My December contribution. While searching for something in my shop, a recent while ago, I came across 2- 2' X 3' sheets of old school black cork. So, to keep with my "waste not, want not" mentality, I decided to carve up a few heads and cut out a few bodies, meant of course, to be hunted over. I LOVE cork. I think the weight to size ratio is perfect, so they ride the water nicely, and I like the old school romanticism of it. The only problem is, this cork is weak. I tend to "baby" these decoys.
As promised, here is my rendition of a pair of Ruddy Ducks. Just slightly over life sized, the black cork with basswood heads, and pine keels and tails. On the high tailed bird, the tail goes all the way thru the cork, (I just cut the decoy in 2, then removed a slice approximately the thickness of the pine tail. I then drilled a 1" hole into the cork, and inserted a 1" dowel with plenty if glue. Then I screwed the keel up into the dowel, and screwed the tail into both the dowel and the keel. After that, I reassembled the rest of the back end if the bird with plenty of glue for all of it.
2 coats of Spar Varnish, a good coat of tinted Kilz primer, and these toy ducks will be ready to paint.
Jon
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