cleaining and repainting dekes

[gator]

what's the best way that ya'll have found to do this...gonna do it saturday b/c i'm bored to death and trying to find something to do...may even do some yard work just to get outside...justin

[jbeam17]

I'll tell you the easiest thing i have found that gives them shine and is very user friendly. I spray them with that that no touch tire cleaner that comes out in a foam...does great and all you have to do is let it sit and just spray it off, [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

[RedEyed Duck]

I have used Armor All in the past but I agree that tire cleaner does a good job too and there is a lot less sweat!

[swampland]

My Dad and I always used soap and water,
then sprayed them with Pledge or Endust.

[Doc & Nash]

I have found something that last the enitre year,

Clean them well with soap and water then get the clear spray paint from Wally world and give them a good spray over. Pay close attention to the heads of the drakes.

This is basically the same thing as Deke Dr. but alot cheaper.

[GREENHEAD]

be carefull with using tire foam......it can cause your greenhead paint to run!!!!

gh [img]images/smiles/icon_eek.gif[/img]

[Dutch Dog]

I repainted about 2 doz dekes last year. I basically copied the paint scheme that is on a G&H decoy. Most decoys have pretty good feather detail in the molding but aren't painted to match. I took some extra time and painted these areas as well. Be careful of the paint you buy. Some of it is water based and will HAVE to have some sort of a clearcoat sealer on top of the paint to keep it from melting the paint as well as protect it from the beating decoys take when being put in decoy bags or thrown in the bottom of the boat or just whatever. Buy a set of several sizes of brushes so you can paint the larger open areas quicker and can get detailed areas with a little better quality.

[pushpole]

My 2 cents! Be careful on the clear coat. Be sure to use a semi-gloss, otherwise you may need sun glasses if you hunt in the sun light.

[Anatidae]

Heck, just before the season, I pile all my decoys in the bed of my pick-up and go to the nearest car-wash and BLAST all that loose paint and dirt off. [img]images/smiles/icon_eek.gif[/img] ('Works pretty-good on the decoys, too!)

Then I spread'em all out in the front yard to dry in the sun. [img]images/smiles/icon_cool.gif[/img] ('Works best if your grass is a little 'tall'......adds that stenciled-on 'shadowgrass' pattern, if you hunt in grassy areas. [img]images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img]

Next, I walk amongst'em with 3 different colors o' spray paint and just spray at random. I paint some of'em white, some flat black, and others light brown. Then I whoop-out a can of iridescent metallic green and start paintin' heads......'doesn't matter if you put green heads on white bodies, brown bodies, or black ones. 'Resembles that 'hybrid' look that suggests these particular ducks frequently exercise their panmictic tendencies.....which is guaranteed to draw ANY greenhead for MILES!

Then, you wanna make sure you paint some orange bills on green heads and olive bills on brown heads to mirror the paint schemes found on some Flambeau decoys that slipped thru quality control near 'quittin time' on a Friday afternoon. Don't forget to exagerate the white-accented speculums.....the more wing area it covers, the better it shows-up. [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

I even paint one side of some decoys white and the other flat black, so when the birds pass over, it looks like two different ducks. That duck says to himself...("Hmmmm, I coulda sworn there was a white duck down there a second ago.....now there's a black one....maybe the other one dove after some grub and just ain't come-up, yet"). This fools him into thinkin' there are actually TWICE as many ducks down there as he thought, at first glance. [img]images/smiles/icon_rolleyes.gif[/img]

Then I pile'em back in decoy bags while they're still wet, so you end-up with that realistic 'detail' effect.

Great thing about this method is that it takes less than an hour to completely re-paint 8 dozen magnum decoys.

I always take a photo of my 'Jackson Pollock' lawn and submit it to the 'House Beautiful' photo contest for "Yard of the Year". 'Kinda highlights the sculptures that are scattered out around the landscape.....(old refrigerators, milk cans, old trucks and such). Don't worry.....if yer wife goes to gripin', it'll eventually rain, your grass will grow, and the remnants of your classic 'abstract expressionistic' creation will vanish during the next mowing. [img]images/smiles/icon_rolleyes.gif[/img]

Hey 'Justin'......you just thought YOU were bored, huh? [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] ('Sorry.....I just haven't been able to doze-off tonight, for some reason.) [img]images/smiles/icon_razz.gif[/img]

[ July 13, 2002: Message edited by: Anatidae ]

[ July 13, 2002: Message edited by: Anatidae ]

[gator]

whew! anat, i just thought i was bored...i was thinking of taking em down and getting them sand-blasted and starting from scratch since all my dang paint has pretty much come off anyway...oh yeah, and for that sleeping problem, try tylenol pm, benadryl, or if you partake in frosty beverages, a couple of your favorite beers, or a couple shots of whiskey (although) the later could lead to some major heartburn...and if not, some warm milk and some cookies [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

[Anatidae]

Thanks for the 'tips'....Tylenol PM usually does the trick, but my wife took the last two, before SHE went to bed......'slept like a ROCK! [img]images/smiles/icon_razz.gif[/img]

Hey, what I normally do with decoys is buy the best quality I can afford (G&H magnums), and take care of them as best as I can. When the paint wears-off, use'em in your 'big-water' spread and buy some new ones for timber holes and other situations where detail is more critical.

After all, one to two dozen is all you need. If you buy the cheaper quality decoys, you'll have to replace/re-paint them 'bout every 3 years (if you're lucky....and depending on how much you use them). At $40/doz that's 26.66/yr for 2 dozen.

If you go with G&H, figure $90/doz and the paint on mine has lasted 8 years, now (and counting). That's $22.50/year for 2 dozen......and we put'em out/pick'em up every day for and average of 42 days a season for the past 8 years (to give you an idea of the abuse we subject them to). [img]images/smiles/icon_eek.gif[/img]

I don't plan on painting them.....just retire them to the 'big-water' duty, where numbers are more critical than 'detail'. I'll buy 2 dozen 'new' deeks every 8 years, I guess. [img]images/smiles/icon_cool.gif[/img]

Before each season, I wash the dirt-dauber nests off and wipe'em down with 'Armor-all'......brings out the color without that 'glossy' sheen.......'protects and conditions them.

[ July 13, 2002: Message edited by: Anatidae ]

[gator]

preciate it anat, pretty good thoughts...never broke down the figures like that...i was so bored sat. that i cleaned everyone of em...before that, i put em out in a spread and mimicked a hunting situation (w/ loud capgun and duck call in hand) w/ my dog...think the neighbors think i'm crazy...after all that, i realized that i will do it again at least once. for some reason, every few weekends i get an itch for a duck hole that can only be itched during dec. and jan. but it help pass the day [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

[Anatidae]

Man, I thought I was the only 'crazy' that did THAT!......'Course the only folks that come to my house are UPS and the 'meter reader'.......anybody else better have an invitation, or call ahead o' time! [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]