 BEFORE.JPG



But, the customer wants them repaired and looking a bit more like Brant. The bottoms still need paint.



View attachment sm SBrant 02 AFTER.JPG



I shortened each bill - but did not need to reshape the heads.


View attachment sm SBrant 03.JPG



I'll post a full step-by-step when I have more time. I "rebuilt" the head to body arrangement. The foam bodies notoriously compress and collapse with the strains from handling. Epoxy and 3M 5200 to the rescue.....


I also "restored" this Wildfowler balsa Black Duck that I bought at the SSWA Duckboat Show.



View attachment sm BBD 01.JPG



He got sealed with spar varnish and flat oils before a topcoat of latex.


View attachment sm BBD 14.JPG



I protected but highlighted the Quogue Wildfowler brand.


View attachment sm BBD 10.JPG



And I scratch-painted the face.


View attachment sm BBD 12.JPG



Again, a full step-by-step will appear someday.


All the best,


SJS

 
George,

Appreciate the comment! Thanks for the paint schedule and for holding my hand during the painting process.

Steve,

Thank you for the kind words!

Paul
 
Good morning, Vince~


Yes - I treated this bird as a gunner - and not just a shelf-rider. I rehabbed 3 Wildfowler Mallards earlier - and have shot a bird over them. So, I have the beginnings of a nice little "all Wildfowler" rig.


All the best,


SJS

 
Steve -

That is a wonderful thing that your doing with those Wildfowlers, getting them back in service where they belong. I can just imagine the satisfaction it brings to gun over them.



Over the years I have had some Wildfowlers pass through my hands, and on to others. I now wish that I had rehabbed at least five of the balsa Black Ducks to gun over. For some reason I just cannot bring myself to mess with old decoys. It is good that you do not struggle with that. You do the decoys justice.

Before it is to late. I'd like to gun over some of the old, and the newer Blacks by other carvers in my care, at least once. They deserve that. May have to get me a larger duck boat again


Best regards
VP
 
Vince~


I do struggle with the decision to paint vintage birds. My inclination to "refurbish" or simply "maintain" gear to keep it going is powerful. So, I do NOT purchase original paint decoys unless I feel that they are so far gone that they've lost most of their collectible value. (It helps that my pocket book cannot handle most of the original paint decoys that catch my eye....) I shop only for those that can be painted without harm.


In the same vein, I always make certain that customers are aware of the "risk" they take when they ask me to re-paint older Beans or McCormicks. Thus far, I have seen no marketplace need to preserve the original paint on most Herter's - at least not their Tenite or Durlon birds.


I also struggle with aesthetic decisions when putting my brushes to these Wildfowlers. Sometimes, I give them the "standard" Steve Sanford gunner paint job. Other times - as with this highhead Black - I try to put myself in the shoes of just another piece-work painter hired by Wildfowlers in Old Saybrook or Quogue back in the day - and I imagine how they might approach the task. As you observed so kindly, I strive to do them "justice" and to honor the original makers.



Sometimes, I take more of a true "restoration" approach - removing or covering the non-Wildfowler paint of others and seeking a bird that looks like it's in original paint, albeit with some wear. I have not returned such birds to the open marketplace; they reside with close friends or on my own shelves.


The paint on this 1960s Mallard had been completely "re-imagined" (by a gunner's wife) and so I tried to put it back where it might have been had it lived a simpler life of hard work in its original attire.


View attachment sm WM 04 Kessler.JPG



This is my first highhead Black Duck. It had just a bit of "in-use" re-paint, but hastily done. Fortunately, the face and bill were still in fine shape. It had so much original paint that I simply would not re-seal, re-prime and re-paint for gunning use. So, I tried to erase the effects of the later paint and I waxed it so it can adorn my shop.



View attachment Wildfowler High-head DONE 02 small.JPG



The care and use of vintage gunning stool is an interesting topic; I want to write a longer piece someday. In the meantime, I think I do need at least one more beat up old Wildfowler Black that I could prepare for the hunt.


All the best,


SJS

















 
Best way to deal with rehab is to take it to maker for the work. In lieu of that, , rather than scrap of shelve older birds, it is always a good rule of thumb to try to rehab, or send stuff out to someone who can do it-bring the decoy back to a state of usability.
I do not like touching stuff that is not of my making, and if folks insist on me doing rehab, they know up front that the decoys are now repaints, BUT are reconditioned to be again functional tools.
Like you, Steve, I have been mucking about with a file of colors for folks who want to rehab their old stuff.
At least, for non-painters, it gives them an idea of what they need to get their stool back to shipshape order.It's always great for us dinosaurs to mentor new folks, so this process never disappears.[;)]
 
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