What's on your WORK BENCH ? - February 2020

Thanks, Steve. Gender shall be as the gentleman in Michigan requested. Will send you shot when that part is out of the way.[;)]
 
Steve, WOW!

I knew you were the right guy to restore that mallard for me! He will rest proudly alongside his Old Saybrook brethren Pintail and Wigeon drakes on my shelf, but maybe I'll take him down to old saybrook next december to see to show him his home town and see if he has one more hunt left in him!

I'll shoot you an email shortly.

Thanks, Bill
 
All~


I just picked up an assortment of decoys from an old Long Island friend - whom I just discovered now lives about 20 minutes away. He wanted me to find new homes for them.


This pair of Canvasbacks was made by Jim Caramore - another old LI friend - in the 1980s. They now sport new Sanford clothing.....


View attachment Jim Caramore Canvasback pair - on bench Fed 2020.jpg



Jim worked with Al McCormick (Mr. Decoy). Al made just a handful of Cans. Jim made these with a tail more like Al's Black Ducks - elevated and with an insert - whereas Al's Cans had fully-supported tails - like his Broadbill. But, these have McCormick-style flat keels and keel weights from Al's molds.


View attachment Caramore Canvasback 02 - hen bottom.JPG



I put my stippling brushes to work - to try to get that "canvas-like" effect on their backs. Here's the Drake.


View attachment Jim Caramore Canvasback Drake - back details.jpg



Here's the Hen's canvas back.....


View attachment Jim Caramore Canvasback Hen - back details.jpg



Gorgeous profile! The bill's are polished with Satin Spar Varnish - as has become my custom.



View attachment Jim Caramore Canvasback Hen - head.jpg



Ready for their journey to Hauppauge next month. - just as soon as I re-install their keel ballast.



View attachment Jim Caramore Canvasback pair - on hearth - Feb 2020.JPG



All the best,


SJS











 
Good morning, All~


Finally finished the Down East Sportcraft Black Duck - that needed both rhinoplasty and a new winter coat.


[Al Hansen and others - be sure to CLICK on images to enlarge!]



View attachment DESC 01 - BEFORE profile CROPPED.JPG



All done.


View attachment Down East - Black Duck done 11 Feb 2020.JPG



I love the head carving - amazing for its time: 1946 - 1950. Thus far, the new bill-head seam remains invisible. Time will tell.



View attachment Down East Black - head oblique 2.jpg



Some wing details.


View attachment Down East Black - wing detail 2.JPG



As much as I like this bird, he must draw a lot of water. The body is solid - either White Pine or Northern White Cedar, I believe - so I imagine about half the hull would be below the waterline. Would sure look nice on any shelf, though!



View attachment Down East Black - on hearth.JPG





All the best,


SJS


 
Doctor, that was a really super rebuild! I am curious though, why the white edging on the speculum? I keep reading that as a hybrid. At least the blacks here that were not messing with mallards never had that on the spec.
Again, nice job on the rhinoplasty![;)]
 
On his recent visit to Long Island , Steve paid me a visit....while talking about the upcoming decoy show and the tribute to Al McCormick .....we went into the back room of my shop to look at some McCormick brant....Steve spotted this broken bill black duck.....he immediately identified the maker and shared the history....it was headed for my $10 basket....now I could never sell it or put a price tag on it....his friendship is priceless.
 
[size 4] I started another tableau piece last month that is very involved and will be done as a collaboration with my daughter-in-law who is a terrific flat-work artist. Will probably keep this one under wraps 'til it is further down the road.
Here are some of the "body parts" involved:



View attachment IMGP3823.JPG


View attachment IMGP3854.JPG

Meanwhile, I've continued to work on & off on some of the cork gunning birds I started as a break from the work on the tableau:


View attachment IMGP3891 (2).JPG

But speaking of fine flatwork artists, I have to post these pictures of a terrific original received last week from Vince Pagliaroli. This will definitely be hung in a place of honor here at the house. By the way, you may remember Vince posting a picture of the back of a wooden wine crate not too long ago (January?). This is the painting he did on the other side.



View attachment IMGP3903 (2).JPG

And here a close-up of the brush work on the head. Awesome.... and thank you, Vince !!



View attachment IMGP3894 (2).JPG
 
Great job on that black duck bill rehab. I couldn,t even spot a seam in your pics. You would have made the original carver proud.
 
Sheesh, they were even hybridizing back then! HEHHEHE Next fall, I shall be diligent with observations in hand.[blush]
 
[size 4] Locking in the heads & tailboards with 1/2" dowel rod. Also finished up another cork 'drop-wing' bird.

Almost time to apply sealer. A new can of Val-Oil from storage will be in order to start the New Year [sly]
View attachment IMGP3912 (3).JPG

I didn't like the head angle of the head in the decoy in the foreground initially, so I added a 'shim' to get it to where it seemed to flow a bit more naturally. The dowel peg goes up into the head through the added stock.
View attachment IMGP3964.JPG
 
Bob, you seam sanding yields the cleanest result I have seen on a decoy. Do you use the Japanese sanding papers that are marketed, or just standard wet-dry domestic papers?
 
RLLigman said:
Bob, your seam sanding yields the cleanest result I have seen on a decoy. Do you use the Japanese sanding papers that are marketed, or just standard wet-dry domestic papers?

Rick,

I get my sanding paper in fabric -backed bulk rolls from Klingspor's woodworking supply. I use their fabric backed shop-rolls (3 or 4" widths), as well as their version of what we used to refer to as "Swiss Gold" sandpaper. It's Called 'Klingspor's Gold', and it's a non-loading Egyptian cloth roll that is very flexible. Both types can be ordered in grits from 80 - 400, but I find their 120 grit to be the best all-around for my purposes. Transition from wood to cork can be tricky, but I find if I focus on letting the paper do the work rather than applying too much pressure, I get an even transition to both surfaces. Using heavy clamp pressure to set the joint before shaping the area ( and driving a dowel ) goes a long way toward getting a nice thin glue seam. I cringe every time I see a decoy with an over-abundance of putty or filler slathered all around that transition area. Those are going to be the ones that have an ugly expansion / contraction split at the neck joint within a very short time.

It's like Larry Barth used to say : " Time wounds all heals!" [;)]
 
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Good morning, Bob~


Gorgeous birds - as usual!


I love your quote from Larry Barth. I, too, avoid filler whenever I can. In my book, it's just for setting eyes. And, the transition from the head onto the body is my favorite part to carve.


I'll be looking at Klingspor's website shortly.


Here is more progress From the Bench of George Williams....


View attachment GWilliams - Mallard Pair 1.jpg



Bird's eye view.....



View attachment GWilliams - Mallard Pair 2.jpg



All the best,


SJS















 
Good morning, All~


Here's a simple job - flown in from the Golden State. It's a factory-stock Herter's Hen Canvasback - of the Suc-Duc variety - which I believe was a 1980s offering. It is the same as the venerable Model 72 - but with no ballast and hollow innards.


I have long admired these Herter's decoys - especially considering that they were first made in the 1950s.



View attachment 1 Herters Suc-Duc Can - BEFORE bottom up.jpg



This bird got a coating of epoxy + sawdust and a new identity as a Drake. I thought I would share my thoughts on how I adapt the Model 72 "generic diver" body to this species.


The main objective is to present the body proportions such that the dark ends are smaller than the mid-body - as compared with the Can's close cousins, the Scaups and Redhead. Herter's did a good job of restricting the dark chest area - pretty much forward of the neck. In my view, the stern section needs to appear smaller.



View attachment 1 Herters Suc-Duc Can - BEFORE A.jpg



Here's the completed Drake.


View attachment 1 Herters Can Drake 02 - FULL.JPG



The Black chest is right where Herter's had sprayed the Brown on the Hen.


View attachment 3 Herters Can Drake 06 - Black on chest.JPG



I have reduced the amount of tail section painted in darker tones. I have also pulled the speculum aft a bit - onto the primary groups.



View attachment 4 Herters Can Drake 07 - Black on stern.JPG



The White-ish sides begin further forward and extend further aft than on the other "pochards" (Scaups, Redhead, Ringneck).



View attachment 2 Herters Can Drake 09 - Mid-section.JPG



I stipple a medium Grey (Behr Intellectual) more heavily on the back and just at the top edge of the sides.


View attachment 5 Herters Can Drake 08 - Back stippling.JPG



On the head, the Black extends from the bill onto the forward part of the face. The "line of demarcation" runs from the gape of the bill, through the eye, onto the top of the head. The Black does NOT extend down the back of the head or neck. The eye gets coated with nail polish and the bill gets Satin Spar Varnish.



View attachment 6 Herters Can Drake 01 - fwd end.JPG



The base color of the head is Behr Moroccan Henna; the highlight is Behr Artisan.


View attachment 7 Herters Can Drake 10 - Head - back paint.JPG



Ready-to-hunt....


View attachment 8 Herters Can Drake 04 - FULL C.JPG



Hope this is helpful,


SJS



 

Fellas,

Thanks so much for the the comments about the watercolors, much appreciated.

Sorry for the delay in my response.

Our "puter" was in the shop for the Windows 10 upgrade, and the guy was jammed with work.

So far I like 10, and I am very tech challenged.

VP
 

Ben,

I guess when ya do something you love for over 50 years, it may look easy and beautiful to some folks.

All it really is, is not giving up, and realizing there are no mistakes, or errors. Just a infinite learning curve.

One day you will do a painting, and be so pleased with it you will sit back and think. Did I Do That?

BINGO!

When ya get to that point, the real challenge begins, with lots of FUN tempered with just the right amount of frustration.[;)]



A few years ago we were at a gallery opening of Thomas Aquinas Daly's paintings.

When we talked I said, the way you paint water is incredible. His very casual reply was 'Ya, it's what I do", as if it were nothing special. He was more interested in talking about fly fishing...



Keep on doing what you and your family are doing cuz that is wonderful, and very impressive. The bond that you are creating is one that may last a lifetime.


If you enjoy reading, get a copy of ART & FEAR by David Bayles & Ted Orland, and a subscription to Artist Magazine. Both are worth the $$.


Thank you for your photos, they made me Smile.[smile]


Best regards
Vince
 
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