Decoy carving tips

[duckhuntr21]

Hey guys, I saw an older post that led me to believe alot of you folks have the carving addiction. I am having a problem with my decoys cracking and the paint coming off. I have made some decoys out of pine and cedar and it doesn't seem to matter. They get wet, swell up, and the paint cracks off. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

[mnspearingguider]

There are many different ways to seal the wood before painting. I use Smooth-on. its a 2 part urathane, turns to a hard plastic when cured, depending on which one you buy, it sets up in just a couple minutes. Spendy, if you only make a few decoys I wouldn't recomend it, but it is like water when mixed, soaks into the wood very nicely, then sets up. There are many different ways to prep the wood, some of the old timers soaked them in oil, Kerosene, and a few guys carved decoys out of treated lumber. A cheaper way is using 2 ton epoxy, give you some good working time, can use rubber gloves to smear it on, and hit it lightly with a butane torch to smooth it out, but you can bubble it if you put to much heat on it.

[pikestabber]

Agreed, Smooth On or Smooth Cast is best, but sealing before and after painting with an appropriate clear sealer will take care of the problem, too. What I do, and I use acrylic-based paints, so bear that in mind, is after my decoy is sanded, weighted, etc., and ready for paint, I seal it with a minimum of two light coats (allowing drying time between) of clear acrylic spray (Krylon is fine, but I prefer Rustoleum in the crystal clear finish). I then prime all decoys with white acrylic spray, then I paint them however I like them, then I finish with three coats of the clear acyclic spray. Again, LIGHT coats and dry time in between. It may be more time consuming, but nothing is worse than not taking the extra 1/2 hour of sealing and ending up with hours of decoy making that results in a cracked and failing decoy. Smooth On is worth the money at $22-$30 as it ages so much better for years of use, but for $3.00, you can at least get the job done and avoid the heartache of a "one and done" scenario with swelling wood. When in doubt, use another light coat!

[Laska]

I use the clear coat that stabber uses, except I use 4 to 5 heavy coats at the end allowing dry time in the middle of each coat, I love the stuff, its hard, and leaves a awsome clear glass like finish, I won't use anything else, wood to me won't crack unless it§ exposed, with that said make darn sure moisture doesn't get to your carving. So total I use between 6 n 7 coats of clear coat enamel, none of my deaks have cracked and I use both cedar and pine, and treated pine aswell mainly reg pine hope this helps

[pikestabber]

Laska, I will have to try another coat or two, or perhaps heavier coats, to get that nice sheen you talk about. The more the merrier with clear coat, I say

[shamalex72]

Most of the time I use boiled linseed oil mixed with mineral spirits at 50/50, just brush it on and let it dry. I have had pretty good luck using that.

Spearingguide or pikestabber, whats the best way to use smooth cast? I tried it one time and had such a mess that I havn't used it again.

[pikestabber]

Spearingguide or pikestabber, whats the best way to use smooth cast? I tried it one time and had such a mess that I havn't used it again.

I will give you step by step directions as given to me by a master carver:

Using latex gloves, mix a teaspoon of part A with a teaspoon of part B in a small plastic portion cup with a wooden stir stick. The urathane liquid starts to turn into a white plastic in about 1.5 - 3 minutes depending on how warm your shop is. (The warmer it is, the faster the set-up. If it's cool in your workspace it sets slower). Using a piece of paper towel, work "fast" applying the urathane to the entire decoy body and making sure to squeeze the liquid into the fins slots and around the line tie. Wipe off any any drips or runs. When you notice the urathane getting warmer be ready to quit. When you see the urathane in the cup start to turn white, stop! It's important that you check for runs and drips again. Let that batch set up, mix a new one and pour this mixture into the lead cavity while it is fresh. This will ensure that the sealer gets in and around the poured lead. When the urathane is starting to set up, drizzle the urathane back and forth over the lead cavity building it up so it protrudes above the wood. Hold the decoy until the urathane sets up. You can then sand the overfill right down to the wood body. (I like this because you can't see the lead cavity when it primed and painted). It takes a bit to get used to it, but once you figure it out, it's awesome.

[shamalex72]

Thanks pikestabber.

What if the urathane sets up before the whole decoy is coverd? Can you mix another batch and start where you left off, or is it best that you finish on the firt batch.

I will have to try it again.

[duckhuntr21]

Is it hard to find smooth cast or can you get it about anywhere? Do you have any problems with the clearcoat cracking when you move or adjust the fins on the fish? This is where all of my decoys were cracking at.

[pikestabber]

I would strongly suggest trying to cover it all in one shot--I guess I cannot say that I have tried to apply over top of an existing coat... Laska, any thoughts on this? Ever tried coating in more than one take, or coating over top of existing coats?

As far as getting Smooth Cast 300, I have never seen it locally here (northern part of MN), and so I have to order it, but I would guess a craft shop may have it?

I would recommend applying it to a plain block of wood first to get the hang of how it applies and how quick it sets so that you are familiar with how fast you will need to work. Experiment with coating half, then the rest, etc. They do make Smooth-On Smooth Cast 325 which I believe sets after several minutes, but I have never tried it.

Hope that helps.

[pikestabber]

Is it hard to find smooth cast or can you get it about anywhere? Do you have any problems with the clearcoat cracking when you move or adjust the fins on the fish? This is where all of my decoys were cracking at.

I carve mostly fixed tails, so I do not have the cracking problem... Richard Blick online is the cheapest place I have found to order Smooth Cast 300.

[pikestabber]

Wow...these auto-edits are killing me! It is not "Richard" Blick, but I am guessing by plugging in the common nickname for Richard you can figure it out!