Repairing & Restoring Al McCormick Blacks & Mallards

Steve Sanford

Well-known member
Good morning, All~


On my recent trip to the show in Tuckerton, I stayed with long-time friend Paul Castelli. Being a native Long Islander, Paul had worked with Al McCormick to make many decoys. I had been advising Paul over the summer - and over the telephone - on restoring a bunch of his McCormicks. After visiting his horde/hoard, I came home with 7 birds in need of serious repairs. I have completed 3 of them - 4 more need TBR (Total Bill Replacement surgery) and have not yet gotten my attentions.


Al McCormick was Mr. Decoy on Long Island for many decades. He guided scores (more?) of gunners through the process (Al's process!) of making their own excellent gunning decoys, mostly Black Ducks and Broadbill.


View attachment sm Al McCormick - Grass I - 27 February 2013 -0 8x10.jpg





Here is a "high-head" McCormick Black Duck - in original paint. Al used black cork (the dark brown "refrigerator cork" long available from the now-defunct National Cork Company in Keyport, NJ). The nooks and crannies on the body were filled with a slurry of glue (Weldwood plastic resin glue?) and cork dust. Heads were from red cedar. Tail inserts were Masonite. Both the heads and tail inserts were keyed to lag bolts up through the 1x4 flat keels.


View attachment sm 01 McCormick High-head FULL.JPG



The first of Paul's birds I tackled was a newer one - one of the "humpbacks" made in Al's later years of 5-inch cork. He has resealed the whole bird with Spar Varnish.



View attachment sm CMc 01.JPG



Paul had kept the broken off "lower bill" - so repair with just thickened epoxy was easy. Al seldom put glass eyes in his birds - a bit of paint was used instead. These eyes needed a bit of relocation.



View attachment sm CMc 03.JPG



Two birds were without heads altogether. Paul has a supply of unfinished heads from Al and so selected a high-head...



View attachment sm CMc 07.JPG



... and a tucked head.


View attachment sm CMc 08.JPG

Although Al made a wonderfully durable gunner, one weakness was the grain in the bill. As so often is the case, the heads were sawn out with the bottom of the neck parallel to the grain and the bottom of the lumber. This means that the grain runs generally across the lower portion of the bill - begging for breakage. (Better to lay the head out on the lumber with the grain running parallel to the bill.)


View attachment sm CMc 04.JPG



So - when the time comes - I will notch out the heads as a mortise for all new red cedar bills - set in epoxy and reinforced with a steel (galvanized 10d finishing nail) insert.


View attachment sm CMc 05.JPG

Stay tuned.


SJS








View attachment sm CMc 01.JPG
View attachment sm CMc 02.JPG
 
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All~

I re-carved the head with "eye channels" since eyes would be installed. I also scuff-sanded the Spar Varnish on the body for the later oil primer.

View attachment sm HB 01 sand - recarve head - locate eyes.JPG

I drew in the eye position and then used dividers to measure back from the tip of the bill - equal distances port and starboard.

View attachment sm HB 02 - caliper to transfer.JPG

I set the eyes in a water-soluble wood filler - and left a bit extra to allow for absorption and shrinkage.

View attachment sm HB 05 set eyes.JPG

Once cured, the filler was finished with 150-grit paper and the tip of my knife.

View attachment sm HB 07 filler cleanup.JPG

I re-burned the face-bill demarcation, cleaned up the nostrils and burned in the nail (which Al generally did not do). Also, Al always worked at break-neck speed. As a result, this bill is a bit skinny - especially compared with the nice fat bull-neck.

Finally, notice how you can just barely see the eyes beyond the width of the brow - the proper depth for a relaxed posture.

View attachment sm HB 06 head on view - brow and narrow bill.JPG

Then the head gets a sealing coat of Spar Varnish.

View attachment sm HB 08 spar varnish.JPG

I primed the head with duckboat paint (Pettit Dull Dead Grass) because I prefer to prime with oils AND in a tone that approximates the topcoat - so the inevitable wear will not show a contrasting undercoat. The body is Rustoleum Flat Black.

View attachment sm HB 09 Pettit and Rustoleum prime coats.JPG

I re-bored the hole for the anchor line with this long 5/16-inch drill. I generally prefer 3/8-inch holes for my #72 line - which is about 1/8-inch diameter - but opted for the smaller size because it goes through the 3/4-inch "height" of the flat keel.

View attachment sm HB 04 rebore anchor line hole.JPG

....continued....

SJS

 
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All~

Here is the completed Al McCormick Humpback Black Duck (with Sanford paint...)

View attachment sm HB 11 full bench portrait.JPG

The face and bill. I coat my bills with Spar Varnish for added protection, but....even though I stirred this "satin" varnish thoroughly, it's still a bit too glossy for my liking. A buffing with some fine steel wool may be in order.

View attachment sm HB 12 head and bill.JPG

The pale tertials - which I believe is an important "species recognition key" for other puddle ducks.

View attachment sm HB 13 tertials.JPG

Here's the McCormick-style flat keel - so the bird will still "ride" level when the tide runs out. I do not know if this bird might need a ballast keel to lay properly in a lumpy sea.

View attachment sm HB 14 keel and bottom.JPG

Sea Trials - in a puddle in my driveway.

View attachment sm HB 15 McCormick Humpback on puddle 3 BEST.JPG

Here are some other glass-eye Humpbacks (from last year) - with the usual, correctly-proportioned bill widths.

View attachment sm HB 16 sm 03 McCormick Humpback Mallards.JPG

Stay tuned for a pair of "standard" Mallards.

SJS

 
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All~


Here is a headless "standard" (body from 4-inch cork) Mallard drake. I set the new red cedar head in epoxy thickened with U S Composites' SM Fairing Compound (Cabosil + phenolic microballoons).


View attachment sm MM 01 head and marking.JPG



I re-burned the bill details as I did with the Humpback. No glass eyes needed!



View attachment sm MM 02 bill lines.JPG



Oil primers - mostly flat Rustoleums.


View attachment sm MM 03 oil primers.JPG



Finish paint is my usual Behr latex.


View attachment sm MM 04 full on bench.JPG



Head is a dark bluish-green with a medium green on "highlight areas". For more
"pop" you could put a bit of a bright green on limited areas of cheeks, brow and neck sides.



View attachment sm MM 05 head colors.JPG



I like a bit of detail on the aft end.


View attachment sm MM 06 stern details.JPG



This is a typical keel weight - which allows the bird to still sit upright on wet mud or sand at low tide.


View attachment sm MM 07 bottom and keel.JPG



The re-bored anchor line hole - as on all of the McCormicks.


View attachment sm MM 08 anchor line hole.JPG



His mate is next....and last for awhile....



SJS

















 
All~


Here is the last of the McCormicks for the time being.


This bird got a low head - and shows the filler before curing.



View attachment sm MH 01 filler on pair.JPG



The neck area is sanded...



View attachment sm MH 02 sanded and burned.JPG




...and the bill is re-burned.


View attachment sm MH 03 bill details.JPG



It began as a Black but turned into a Hen Mallard.


View attachment sm MH 04 primed.JPG



Finished - in profile.


View attachment sm MH 05 profile.JPG



Rolled a bit.


View attachment sm MH 06 rolled.JPG



Forward end details.


View attachment sm MH 08 forward end.JPG



Speculum - with 3 hues to make it pop.


View attachment sm MH 09 speculum.JPG



At sea.....



View attachment sm MH 10 McCormick standard Mallard pair on puddle 2.JPG



Cannot decide which portrait I prefer.


View attachment sm MH 11 McCormick standard Mallard pair on puddle 3.JPG



(Shot a young Drake over them the next morning.)


All the best,


SJS

 
Not sure which portrait. I will make it easy for you . The TOP one.
As always nice work.
Duck boat show is coming up soon and Keeping with tradition [sly] I can't decide what you will be riding home with.
A bean brant or McCormick blackduck.
 
I also say the top one. They look magnificent, it is hard to fathom yours and some others talent on this site. I'm truly inspired your work. I have little to no artistic ability in wood or with paints.
After hunting out of my new to me David Clark Estuary, and buying 3 of his beautiful 10 pocket canvas decoy bags, I'll have to buy some cork or wood decoys to hunt over. I'd love to pick up 6 or 8 cork black duck decoys, but might be too rich for my blood, or I'm too cheap. Maybe I'll have to pick up a pair at a time. Anyways, Great job as always. Thanks for sharing.
Mike
 
Good morning, Bill~


Hmmm.....Bean's Brant or McCormick Black????


I have a novel idea: Maybe The Decoy Repairman should decide.


See you soon,


SJS

 
Good morning, Mike~


Thanks for the kind words. And, yes, I'm afraid that once you've been infected with Dave Clark's workmanship you're going to "need" some well-built stool for your rig.


All the best,


SJS

 
Good morning, George~


I suspect Al would think my paint is a bit too fussy - but I always try to honor other carvers' work.


See you at Cedar Beach? (Lots to do in just 2 weeks.....)


SJS

 
What a great job you have done on the restoration of his decoys. Well done, sir. By the way when you got to the mallards I just wanted you to know that I love that paint job on the hens.
Al
 
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