Touch up Paint on Decoys

[newportfisher]

I am starting to get a little restless about hunting. I have already gotten out all of the decoys, and I am gunna do some touch up paint. What kind of paint should I use? Where do I get it?
Thanks, Cameron

[Swamp Puppy]

what kind of decoys do you have?

[newportfisher]

Hot Buy duck decoys, avery floaters.

[Swamp Puppy]

yeah, i use a couple of dozen hotbuys too along with some lifesize series averys. truthfully, you could probably replace them for cheaper than buying all the different colors of quality paint you would need to repaint them. that's what i do.

if you do want to repaint them though..there are a few places that sell decoy paints and kits. Herters sells a decent paint kit for 30 bucks. (about the cost of a dzn hotbuys. lol) Wing Supply might carry touch up stuff..as might Mack's Prairie Wings.

good luck!

[newportfisher]

What about to touch up goose decoys. The white under the belly could use some paint. What would work for those?

[waterfowlin101]

Cameron,

How about those dekes you won in the contest last year??

Still got those?....they could use some touch up!! :grin:

Jon

[newportfisher]

Yep Jon Still got them.....yeah they could use some paint.

[Swamp Puppy]

if you just want to do the white under belly..and you want to do it "economocally" (cheap)..try using flat white spray paint. clean the belly with some acetone (nail polish remover works) first.

[newportfisher]

Just any kind of paint will work for the geese?

[Swamp Puppy]

i've used Krylon spray paint to convert some old flambeau mallard dekes into divers. we just used a couple of cans of the flat black and flat white and it worked out pretty well. it is important to use some sort of solvent cleaner on them first to "prep" them. the solvent will degrease the plastic and allow the paint to stick better. acetone is best..be careful, because some solvents will dissolve the plastic. if the women in your household don't have any nail polish remover that you can pilfer..you can give them (the dekes..not the women ) a good scrubbing with soap and water, but it's not as good.

[gottafish]

I posted this a while back from duck hunter.net, its good info
The painting of Plastic Decoys….

I would like to add this post to the all ready start post that Willy McDonald has started, which it might be a good idea if the topic was stuck or added to the area of good informational threads to review prior to posting other questions about Plastic Decoys.

Preface about this post . There are obviously many, many posts about the various plastiods out there on the market. There are also some very top secret materials that are used for each company. We all know which ones lose paint frequently or do not adhere well. This thread should not be a product bashing thread, but an informational thread for HOW TO and EXPERIMENTATION RESULTS. So, even if you do not like a certain product, do not own them and or don’t like the decoy’s pose, coloration, look or what ever, lets just keep the discussion to the various products that are used to clean prep and paint them.

With that said, I am at the point of almost writing a book on this subject, but due to product and material secrecy, that information will not be added.

Why repaint a Plastic Decoy? Why would one want to take the time to do this when there are other decoys all ready available on the market? SAVE MONEY and REUSING the decoys you have. I have been changing my plastic decoys for years, especially when using large numbers of decoys, (Greater then 10 Dozen) so, repainting and touch up are essential. But, the time and effort you put into repainting your decoys has tom come into consideration. To have the correct products is essential. But let’s get one thing straight though, PAINT IS NOT FOREVER!!Some finishes are just not meant to or can they last forever. Let’s face it, the elements that decoys are transported under from home to field is very important. Taking care of corkers and hollow wood decoys are good evidence that how you handle your decoys during this period is very important. Probably the MOST IMPORTANT of all. So if you can minimize the time it takes to repaint and take care of the decoyes will be a large factor in the equation of how often you will need to retouch the bird in the future. Common sense really. But it is important to know what product to use to make that happen. I hope to enlighten.

PLASTIC DECOY MATERIALS The Various decoy companies use a variety of raw materials. Not to get into the chemical composition of them and bore you with the scientific facts. For the fact of simplicity, lets say that there are some that use raw materials of virgin poly and then some that are not so pure, they might buy a mixture of composites of poly. These ingots that are used in the blow molding machines that make the decoy come in many grades. The grade of material varies between company and helps dictate the final costs. Prior to the decoy being made a material is added to the interior portion of the mold so that the plastic will not stick to it and then the blow molding process takes place.Once the decoy comes out there is a micron film of the decoy that needs to be removed, This I that mold release. This mold release film does not increase the adhesion of ANY PAINT to the which ever substrate is selected. If the paint and material the decoy is made from is not compatible, I do not care what OUTER COATING you place over the decoy to help maintain the decoy. IT DOES NOT HELP. NO WAY NO HOW. When painting ANY DECOY you have to have a good base adhesion. This is the most important rule. I have also been testing this product on E ALLEN DECOYS and it has been showing very promising results.

PLASTIC DECOY BASE COAT In order for ANY PAINT to stick to the decoy they have to be cleaned properly then wiped down with a solvent that will CUT THROUGH the mold release and remove it. To correctly do this you will have to use an Automotive Brand Plastic Cleaner. There are many on the market from 3M or SEM. You can also use a product available for wood that is called WILBOND, a liquid adhesion enhancer. I have used all three of these products with good results. I have also found good success with using a flash heat on the bird as well, which extreme safety is required.

PLASTIC DECOY SEALER/PRIMER Now, with the new paint system that Jansen Art has come out with, they have made a Great Multi Surface sealer. This sealer is intended to be used on Glass, Wood, Steel, Tin, Plastics and Cork. AND IT WORKS GREAT!! Once you have cleaned the bird as listed above, just apply this STRAIGHT uncut. DO NOT WATER this process down. Then once this is dry, about 2 hours then start to paint right over this multi surface sealer. The paint will bond to this sealer well. DO NOT use JO SONJA OR GOLDENS PAINT over this, as the internal binder works with the JANSEN ART PAINT. It is not recommended that you mix products, as this binder will meld with the paint applied in later steps.

By the way, there is a very good picture of some GHG Teal that were painted into TEAL that I though was done very well.

Another product I have used for a comparison and is a new product on the market is called FUSION Spray paint by Krylon. It is supposed to be a new and improved spray paint that adheres to plastics better than any other paint. I have been using the MATTE IVORY, LIGHT BROWN and a LIGHT GREY to coat a few decoys as a primer and it looks promising. Once the birds has dried, I then coat it with another Krylon product that is the camo colors that is ultra flat and then start painting the brads after that. Flat white and black work well for the divers, as they only have a small amount of color and really, how much detail do you need for them in a 100+ layout rig? Many of the divers and seaducks will come into painted bleach bottles. So, consider the time and effort on what is really require for your area and how many birds you are using.

PROBLEM AREAS - One of the main reason plastic decoys have paint issues if because of the way they are handled during traveling to and from the blind. It might be a coffin blind, Barnegat of a Jon boat. NO matter how you transport, this is the largest contributing factor to paint damage. Now, if you notice flaking, that is just bad adhesion and there is another issue. But, NO PAINT LASTS FOREVER. Some wear better than others, and thicker paint usually has a better wear factor over a thinner sprayed product but all in all, taking care of you decoys is the only way I know to minimize any damage to a decoy. Also, because plastics decoys flex, and usually stored outside in extreme temperatures which helps promote damage to the surface finish. Adding the spray coats over the paint helps a small amount but it is NOT THE CURE ALL.

I will be taking a few photos of the birds I have completed and been testing. Some have been in varied temperatures, stored in water and have actually been in the water for over 3 months. Funny thing is the only thing I am testing in the water is if the paint will re-emulsify. Couple of the birds have been in the back of my boat but the big test is to see how the birds hold up over the season. Rubbing birds in sand or mud is like using wet sand paper on them, so consider what you do with your decoys. A small amount of preventative protection will go along way to maintaining their surface finish no matter what the selection of paint is.

[newportfisher]

After I clean it with Nail Polish Remover, do I have to put some kind of adhesive on the decoy so the paint will stick?

[adobe wall]

The oily feel that some plastics exhibit is oil leeching from the material itself, not a release agent that is applied to the mold. Some plastics exhibit this property much more than others- the company I work for is facing a few problems with warning labels that won't stay stuck onto some of the plastic parts for the very same reason.

Other than that, the rest of the post is spot on. Degrease or flame treat the decoys to remove the oil that has migrated to the surface of the plastic. I've also used the Krylon fusion as a base and painted over it.

I had thought about knocking together a paint schedule for commonly used decoys using commercial paints. I painted quite a few last year.

regards, aw

[Swamp Puppy]

After I clean it with Nail Polish Remover, do I have to put some kind of adhesive on the decoy so the paint will stick?

you can (and probably should) use a primer before you paint it.

[adobe wall]

nail polish is acetone. It's MUCH less expensive to purchase a quart of acetone at one of the home improvement stores (it's next to the turpentine, lacquer thinner, and other chemicals) than to purchase it as nail thinner.

Use gloves, though, or you will absorb it through your skin, and use it outside. It's extraordinarily flammable.

The Krylon Fusion paint acts as a primer- you'll get the best bond by using it directly on the plastic. Then use other flat paints on top of the fusion.

hth, aw

[Swamp Puppy]

nail polish is acetone. It's MUCH less expensive to purchase a quart of acetone

it's cheaper still to swipe your wife/girlfriend/sister's nail polish remover. lol. yes, buying a quart of acetone is the way to go.

[Headhunter]

it's cheaper still to swipe your wife/girlfriend/sister's nail polish remover. lol. yes, buying a quart of acetone is the way to go.

Geeze Ed...you sure seem to know a lot about nail polish remover! Are you sure the "two spoon" story didn't start with you in drag?

[Bait Bucket]

truthfully, you could probably replace them for cheaper than buying all the different colors of quality paint you would need to repaint them. that's what i do.

[Lured In]

For general dirt and muck cleaning prior to painting, I have found that the spray on tire and wheel cleaner is fast and easy. Simply spray the deke, let it sit and hose it off. If you are really concerned with getting it clean, spray it, scrub it and then wash with soap and water.

[billc_sbio]

The oily feel that some plastics exhibit is oil leeching from the material itself, not a release agent that is applied to the mold. Some plastics exhibit this property much more than others- the company I work for is facing a few problems with warning labels that won't stay stuck onto some of the plastic parts for the very same reason.

Other than that, the rest of the post is spot on. Degrease or flame treat the decoys to remove the oil that has migrated to the surface of the plastic. I've also used the Krylon fusion as a base and painted over it.

I had thought about knocking together a paint schedule for commonly used decoys using commercial paints. I painted quite a few last year.

regards, aw

Uh huh...these are known in the Plastics Industry as "Plasticizers". Their function is to keep the plastic pliable (like what you want for reloadable plastic shotgun shells).

Often these Plasticizers are animal fats..."tallow". :shocked:

Especially on LDPE (Polyethylene)"Milk Jug" plastics this stuff seems to continously leech out and makes paint adhesion a nightmare.

[Swamp Puppy]

Geeze Ed...you sure seem to know a lot about nail polish remover! Are you sure the "two spoon" story didn't start with you in drag?

i would like to clarify that Cap'nDan was the recipient of the dessert with the 2 spoons. i was just with him. any implications that were made were really directed at him...lol.