What's on your WORK BENCH ? - February 2020

MLBob Furia said:
Sealing a bunch of stuff with Val-Oil, so I "turned" to other things while all that stuff is drying.

Spent yesterday turning a bunch of wood duck whistles after sorting through a box in the "wood library" that had a variety of interesting blanks. Always glad I save the odds and ends from nicely figured wood. I found workable blanks of English walnut, Tigre-caspi, Mora, Pecan, & Salt cedar. Shaping & fitting the soundboard is always a bear, but these all tuned up nicely.

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Your Woody whistles are just gorgeous Bob! Well done. You'll have to PM me your price list. I've always wondered if they respond as I was don't they usually won't. Well last year I broke down and bought a whistle. I didn't turn him but I did see him turn his head. One day just maybe.
 
Ed L. said:
MLBob Furia said:
Sealing a bunch of stuff with Val-Oil, so I "turned" to other things while all that stuff is drying.

Spent yesterday turning a bunch of wood duck whistles after sorting through a box in the "wood library" that had a variety of interesting blanks. Always glad I save the odds and ends from nicely figured wood. I found workable blanks of English walnut, Tigre-caspi, Mora, Pecan, & Salt cedar. Shaping & fitting the soundboard is always a bear, but these all tuned up nicely.

Click to expand...
Your Woody whistles are just gorgeous Bob! Well done. You'll have to PM me your price list. I've always wondered if they respond as I was don't they usually won't. Well last year I broke down and bought a whistle. I didn't turn him but I did see him turn his head. One day just maybe.
Click to expand...




I will say that I have observed, and hunted Wood Ducks, more than any other duck over a long span of years.

IMO Wood Duck calls, whistles/squealers, work very well, to bring the ducks into good shotgun range.

Unless I am on the X, aka food. I do not expect them to land in, or close to my decoys. (I do not hunt where they roost.)


What the hunter requires is patience, as almost in all cases, the hens respond first. The rest of the flock/brood follow.

Then the hunter can pick drakes if so desired.

This means the early flight "dark ducks".

Cannot tell if hen or drake, get a pass until better light.


In years of lean acorns, hunt fresh cut corn, and you will have lots of fun for about 40 mins.

Tain't the killing, it's seeing the birds that matters, and a good call does help.


VP
 
Good morning, All~

Here's the latest in my newest personal rig - of rehabbed Wildfowlers. This is how she appeared on eBay.



View attachment Wildfowler Pintail Hen from eBay.JPG


I have been gathering up Mallards and Blacks - the Wildfowler Superior Model (life-size) with Balsa bodies. I look for birds that have lost any collectible value but can be re-paired and re-painted to hunt again. I have been looking for a suitable Pintail for a couple of years. (I did find some nice original paint Hen Pintails from Old Saybrook - but they will not see my hand.....)



View attachment WF Pintail 01 - profile.jpg



The crude neck repair, loss of most paint, and worn tail relegate her to "candidate" status in my eyes.



View attachment WF Pintail 08 - body oblique.jpg



I look for birds from Old Saybrook or Quogue. Not all Wildfowlers were branded - so this is a nice bonus - and fully legible.



View attachment WF Pintail 09 - Quogue WF brand.jpg



Here I have lightly sanded off the original paint. This will get 2 coats of Spar Varnish and will NOT get covered with the new bottom paint.



View attachment WF Pintail 30 - Quogue brand - clean B.JPG



Another bonus was the Quogue-style keel weight. I'm still looking for a bird with an Old Saybrook keel weight (that I can afford). The Old Saybrook weights were molded by the D. C. Sanford Co. out of Bridgeport, CT - very distant relatives.





View attachment WF Pintail 07 - Quogue keel weight.jpg



The bird now wears Drake's clothing - but still needs one more coat of White up forward.



View attachment WF Pintail DONE - profile full.jpg



Ready to join his rig-mates.....


View attachment WF Pintail DONE - oblique full.jpg



All the best,


SJS



 
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Well these don?t quite make it into the workbench and probably close enough to qualify for this thread.
Finishing up new camo job on the fat boy original with new doors (fun bending conduit!) and a removable grass skirt to cover the boat. The bottom also got a few coats of gatorglide to give it a bit more scoot across the marsh.

Also wrapping up another pond box which has been glassed, given the gator glide treatment and is out for canvas. I?ll post up some pics of that when it comes back.
View attachment D22DE377-6ACC-4655-BD6C-CFDD5A2D8D51.jpegView attachment 380DD513-92A1-465A-91C6-AE2CC9BF9845.jpegView attachment 4B38FE31-B729-4C55-9055-30543F7CA55B.jpegView attachment 58497F64-7159-4AEA-87EE-15DFCAEAD147.jpeg
 
Thanks Steve. The pond box under development is one of your design. Just wanted to say thank you for sharing the plans and the build sequence on your site.
 

Steve,

That Wildfowler bull sprig is a Dandy, and will look mighty fine in the rig. Two thumbs way up!



Decoy Monster Machine,

That's a fine pair of Appleheads, really like the hen she's a real lady.



VP
 
Good morning, Rick~


I do not recall whether I used a thickened epoxy or an adhesive caulk (#M 5200 or BoatLife). In any event, I would have roughened up the plastic with a coarse (60 grit) paper and then wiped with acetone beforehand.


I used my usual seat-of-the-pants/ trial-and-error "engineering". The actual "species" of this particular plastic is unknown to me. But, it has no "greasy" nor slippery feel like many polyethylene types. So, as with epoxy on Herter's and E. Allen decoys, I appear to have (evidently) good adhesion.


I definitely coated the showing portions of the tail insert with epoxy + sawdust and the adhesion seems fine even when flexing the sprig.


BTW: The Materials Science Division here at Pencil Brook Industries is busy developing a new "plastic snow" for use in camouflaging late-season hunts.....


View attachment Plastic Snow 04.JPG





All the best,


SJS

 
There is an epoxy formulation that is supposed to be plastic adhesion specific. My only issue is that it smells horrible, for me, inducing immediate nausea. The heavy grit, acetone wash is something I haven't tried for poly-ethylene adhesion attempts. Thanks!
 
My workbench is on my February workbench. I am good at piling stuff up even though I can always find what I need but when I can no longer USE my work bench then it is time to do something about it. Soooooo

Before:

i-mpcSBdL-L.jpg


Annnnnd after:

i-WSjZbTR-L.jpg


I still have some stuff to organize but at least I can SEE the top of my work bench now. I will likely make some shelves for the upper left third of my garage. I just didn't have enough wood or brackets this weekend.
 
Gorgeous, Dave!


Next time you see you granddaughter, would you please ask her....


What kind of wood ? (Butternut?)


How big (or small) is it?


All the best,


SJS

 
Steve Sanford said:
Gorgeous, Dave!


Next time you see you granddaughter, would you please ask her....


What kind of wood ? (Butternut?) Walnut, bought this blank several years ago and it kind of got forgotten. Decided to do something with it. Spur of the moment whim and my granddaughter seemed pleased. She couldn't understand what item of hers, she might have left at my home. (I lied) Once she saw the bowl she agreed, it most certainly was "hers".
How big (or small) is it? Just a small one, about 4 inch by 4 inch. I have an old Sears Craftsman lathe with a face plate, no chuck or bowl rest. It is only a 3/4 inch headstock and lacks the rigidity to do much larger work. I'd like to upgrade to a nicer lathe, add a few tools and a couple chucks.


All the best,


SJS
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Dave,

That is a mighty fine work of craftsmanship.

Really like the wood grain, and the finish.

Now that is a family heirloom, hopefully inscribed on bottom.


Best regards
Vince
 
All~


Here's another "tailgate shot" - much of my production here at Pencil Brook Decoy Infirmary of late ....all except one are rehabs of existing decoys. - from several makers.


[CLICK any image to enlarge}



View attachment Work Bench - 24 February 2020.JPG



This batch of Cans was fun.


Counterclockwise from 10:00 o'clock:


- Herter's Model 72 - Suc-Duc subspecies

- Wildfowler Superior Model - Balsa-body
- maker unknown - Balsa body - which I re-shaped in section
- LL Bean Coastal
- Jim Caramore - Drake
- Jim Caramore Hen




View attachment Canvasbacks - 5 Drakes and 1 Hen.JPG



I re-painted all but the Beans - which was mostly original (except the Black areas had been re-painted previously).


Here is the "maker unknown" bird - BEFORE (the current owner lives in The Golden State):



View attachment E Henry balsa Can - BEFORE oblique.JPG



Here he is AFTER:


View attachment IMG_1867.JPG



This Herter's Model Superior Canada Goose (1950s) has been re-painted as a Brant. Actually, I first painted it as a Brant in the late 1960s - then again in the late-80s - then now for a friend. I could not bring myself to whittle down the original bill to make it more Brant-like.


View attachment Herters Model Superior Balsa Goose - painted as Brant - Joe Wiemann.JPG



Joe Daly gave me this Herter's Model Canada - an over-size Black Mallard. Joe had gotten it years ago in North Carolina - where someone had shortened the neck and notched under the wingtips. I have two others (unmodified) - one I will keep as a Black Duck and one I will "convert" to a Drake for this Hen.


View attachment Herters Model Canada - Hen Mallard - customized in NC - gift from Joe Daly.JPG



Plenty more in the queue....


All the best,


SJS





 
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