6 Canvasback decoys

6 gunning style decoys ready for eyes and paint. Decided to spend more time carving this winter and less chasing fur.

Wow, very nice!

Man, those look great. Can't wait to see them when you're finished

Wow! Yes, looking forward to finished pics

Nice

Very nice! Do you sell them?

What wood are you using?

Glued up pine, it's sappy and I used typhoon style carbide burrs that don't load up. I would use tupelo for anything I wanted to detail or basswood but carving wood is getting so expensive compared to the old days.
I am going to paint them with oils and that will be a first for me because I have always used acrylics. The oils have a real matte finish and birds look really soft when painted with them and they allow blending a little better, so we will see.
Glad you all like them so far.

Those look great. I am planning to try to carve one out of laminated layers of rigid insulation foam this winter...it it turns out one tenth as well as those I'll be very happy

No, I am going to give some away for Christmas and put a couple at our lake place.

Sir, those are absolutely beautiful! Not sure what you do for a living, but I know what you should be doing, lol. You could make a mint selling those.

Nice!

Cool, you can cover them with a layer of burlap and then put a thick base coat to seal it and smooth it out for your paint. They are way less fragile that way. You can google how to do the burlap thing.

Thanks, I am retired and just playing!!

Well if you ever decide to sell, hit me up. Those would make great gifts to some big time duck hunters I know. Plus I’d want one on my mantle as well.

Incredible!!!! Can’t wait to see them finished!!

Dang nice man!

Thank you

Wow, those look good. Can’t wait to see the finished product

Nice blocks!

Watching

I have a cousin it can sit by.

Peche is hiding where I am using him on a collecting trip

Flipper 56, very nice job!

Flipper-You certainly have some talent, and that's from an old duck hunter and decoy collector.

Nicely done!

Moosetrot

I'd love to see the finished product when done.

Thanks

Flipper 56. Basswood I’d almost worthless here.

Beautiful Work

Wow, those are perfect! Are each of those carved "free hand?" May I ask, are those hollow? I've carved a half-dozen or so, but nothing as amazing as those!

Amazing work. Those are very nice looking. I will be following this for sure. Can't wait to see the painted product.

Kiln dried basswood in thick chunks is way more than it used to be.

The center piece of wood has the center cut out making a hollow body. My fist ducks were pretty scary looking but I have hundreds of hours of practice. Not much to the body shape on these. I was not planning on these floating, just going for the working decoy look. I do always try and put some detail in the bills to add some character and always use good quality glass eyes.
I do think it would be fun to carve some cork bodied real working mallards and a black and shoot over them.

Great work. They already have that distinct Can look , even without paint! Heads look amazing. I’ll be looking forward to finished pics

John

The horizontal lamination made me think it might be hollow. A couple of the ones I did had similar lamination/center cut techniques. I was trying to do something similar to MN's John Tax and other carvers. I've wanted to do the same thing in terms of making some working cork decoys, too. I have a couple boxes of black cork I've been holding onto for 20+ years for just such a goal. If you were going to do a cork body decoy, based on your knowledge, would you laminate the base of the decoy body to a 1 inch piece of pine for added durability/support? Or, how would you do it?

they are nice, if you want any basswood let me know

Very nice Flipper

You have a talent for sure, very nice

Looking forward to the end products

That is insanely accurate to the characteristics of a can, even without paint. Very good job sir

DavidInMT

I am an old duck hunter that carved some decoys for decoration or to donate to a ducks Unlimited event or to give to friends. Most of my many hours spent carving was on realistic fish. This Queen Triggerfish and reef is 28 inches tall and was for the open division, single saltwater for a world show.

I don't know the best way to do working cork bodies and need to do some research before I do some. But it would make a great picture, some nice greenheads laying beside some decoys you made.
Keep learning new stuff and have fun.

Very nice! Please post pics again when you get them painted up too. Way back when I was in college, I carved 6 decoys out of OLD, as in 100+ year old, clear pine and sold them to help pay for tuition. They weren't terrible, but they didn't look as good as yours do. Great work.

I've worked with gunstocks and cabinetry for most of my life, but never tried decoys. My hat is off to you as those are perfectly carved cans.

For many years I hunted with a buddy on Christmas and New Years morning in a great spot for mallards. He had 6 or 8 carved mallards he would put in the spread that were carved by a guy in northern CA. Always a pleasure.

And in a big wind, they defintely work better than plastic decoys.

Good luck.

Pete

Update on the decoys, eyes installed, primed and ready to mop the paint on. One hen and 5 drakes. My fur shed looks like a decoy paint shop.

Wow, coming along great!!!!

Look forward to seeing the finished project,very nice so far your talented.Do you do any other ducks Pintail,Wood Duck,Black Duck?

For your veiwing pleasure: These 4 are carved out of cork by long gone Susquehanna waterfowlers that made their own. Both of them took me in there sneakboats when I was a kid in late 60's. They have keels and weights and nameplates on bottom of them.

Very nice I tried doing some that when was younger but didn't have the patience.
Those are cool. Like others have said please post after painting.

Mac

I have done lots of Wood ducks, pintails and other ducks, none were working decoys.
Here is a green winged Teal with all the feather detail.


Here are the cans with 2 base coats on the heads and the wing tips drawn on with pencil for me to paint tomorrow. I will us a comb on the backs when I put the white on to make the virmiculation.

Good thread. Do you hit them with a clear mat finish after painting?

Pintail

Until now I painted with acrylics and I used matte paint and then I put a coat of Testers dull coat on them and it was lacquer. I am using oil base paints on the cans and I like the slower dry time for when it's time for blending. I got some Krylon flat clear that says to use mineral spirits for clean up so I think I will try that. I tried some on a business card that I put some paint on and it didn't attack the paint, so it should work.
I will do another bigger test before I hose down the ducks with it. I don't want any shine but they might be easier to dust off for people with a clear coat. It seems to add depth to the feather work even though it's flat.

Nice,any sea ducks?

I too hand paint resin model horses all with Acrylic , from primer to matte clear coat . Only use high gloss for eyes, nostrils, and hooves.

Fun, isn't it ?

Your fish and birds are works of art. Very well done in talent .

Very nice work.
Do you attend the carver’s program in Ohio?

I have always been fond of Mason decoys. Haven’t bought any in a decade.
Maybe the last hunt before I check out I’ll hunt over them.

Thanks Rick, no sea ducks yet but I would like to do a Harlequin.

Thank you Sharon.

Thanks Willy, never gone to Ohio for anything carving related.

Harlequin,Long tail Old Squaw King Eider would look really nice with your talent.

Just Awesome

Thank you Scott

Well after 13 hours of painting yesterday they are almost ready for Christmas, I usually finish 20 minutes before! Ha! I will put a flat clear coat on after they dry a bit more.

World Class

Those lo0ok amazing. Superb craftsnamship.

Looks great

Nice! I really like the detail, esp on the hen

Thank you Gentlemen for your kind words, first time painting by hand with oils verses acrylics and an airbrush. I struggled a lot and was so wound up at 11:30 last night when I came inside I stayed up for an hour and still couldn't sleep. Wondering what I could do to make them better or when is enough, drives me crazy. So , if you guys like them, I am putting the clear on!!

They look fantastic,complement coming from a 4th generation waterfowler

Very nice flipper.....a man has got to have hobbies !

Outstanding! That is from an avid Upper Mississippi River water fowler and decoy collector.

Moosetrot

Great work in every way. Never tried it myself, but I love hunting over a few wooden decoys.

Pete

Truly amazing talent on display there Flipper!

Incredible!

They r way too nice to put in the Susquehanna and get banged up and river gunk all over them. Very nice Flipper56.

Is 56 the yr u were born?.

Incredible talent.

Thank you all for the complements, I am going to put the clear on it the morning, hope it works and gives them some depth and doesn't create a shine. I am sure it will make them tougher on the finish. I will post a pic when they are done.

Those are beautiful! They ae my favorite duck. Fantastic work.

I’d put them on a shelf next to a pair of Madison Mitchell’s in a heartbeat. Outstanding work, something you should be proud of.

John

Well I put the flat clear on them today and I think it added depth to the paint to show layers better. Think I am done with them.

Truly beautiful works of art.

Very nice art. Having no talent myself, it is amazing to see the final product. How much time do you estimate to do a decoy?

Thanks again!

Ringneck, I waste a lot of time on stuff like this. I noticed my hands are starting to get arthritis pretty bad and my airbrushing skills might be on a speedy decline. Wanted to try painting ducks with oils and brushes so when I get really old I can maybe keep at it longer. I also needed some Christmas gifts so it was a win, win. I was doing the 5 drakes at the same time like an assembly line and I would learn something on duck 4 or 5 and go back and redo the first ones.

Excellence thread, excellent work, thanks Flipper!

Flipper 56, great paint job! Awesome job all the way around!

Nice !!!!!!!!!!

Jeff, those are outstanding! You have unbelievable talent.

Zim

X100 Excellent.....

Bet anything that your friends will show them off to everybody that comes to their house. They won't talk about how nice they look as much as how nice you were to give them as Christmas gifts. That means a lot and you should be proud

Fantastic!

Thank you all again for your complements. Yes born in 56, same as Nessie!!