Demonstration: Pop the Cork, Part One

PART ONE: CARVING

On some of my decoys, I use both acrylic and oil paints. This combination method could serve as a gateway for carvers who would like to try oils. To demonstrate it, I will make a simple mallard gunning decoy out of cork and paint it using my technique. I’ll do all the carving in part one; part two will show the painting process using acrylics as the base and oils as the finish. I hope you will be able to see in part one how simple it is to construct a working decoy using cork and how carving with cork can help you practice carving bird anatomy.

There are many articles, how-to books, and online videos on this subject—several of which I highly recommend. I’ve learned all of the things that I do to construct a decoy from those sources, as well as talking with fellow carvers at the carving shows over the years. Do what works best for you in your carving. There is no right or wrong way, but maybe you will be able to pick up something from this.

I like using cork to make decoys but do not like the dust and mess it creates, so I do all the rough-out process outside. The best part is that it is a fast and easy way to sculpt out a body, and I have found it’s a really great way to learn the shapes and anatomy of a duck. Cork is also a good material for practice carvings that can be used as reference when carving the “real” one out of wood. Always remember to wear a dust respirator when power carving.

Materials & Tools

• High-speed and micro grinder (not pictured)
• Hand drill
• Forstner bit
• Rulers, square, calipers, surface gauges
• Nose-, cylinder-, and cone-shaped 1/4″ carving burrs
• Carving knife
• Study bill
• Two dowels
• Cork and tupelo block
• Titebond waterproof glue
• 5-minute epoxy
• Deck screws
• Wood for a keel
• TUF-Carv or Apoxie Sculpt

1. I will be carving a very simple, straightforward drake mallard gunning decoy for the purpose of this article. I draw up a simple pattern using field notes, pictures, and study skins—and I like to use Bruce Burk, Keith Mueller, and Pat Godin’s pattern books as well. They are excellent references for information and measurements if you don’t have a mount or study skin, and they are good sources for top and side views and head reference. Once the pattern is drawn, I cut out a top and side view to use on the block of cork. I will cut a profile of the head out of the piece of tupelo. Hard stock paper or old file folders work great for patterns.

2. This decoy will be a full-body cork decoy. No bottom board will be used. I will insert two dowels into the body to attach the keel. I will not hollow this decoy. Once the body and head are cut out, I will reestablish the center line and start putting on all the important measurements from my pattern.

3. We’ll start with the head. I cut the bill using a template made from a study bill, making sure the cut ends where the cheek meets the bill. It’s important to mark that area and not cut too far into the face when cutting out the bill. After the wood from the cheek and back of the head is removed, I draw in the eye channel using the reference of the pilot hole marked from the pattern before I cut out the profile.

4. I mark the culmen area and cut out a V notch using measurements from a study bill.

5. Next, I mark the area where the cheek meets the bill.

6. Work begins on the top half of the head, starting with the eye channel. I take it back and grind it out using the nose-shaped burr.

7. I carefully check the width of the eye channel with calipers as it is shaped. If you do not have your own reference for the width, Godin’s pattern book is a very good source. Once this is established, the rounding of the crown of the head is done.

8. Next, I use the knife to cut the culmen and the side of the bill down to the bottom of the lower mandible, where it meets the face. I clean this up using a micro grinder. Again, I use the reference of my study bills.

9. I draw in the upper mandible and then relieve the cut from the lower mandible using a knife and the study bill as my reference.

10. Work now moves to the body. I establish all measuring points, starting with the cape. I place a square at the breast and use it to mark the end of the cape. From that point, the front of the cape can be established.

11. I draw in side pockets starting at the front of the scapular using the mark for the start of the cape and moving back to where I made the side-pocket cut when cutting out the top view.

12. I draw in the tail using a surface gauge to get the height and mark the neck location.

13. I trace the waterline around the block using a surface gauge. I’ll use this as a guide when the rounding is done.

14. I draw in the location of the primary feathers. Since this is a simple gunning decoy, there will be no raised, crossed primaries—just a simple simulation of primaries with a raised area above the tail and no fragile parts.

 

15. I cut out the side-pocket area on both sides and below the tail using a cylinder burr. Be sure to cut at a 90-degree angle.

16. I now cut out the area below the waterline, sculpting up to the waterline, down to the bottom of the decoy, and around the tail.

17. Now, I switch to a tapered burr and start shaping the side pockets, shaping down to the waterline and up the scapular area of the body.

18. I draw flow lines on the area to get a better image of the shape. Drawing the flow lines helps me check to make sure the decoy is being rounded correctly.

19. With the upper area rounded, now round the scapular and shoulder area up from the side pocket to a center line on the scapular area and down to the center line of the decoy.

20. The tertials and primaries are now sculpted. The primary area is carved with a slightly raised bobtail look.

21. Now that the body is shaped, I draw on the feather-group areas and check for symmetry all around the decoy. This is very important to make sure everything is lined up and symmetrical.

22. I establish the screw hole for the head attachment with a drill press. The bottom is drilled out large enough to insert a deck screw with a washer. I like to keep about an inch of cork in between where the washer meets the cork and where it screws into the head. Some carvers will use a dowel to attach the head, but I feel this will be strong enough since it is a fairly low head and epoxy will be applied.

23. I insert two dowels into the body using Titebond waterproof glue. The keel will be attached to these with screws for better strength.

24. I like to grind out troughs on the bottom surface of the head and on the neck area of the body where the two pieces will meet. At this point, with the head shaped and carved, I attach it to the body using five-minute epoxy.

25. After the epoxy has set, I reinforce the head from the bottom with a deck screw, making sure a washer is used to keep the screw head from going too deep into the cork.

26. I temporarily attach a weighted keel to check the flotation.

27. I reestablish the waterline and check all around it while the decoy is floated. Since the decoy has not been sealed, I use a plastic bag to keep it dry. Sometimes, you get lucky and everything checks out. No adjustments need to be made.

28. Now, I’ll set the eyes. I remove the keel so the decoy will sit on a flat, level surface. I check the distance from the culmen to the center of the eye, where I drilled a pilot hole for reference from the original cutout. Sometimes, that hole moves a bit when carving in the bill, so it is always good to check the distance on both sides as well as looking down from the top to make sure both eyes line up and one is not too far forward or back from the other. When judging, I notice this measurement is off on some of the decoys of novice or intermediate carvers. This is a critical area to get right, unless the decoy is only going to be used to hunt over and not for competition. I like to use Apoxie Sculpt to set the eyes.

29. I use a surface gauge to get the height lined up on both sides, using the pupil as a guide. This is the reason I like to wait to insert the eyes until I have the head leveled and attached to the body.

30. Finally, I check the width and adjust if needed, looking straight on and down from the top of the head. I use calipers and a ruler with the width distance on the center line.

31. I use TUF-Carv around the neck area if needed as well as around the eyes. Some carvers will also use Apoxie Sculpt, which works great too. After it dries, it will be sanded.

32. The decoy is now complete. A final sanding of the head and body is needed before sealing. Since it is a working decoy, the bill will not be detailed. I hope you picked up something with this easy way to carve up a cork decoy to use out in the field. The fun part is to come with the painting in part two! Stay tuned.