What's on your WORK BENCH ? - May 2020

Glad you can salvage some valuable wood from those piles.
I really hate to see tree service trucks loaded with big old oak, pecan and pine logs heading towards the dump.
 
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The below shelfs are a quick little project for the boys that grew up across the street from me and are now regular hunting partners. They recently purchased the coolest duck cabin on Lake Guntersville, that sits right on Mud Creek WMA, yet most hunters have no idea it is even there. Oddly enough in high school a friend's dad owned it and we'd stay there and hunt right out the back door. Now 35 years later I will get to make more memories there. These pine shelves match the cabin's walls and will go over the windows with hunting decor placed atop. I made a few extra brackets for use in my shop as well.

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Dave

They are in their 30s now. I took Tommy quite a bit about the time he graduated high school. Mikey lives here in Huntsville, while Tommy is in the armed services flying around in rotary wing aircraft. He comes home every hunting season for about a month and we all hunt together. This cabin will only solidify the annual get-togethers. Good times!

Eric
 
Ran out of room on the bench. Patching and painting 35 Restle body decoys and 35 Herters 72?s. Most of the restle blocks were burlapped 10 or more years ago and have held up good except on the tails where the burlap has worn away. The first step was to use titebond and grit on the tails. Some bird?s required more filling work but not too bad. I?d like to know how in the hell I had so many with shot in them. Gave them all fresh paint job. I don?t know why but I only had 5 hens that were bad . I used my go to Benjamin Moore alkyd paint. Good hard wearing paint.
The restle decoys went first. I have the Herters primed and ready .
My work area behind the shop is a mess. My neighbors put up with me.
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Its sealer and paint time for these GE's. Mac asked for a rig of his own as a graduation gift.

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Does anyone have any tips on how to deal with sap pockets in pine?



And I was over to my buddy Mark's place the other day. He rebuilds cedar and canvas canoes.



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YM, regarding sap pickets
A- drill them out and fill, then seal
B-If they are on decoy bodies, leave them be. Perhaps a tad more sealer in that area?
Painting a pair of red shovelers right now. Have not made forever, and now I know why! hehehhheReady to paint heads, then go berserk with all the spots and ticking!
Lawzy, they are really beautiful birds.[w00t][angelic]
 
While researching a decoy i just acquired I referred to "Factory Decoys of Mason, Stevens, Dodge and Peterson" by John and Shirley De[ph. Inside the front cover I found a printed sheet that I must have put there from a decoy carving contest in 1986. It shows that S J Sanford got a third place ribbon for Gunning Mallard. I had the good fortune to get an HM for Broadbill.


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Good morning, Joe~


Interesting! I wonder if I still have that bird....


In the meantime, here's a few more From the Bench of George Williams....


Bahama Sprig


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Yellow-bill Sprig


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Red Spoonbill


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Here in the Northern Hemisphere, we got about 2 inches of wet snow on Saturday morning....


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The Tree Swallows were a bit baffled.


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....as were the Tulips.


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All the best,


SJS



 
I know I do not have the Broadbill I entered. It was 34 years ago. If you do have it please post a photo.

Joe
 
View attachment IMG_4479[1].MOVI have been straight out for weeks. One of the essential at work, so there daily, holding down the fort while the other 85% are at home thinking about what I could be doing to answer questions they might have!

I have been doing lots of decoys in my off time since the gym and other places are all closed.

These are some Ruddies that are headed to OR when a pr of Mergs are done.



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They were blanks I received from Bob Romstadt, in Ohio. Bob is retired, and busy molding a wide variety of decoy blanks, as well as finishing and selling some himself. These Ruddies are rugged! Cast in 10lb foam. I added the tail inserts, 2 styles for drakes and hens. Here is my self-righting trial:



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Well, maybe on the video?

Anyway, in addition to the Ruddies, I have been making molds. A few years ago, I dabbled in this, making both the body and head molds for the original Herters Coot, the small, Coot specific, flat bottom body and the heads. I have cast dozens of bodies and heads with those molds.



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I have since molded all of the Herters 63 heads, the Canvasback, Mallard, Pintail, and 2 versions of the Diver head.



Recently, someone asked about a canvasback high head, so I started adding to a head to build a new plug.



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I also was looking for a Wood duck head for the Homer Lifesized decoys. IMO, the heads hey offered are all too small for the body, and the body is too tall for most of the smaller species, but I think it is a decent body for the Wood Duck. I worked with John Bourbon to make me a pr of heads, Drake and Hen that were better proportioned, and I molded them for multiple casting.



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Here is the first hen I made with a cast of the head.



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Not sure I am satisfied with the hen head, I think she needs more crest. I will make a hen with the drake head, as decide. Maybe I just use the same head for both going forward. I should have the drake done later this week if I get shop time.

Here is a Hooded Merg headed to OR with the Ruddies.



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In addition to the head molds, I have also made molds of the 63 bodies, Coot, Diver, and Puddler. The mother molds for each are half done. Awaiting my turn with the epoxy again that Brian is busy using on his boat project. I also molded a plug for a guy in PA that is making a monster Scoter rig. His head plug was 6" tall, 8" long, and 3" wide. He received it last week, and has been playing with some taxidermy foam (not dense enough) while his 8lb foam shipps from US Composites.

More to follow.... a special thanks to Steve for the painting schedules! I am working some Mallard drakes currently, and working my own schedule for the Hooded Merg Hen, similar to what I came up with on the Ruddies. Trying to take notes for myself, so I can do it again. I had done a Hen Merg a couple years ago, but did not write anything down, this time I am.


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Good morning, Patrick!

Great find! Although I'm not sure that storing all of your shop tools in your living room will be too convenient......

All the best,

SJS
 
Eric
Yes it?s mahogany ,but has been paint 3 times.

SJS
If it doesn?t warm up soon here, I may have to set up shop in the living room.
Any suggestions on how to approach the subject with Jennifer?
I have quite a few decoys ready for sealer, primer and paint. We have frost every morning, it?s just to cold to dress up the decoys.
 
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