Making the Labrador Duck
Long time resident of Labrador and good friend Gordon Parsons has often come up with unusual ideas. Along with another good friend Steve Boone, Gordon has explored many secluded and rarely traveled areas of Labrador. Both are avid birdwatchers, excellent photographers and rabid geocachers. Over coffee one day Gordon says" Wouldn't it be neat to have a Labrador Duck decoy to photograph in it's natural habitat" As is often the case coffee seems to bring out the "nut" in us all. We did a little research and I became more and more interested. I have carved many ducks over the years but never a hollow body floater. Google searches found some samples of Labrador Duck carvings. Two got my interest right away. Jason Lucio (jasonlusioart.com) and John Lawrence (johnlawrencedecoys.com) both world champion decoy carvers. Jason produces a traditional style decoy while John's art is more whimsical and unique. I'm far away from the talent of these two, nevertheless I purchased a pattern from stillerpatterns.com, collected some wood and forged ahead.
Not a lot is known about the Labrador Duck. It seems it was never abundant and not considered good table fare. Over hunting likely didn't play a part in it's disappearance but the eggs were large and tasty and harvested in great numbers by the whaling fleet. Also in the 1850's the feather trade was in full swing and the Labrador Duck, a close relative of the Eider, had plenty of down. The Duck's summer range included the rocky islands in the gulf of the St. Lawrence and the Labrador coast. It fed mainly on Mollusks and Mussels and wintered along the Atlantic sea coast as far south as Chesapeake Bay. In fact the last specimen collected was on Long Island during the winter of 1875. Only a few stuffed specimens and study skins remain. No one alive today has ever seen a Labrador Duck so carvings of this bird are subject to some interpretation by the decoy maker. My decoys are meant to be only representations of the bird and not to be taken as exact copies. In fact, if I carve this bird again I will change it's appearance somewhat.
The following page is a step by step of my carving and painting process. Some may find it boring but it might be of interest to woodcarvers.
For these decoys I chose Basswood for the heads and Pine for the bodies.
Basswood is quite strong and holds detail well. All wood blocks were planed and squared.This is very important for laying out the pattern and establishing center lines.
Laying out the head pattern on a Basswood block.
Drill a 1/8 hole for the eye while block is square.
Cut out the head top view first.
Attach scrap pieces with glue or nails and cut side view.
The rough out head ready for carving.
Prepare the body blanks for band sawing.
Temporarily screw the body blanks together.
Center lines on both the head and body blanks are
very important for symmetry.
With the body I like to cut the side view first.
After cutting the side view reattach the scrap and cut the top.
Ready to carve.
Gather together reference material and photos for the head.
Reference lines will have to be reapplied as the carving progresses.
Ducks in a row.
Roughing begins.
Establish the width.
Start rounding the edges.
Adding detail. To me the head is the most important part of the decoy.
That's why I nearly complete this step before tackling the body.
The head in the rough.
Location and depth of eyes is critical.
Enlarge the eye holes for glass eyes.
Eyes are glued in and eyelids established.
View from all angles.
Hollow out body halves with a Forstner bit.
Start roughing body.
Sanding off tool marks.
Try the head location.
Sealing interior.
Attach head.
Ready for glue.
Undercut feathers.
Ready for burning.
Feathers burned in.
Burning done. Ready for sealing.
Texture head and body with Gesso. This will reduce glare on the finished decoy.
Prime entire bird, except bill, with exterior latex paint. The bill has already been sealed with several coats of acrylic clear coat to harden it.
Painting bill on the male.
Apply base colors and block in feather groups.
Drake painting is done.
The hen is coming along.
Temporarily attach keel with rubber bands and test float in water filled pan. The keel is made of Maple and is counter bored to accept lead shot. Once the Duck is floating properly, mark the keel location and drill for screws.
Adding weight to the keel.
Nice pair.
Floating on Malpeque Bay.
Resting on shore.
The Labrador Duck has been extinct for more than 100 years. During it's annual migration undoubtedly it passed through and maybe even lingered on Malpeque Bay PEI. It seems fitting that these decoys took their maiden voyage on the waters of that very same bay. These ducks now have a permanent home in the collections of Steve Boone and Gordon Parsons of Labrador City NL.