Good morning, All~
I am multi-tasking about 10 different orders right now - mostly gunner rehabs. This batch includes" Beans, McCormicks, Herters, Wildfowlers (Old Saybrook and Quogue), Ken Harris, Down East Sport Craft.
These are old Herter's Model 81s. They began life as Brant in the late 1960s. I replaced the factory heads with my own Pine Canada heads in the early 80s - and hunted them for many seasons, both on saltwater and on rivers hereabouts. I am rehabbing them for a customer. They have new plywood tail inserts (longer than the originals - which I think helps overall proportions); epoxy + Homer Coat skin; and will get flat keels (Mahogany with lead ballast). The original molded-in cast iron keels rusted and flaked from the salt; some had almost broken free of their foam surroundings. Prime coat is flat oil; topcoat will be Behr latex house paint.
This pair of Ken Harris (central New York State) Whistlers needed rhinoplasty. The Drake just needed everything glued back together; the Hen needed a new prosthesis.
New paint was restricted to the bills and heads.
This head is a bit of a whim. It is carved from an Al McCormick pattern (his No. 8). We will have a small tribute to Mr. Decoy at the March 7 Long Island Decoy Collectors Annual Show. As did Al, I began with Western Red Cedar.
I will be finishing it "bright" - probably with several coats of varnish after I sand it to a fare-thee-well. Instead of paint, I will suggest some of the details with burning.
More on the "Al McCormick Tribute Head" in a separate (later) post.
All the best,
SJS
Steven Jay Sanford
Pencil Brook Farm
South Cambridge, NY
http://www.stevenjaysanford.com
I am multi-tasking about 10 different orders right now - mostly gunner rehabs. This batch includes" Beans, McCormicks, Herters, Wildfowlers (Old Saybrook and Quogue), Ken Harris, Down East Sport Craft.
These are old Herter's Model 81s. They began life as Brant in the late 1960s. I replaced the factory heads with my own Pine Canada heads in the early 80s - and hunted them for many seasons, both on saltwater and on rivers hereabouts. I am rehabbing them for a customer. They have new plywood tail inserts (longer than the originals - which I think helps overall proportions); epoxy + Homer Coat skin; and will get flat keels (Mahogany with lead ballast). The original molded-in cast iron keels rusted and flaked from the salt; some had almost broken free of their foam surroundings. Prime coat is flat oil; topcoat will be Behr latex house paint.
This pair of Ken Harris (central New York State) Whistlers needed rhinoplasty. The Drake just needed everything glued back together; the Hen needed a new prosthesis.
New paint was restricted to the bills and heads.
This head is a bit of a whim. It is carved from an Al McCormick pattern (his No. 8). We will have a small tribute to Mr. Decoy at the March 7 Long Island Decoy Collectors Annual Show. As did Al, I began with Western Red Cedar.
I will be finishing it "bright" - probably with several coats of varnish after I sand it to a fare-thee-well. Instead of paint, I will suggest some of the details with burning.
More on the "Al McCormick Tribute Head" in a separate (later) post.
All the best,
SJS
Steven Jay Sanford
Pencil Brook Farm
South Cambridge, NY
http://www.stevenjaysanford.com