Mottled duck decoy chronology

[Ron Smith]

I am posting this for 2 reasons. So the person on this forum that I am carving it for can watch the progression and also as a prod to keep me working on it to finish in a timely fashion. This is the wood and cork that will soon be a Mottled duck decoy. I will post pictures at the various steps … between getting the airboat ready, getting the jon boat ready, the y-boards ready and getting all the other things ready for season. Grabbing a minute here and there to work on it I should be finishing it in 2 to 3 weeks.

[Randy Clark]

wow thanks ron its so nice of you. ah you dont know me ah come on we met in the marsh that day. oh well hitch said you did great work so i thought it was worth a try. looks good so far.

[Ron Smith]

Ten pound weight on top to keep the cork from rising off the wood as the Gorilla Glue dries.

[Ron Smith]

It was in there.

[Ron Smith]

releasing the head from a block of wood

[Ron Smith]

Removing the wood that does not belong to a decoy head.

[cartermt]

flippin through here is like tellin a story, awesome

[CHRISJ]

Your a very talented man.Its looking very good.

[CUNCRT]

Sweet! Keep The Pics Coming!

[Ron Smith]

...the work continues. Cutting and glueing the tail piece in.

[Pinman]

This is cool!! Makes me want to give it a try.

[Raul G]

Good to see this artistry and craftsmanship in this day and age. Amen.

[Ron Smith]

... I never fired a shot. I think it was because I was in the office and not out on the water. This evening I found a little time for the Florida Mallard. I drill a hole through the neck and up into the head for a 1/4" lag bolt to hold the head on.

[Ron Smith]

...and head the will stay put. I pick up my decoys by the head so I make the neck strong. When this dries and I am ready to get very dirty (the brown cork is messy) I will carve it into the shape of a duck.

[Ron Smith]

A little rasping, kutsall cutting, sanding and the bird begins to emerge.

[Randy Clark]

thats pretty cool ron about how much time do you have into it now? and what is a Kutsall

[backcast]

That's awesome Ron! What size block of wood do you start with for the head?

[Ron Smith]

...that I have about 2 1/2 hours in it at this point. A kutsall is a grinding bit that is made for carving wood. BC , you can see the block of wood I started with in the first picture.

[Raul G]

Ron, I can see a flock of mottleds circling around this one already....

[Ron Smith]

Painting the glass eye, grinding out the eye socket, mixing the Apoxie Sculpt to set the eye and smoothing it out.

[Ron Smith]

Filling in the bolt hole in the bottom of the decoy with 5 minute epoxy and filling in some voids in the cork with Gorilla Glue. For you Raul... a picture of the mottled pair circling my back yard while I worked on the decoy.

[Randy Clark]

thats pretty cool espechially with the mottles pic. hey is that a full wood deke thats beside the one your working on looks like a teal? What kind of wood do you use when your not useing cork. thanks

[Ron Smith]

Yes I also make hollow wood decoys. I use basswood and tubafo wood (also tubasix and tubaeight). The buffy is cork The solid wood decoy you saw in the background is a mottled and it is 6 inches long.

[David B]

Ron,

I am going to have lots of time on my hands. After reading this post, I realized that my father had several rotory flex shaft tools in his work shop. I believe two of them have scalers on the ends.
I have a band saw to use.
Where do you buy your Kutzall tools from? Do you have a suggestion for a substitute if price and/or availability is a factor?

I have several pofessionally drawn patterns. One is a coot and the other a mallard.

Great post, I am enjoying it with wide bright eyes.

David

[Ron Smith]

Dave, call me. Sent you a PM

[Ron Smith]

Some sanding, wood burning and some painting on of the primer and I am done for tonight. The goal is to finish this weekend.

[krimmie]

Ron, thanks for sharing, this has been great...can't wait for the grand finale!

[cartermt]

this has just been to cool to watch, i wish that i had the tools and the craftsmanship to try this out but furniture is where i have to draw the line. but this is just awesome to watch and i cant wait to see the final product

[Randy Clark]

hey ron really want to thank you for this interesting post from the sounds of it many of us would like to give this a try. thanks again. randy

[FLAWaterfowler]

Man this is cool...

Cannot wait to see the finished product? What paints will you be using?

[Ron Smith]

Trying hard to finish in the next 2 days. Randy, I started duck hunting in 1981 and wanted to carve decoys then. I did not carve my first one till 1997. That year I went early season to the hay fields in lake "O" in an airboat that I built, hunting over teal decoys that I carved (with sons that my wife and I made). :)At sunup a wall of teal banked hard to my deeks...I was hooked for life. Don't wait any longer. Give it a try

[Randy Clark]

Trying hard to finish in the next 2 days. Randy, I started duck hunting in 1981 and wanted to carve decoys then. I did not carve my first one till 1997. That year I went early season to the hay fields in lake "O" in an airboat that I built, hunting over teal decoys that I carved (with sons that my wife and I made). :)At sunup a wall of teal banked hard to my deeks...I was hooked for life. Don't wait any longer. Give it a try

thats a pretty neat way to start out; guess if things get a little faster and i get some more side work i'll have to start looking at carving tools thanks again ron

[Ron Smith]

With the painting finished I woodburn my signature, paint the bottom and attach the anchor strap

[Ron Smith]

A simple black duck gunner paint job with a mottled twist and he is ready to go to work.

[David B]

Very Nice!!! I bet he's deadly.

[Randy Clark]

cool looking deke

[mountainref]

Ron you have entirely to much time on your hands...

K. Pinkerton

[CUNCRT]

Nice work Ron!

[Ron Smith]

Who let Kevin on here?

[BlindHog]

Are you taking orders? Only half kidding.

Do you offer a class? How about offering an offseason workshop for UWF members? Heck, I would love to even just have one really nice one even if I was "helped" on it.

[Ron Smith]

Yes...I take orders. Tell me what kind of decoy you want and I will give you a price. I got a new shipment of cork yesterday. I would be more than happy to teach a UWF class after season. If there is enough interest we can set something up.

[Randy Clark]

Yes...I take orders. Tell me what kind of decoy you want and I will give you a price. I got a new shipment of cork yesterday. I would be more than happy to teach a UWF class after season. If there is enough interest we can set something up.

heck that sounds like a great idea. how about a nice drake blue wing teal?

[Raul G]

Thank goodness this artisanry and craftmanship has not disappeared. Mr. Smith is making South Florida duck hunting history.

[BlindHog]

Can you describe the dekes in Post #23 in this thread? Is it a drake hollywood?The painted detail is awesome. Also what is the unpainted one? - must be ringer by profile and eye color.

[David B]

I am guessing a widgeon and an unpainted ringer. Next would be the teal and buffy.

[Ron Smith]

And David wins the prize... a block of cork ...in the mail ...next week. Gabe Ables is the carver of the wigeon. It is a beautiful hollow cedar decoy. I refuse to take it hunting because if someone damaged it I would have to hurt them ...real bad. The naked ringer is a decoy bank for one of my grand kids which of course was painted before delivery

[BlindHog]

Yeah the cinnamon got me thinking of Shoveller which is one of my favs (to see, not eat:icon_tong).

[mountainref]

I am very sneeky....