How to Make Foam Duck Decoys
Duck decoys are a necessary expense when training your hunting dog. Store-bought decoys will vary in terms of craftsmanship and quality and can be expensive. Duck decoys can also be difficult to find if you need to replace yours during prime hunting season. Because of this, make your own foam duck decoys so you have them available when you need them. As an added bonus, you can always make more decoys when they need to be replaced.
Things You'll Need
- Safety goggles
- Latex gloves
- Soap
- Aluminum duck mold
- Two-part urethane foam
- Car wax
- C-clamp (3 inch)
- C-clamp (2 inch)
- Screws
- Glue
- Butter knife
- Screwdriver
- Ounce scale
- Measuring cup
- Styrofoam cups
- Popsicle stick
- Foam paint (optional)
Instructions
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1
Clean the inside of the mold using a mild soap and water. This will eliminate any dirt, dust and debris that may be in the mold from the store. It will also give you a clean work surface.
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2
Wear personal protective equipment including goggles and latex gloves. This will help protect your eyes and hands from any chemical splash. Urethane foam has chemicals that may burn your hands.
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3
Apply a liberal amount of car wax to the inside of the mold, using your gloved fingers. Ensure that you wax the entire inside of the mold, including indentations, ridges and crevices, so that your foam duck decoy will come out easily.
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4
Mix the urethane foam using your styrofoam cup and popsicle stick according to the manufacturer's directions. Mixing directions will vary slightly among different brands of urethane. Some brands may require weighing while others may require volume measurements.
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5
Pour the foam into one half of the mold, filling it to the brim. If you have a separate duck head mold, pour the foam into that one, too. Foam will expand shortly after you mix it, so you will need to work quickly.
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6
Attach the other half of the mold quickly, and clamp it down using the appropriate-sized clamp. If the mold is a once-piece product, use the larger, 3-inch clamp. If the mold is two separate molds, use both clamps. The clamps will help keep the mold together while the foam expands.
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Wait for the foam to expand and dry thoroughly. For best results, allow the foam to dry overnight before attempting to remove the foam duck from the mold.
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8
Remove the clamps and open the mold. Use a butter knife or screwdriver to separate the two halves of the duck mold. If the foam duck does not fall out of the mold when you turn it over, tap the mold gently with the palm of your hand until the foam duck releases.
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9
Smooth the edges of the foam duck with sandpaper.
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10
Attach the head to the body of the foam duck with screws, if you used a two-part mold. Some people prefer to use foam glue instead of screws because it causes less damage to the foam.
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11
Paint the foam duck if you want to. If you decide to paint the duck, you will use colors native to the environment where you will use it. Once the paint dries, you are ready to use your foam duck decoy.
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Tips & Warnings
You can find duck molds in local hunting stores and hobby shops.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit duck image by Henryk Olszewski from Fotolia.com
