APRIL - What's on your Work Bench ?

Rick - Thanks for the info, especially in regards to your black cork preparation. I have not used Parkers in many years. I do tweak the Ronan and Rust-Oleum. In regards to wooden decoys depending on the wood grain. I apply thin, medium or thick paint. Each carving is a individual. As I have stated I seal all wooden work with Smiths Custom Epoxy Sealer. It bonds very well with the paint that I use, and so far so good.

I prefer a slight sheen on my decoys as they throw less glare than flat paint, that holds water longer, and throws a long distance glare. To get the sheen, I either apply a finish/sealer, or use a piece of linen or canvas on the well cured paint to get the sheen.

It's very educational to read how each carver/maker does their best to make their work stand the test of time.

Thanks to all that are willing to share and instruct.
 
Vince, that's a very interesting point on finish treatment to obtain water repellency and minimize glare. I'll divulge that I am currently spraying my puddle duck bodies with either Camp-dry or Rain-X to hold the water film issue down to a minimum. So far, no issues or impacts on their paint finish. They both adhere well on the flat finish. Another value of making your own decoys!

Rick
 
Rick - Roger that. How often must you reapply the Camp-dry and Rain-X? They both sound like very good ways to solve the problem. I have yet to find a negative for making ones own decoys, but I may be a bit bias...
 
Initially I was concerned about "dog impacts", so I looked into the formulations of the two products.

Rain-X is a mix of isopropyl alcohol and mainly alkyd siloxones with ammonium groups on the short-chain carbon molecule skeletons-behave very much like silicone. From what I recall they adhere to glass better. Camp Dry, in its original formulation is largely silicone, with some siloxones, and the propellant vehicle base. Every late spring I get "recruited" to help Karen wash, repair, and re-waterproof the turn-out blankets for her Morgan mare. Last year I had a heck of a time finding the original formulation of Camp-Dry.All I could find was a Performance formulation locally. Both of these compounds penetrate a flat paint finish (alkyd oil base) well and create a hydrophobic layer, beading-up water. Rain-X is a little cheaper. Camp-Dry(Kiwi Heavy Duty Fabric Protectant) lasts a bit longer, per my observation and bias. Standard silicone is supposed to penetrate the base fabric layer and disrupt water absorption via how the methyl-groups on the carbon chain orient, repelling water droplets while still allowing water vapor passage through the fabric.

I have not sprayed any bird I have painted with Golden's Heavy Mattes or any other acrylic paint. IF fully cured, I assume the results would be the same.

George, I can't speak to the issue of sea ice build-up, which is "softer" than the ice I deal with on decoys here in the interior U.S. What I see most consistently in heavy ice build-up conditions is the accumulation on the head/bill/bill-tip and the tip of the tails. Much of the time these build-up and then fall off of their own accord as the decoys rock, I assume the ice layer adhesion to the body is poor... I don't end-up with little "ice donuts" on my decoys when I pull them.

I have no clue how well either of these compounds would work on decoys with a barrier coat applied over the paint base. My guess would be that the result would be dependent on how well either, or both of them, penetrate and adhere to this layer.

IF your dog likes to lick or mouth your decoys routinely, in the boat or the water, I wouldn't use either. A dog's health and well-being is more important than a couple more ducks at the end of the day.

Sorry, I forgot to mention that I did use the Camp-Dry Performance Formulation spray on to re-coat the blind panels on my TDB-17', after I washed and thoroughly dried them. I never ran into an all-day rain last fall, but they dealt well with any spray while underway...
 
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I wanted to do something a little different so I cut this out the other day. My first songbird. Ive been having a ton of fun with it so it wont be my last.




 
Tom~

Very nice, but....you cannot tease us like this. Song Sparrow? And what is the material? From its greenish hue, I will guess Jade...or Kryptonite.....

All the best,

SJS
 
Oops sorry, it's supposed to be a Goldfinch. Wood is Tupelo. Greenish hue is a product of my poor photography skills.

It's also my first time working with Tupelo. I love it. Waaaay different than the basswood I'm used to.
 
I really like the Can decoy-s ... ... last time I saw Canvasbacks was in Jamaica Bay by JFK Airport. Obviously no hunting zone inside NY City.. Damn birds must have known where the city line was.


Joe
 
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