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DecoysCORK HUNTING DECOYS
I custom-make rigs of cork working decoys made from my own plans and designs. I will not pretend that they are for every waterfowler—A hunter might have just as much success with a good rig of plastic decoys. Rather, my customers are traditionalists who value high-quality working decoys hand-fashioned of the same materials that have been used for centuries. My birds will last several lifetimes, are easily maintained, and will retain their value for years to come.
For various customers, I have recently produced a rig of buffleheads (14 birds,) a rig of brant (11 birds,) a small rig of mergansers (6 birds,) a pair of confidence seagulls, and, most recently, a rig of ringnecks (10 birds) for hunting on the freshwater ponds of Cape Cod. I have also produced black ducks, mallards, wood ducks, bluebills (scaup), eiders, whistlers (goldeneye), and geese, and can design and create decoys of any species a customer might require.
Materials: My decoys are hand-made of processed cork, with carved white pine heads and hardwood keels (ash, oak, or maple, depending on availability.) inletted into the cork and doweled into place. Tail inserts are of Masonite, sandwiched and inletted into the cork bodies. Eyes are taxidermy-quality glass. Other than the lead ballast in the keel, there is no exposed metal on my decoys. I use waterproof glue, commercial wood filler (plastic wood,) epoxy, marine spar varnish, and artists’ quality oils to finish my decoys.
Design: A good decoy must first be a good boat. All my decoys are designed to be “beamy” and will ride in a realistic manner. My oversized blacks and mallards are a slight departure from dimensions devised 40 years ago by Charlie Murphy in eastern Massachusetts. The same is true for the brant and geese I make. The oversized plans I use for diving ducks and mergansers have evolved over the years, but have their beginnings in a single body plan originally found in a book by Gene Conett. I make two types of decoys: “Self-righting” and “Carry-weights.” The self-righting birds will have deep keels and enough ballast to make them float properly in all conditions and return to upright when overturned in the water. Carry-weight decoys are of the same construction, but with shallow keels and only enough ballast to insure they float correctly. They will be lighter than self-righting birds, but are by no means “lightweights” in the way Styrofoam decoys are lightweight.
Waterproofing: If they are to last, decoys must be sealed and waterproofed. The wood of the keel and the reinforcing dowels will rot away if left unsealed, and the cork itself will dry out and crumble over time if left exposed. Using decoys for hunting is difficult duty—a maple kitchen set wouldn’t last long if it was thrown in and out of the water a few dozen times every year. To counteract the effects of weather, water and wear, my decoys receive two coats of spar varnish above the waterline and a third coat below.
Paints: It is customary for a decoy company to say they use only the best paint. Ahem. When decoys scrape up against one another in storage or in a carrying sack, the white chalky marks that result are a graphic demonstration that the paint used was NOT the best. The white stuff is filler (usually aluminum stearate or alumina hydrate) that just about all manufactures use to extend their paint. I use only artist’s quality oils by Gamblin (for white, black and earth tones) and by Winsor & Newton (for colors.) Those paints are formulated without the use of additives or fillers. To the best of my knowledge, there are no purer paints manufactured anywhere. My decoys are painted to represent ducks as seen from 50 feet away. That is, I do not (routinely) indicate individual feathers or subtleties of coloration. In designing a pattern to be painted on a decoy, I strive for the dual goals of maximum showiness and ease of re-painting: Showiness involves clean, bright colors to make the decoy effective at long range, and ease of repainting because even the best paint job will need to be re-done every ten years or so.
A comment on wooden decoys: Traditionally, most decoys were made out of wood. I suspect that was not out of preference, but for the same reason everything else was made of wood: it was what people had to work with. It is possible to do elaborate carving on wooden-bodied decoys, and for that reason it is the material of choice for decoys intended for display. On the negative side, wood is so heavy that solid decoys ride unrealistically low in the water. Paint does not adhere to wood (at least, not as well as it does to cork.) Worst of all, wood cracks. I have made wooden decoys for contests and a few for hunting. In every instance, I found it necessary to hollow-out the body in order to permit the decoy to float in the proper manner. Fighting the cracks that occur in use is a never-ending battle with hollow decoys, even when using well-seasoned wood that has been heavily sealed. I don’t care to make wooden decoys for resale.
Terms and conditions. If you wish to order a rig of decoys, we need to discuss your specifics via the telephone and fill out an order form that I’ll supply. Since I do everything by hand, I’ll need a full year’s lead-time. Upon agreeing on your order, I will make a single decoy of the type you desire. That will be a prototype, and will represent the quality of the rest of the rig. You may:
However, upon acceptance of the prototype, I require payment-in-full for the remainder of the rig before proceeding further. Once the prototype is accepted, no changes or returns or refunds will be discussed. I brand my name on the keel of all my decoys. Buyers must agree not to paint-over or otherwise obliterate my maker’s mark.
Costs: As of 2006, my basic charge per bird is $175. Birds that require extra amounts of raw materials (geese, brant, eiders, mergansers) or non-routine painting (hen mallards, drake wood ducks) are proportionally more. I will not ship decoys without proper packaging and insurance, for which the buyer is responsible.
Warranty & Service: My decoys are expected to last 100 years. Admittedly, I don’t expect to be around to be able to enforce the full term of that warranty, but it will be good as long as I am. My decoys will not fall apart anytime soon. There is nothing on my decoys to separate or rust away, and I use several coats of varnish to seal the finished product against rot. Problems of construction simply do not happen. However, if something ever crops up that you feel is the fault of the maker, I will entertain a repair or replacement on a case-by-case basis. In-service wear and damage is NOT a warranty item. After extended use, all decoys need repainting. On occasion, decoys are sometimes damaged by gunshots or other accidents. If you own my decoys, I am always glad to perform maintenance (repainting, re-varnishing) and repairs on them. Terms and shipping can be worked out according to your needs.
This site was last updated 09/20/06 |
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