Brand new deeks. Clear matt?

[cliffordingles]

I just bought a dozen new deeks, I was wondering if i should spray them with clear matt to help them last longer. Any advise? Thanks!

[cryfowl]

Couldn't hurt.  I do it and it seems to work.

[cliffordingles]

What kind do you us? Anything special? Thanks!

[Tealer]

If you 12 slot bag them you don't need to matte finish them.

[johnsc6]

i,ve never done it, but researcherd it some. Seems the Krylon brand is most popular.

[Kola16]

This is totally speculating, but does it add an undesired UV color 

[BiggLuke]

Don't they get all shiny?

[h2ofowlr]

A lot of guys will use the Rustoleum clear matte finish.  It isn't to shinny but will help protect the paint on the decoys and makes the colors stand out.  I think their is a specific paint code some of the guys use.  PM Tealer, he seems to coat a fair amount of his duck decoys.

[cliffordingles]

Thanks!  Ill try to pm tealer.

[scout/sniper]

I spray all my deeks with clear matte. It doesn't do anything bad to them whatsoever, it just takes the shine away.

[Tealer]

I used to use 1411 or 1211? Clear matte? I can't remember, once I started putting all my decoys in slotted bags I stopped spraying them. I have a bunch of pro grade Avery decoys with 200+ hunts on them, never sprayed them. Still look great.

[cliffordingles]

All mine are in a mesh bag. Is it a good idea to paint them?

Does the paint change the factory look much?

I just want to make my first set of decoys last and do the right thing with them. Thanks!

[Tealer]

I would spray them and use a good keel grabber weight.

When you go to spray them take a damp cloth and wipe them down as best you can. Try to get the dust off of them. Try to keep the coats as even as possible. It should not effect the original colors at all. Let them dry for a couple days in a dust free area.

[cliffordingles]

Thanks for the help Tealer!

I'm gunna go look for paint tonight after work. Anything special i should be looking for?

[Tealer]

Krylon matte clear. Think the number is 1411?

[cliffordingles]

Thanks again tealer!  I'll look for it tonight.

[cliffordingles]

Got em' all covered in clear matte. They look the same as before, I put a cleared one next to a not cleared one and they look the same.

I used Krylon Matte Finish 1311.

Thanks for the help guys!!!

[wraithen]

There are 2 specific krylon paint for this purpose. Check the UV birdvision site for which 2 they are. I couldn't ever find them so I used something else but it kind of made them lighter. Gotta be careful because some of them will mess with the uv paint you pay for on the higher end dekes.

[cliffordingles]

Probably gunna sound dumb but i dont know what this UV stuff is for... i do know my deeks dont have it though lol.

Can anyone enlighten me on this? Thanks!

[Tealer]

Probably gunna sound dumb but i dont know what this UV stuff is for... i do know my deeks dont have it though lol.

Can anyone enlighten me on this? Thanks!

I think it's a gimmick. People killed birds for a hundred years without it.

[wraithen]

brids see differently than we do. if theyre cautious supposedly the uv looks like a real bird whereas a non uv deke will look like anything not alive. people have used plastic jugs as decoys so its just another edge to help. my home painted uv dekes drive ducks crazy. my buddies dont. and i set up with nothing but drakes since i didnt wanna pay for 2 kits lol.

[Tealer]

That may be the case but I do fine with out it.

[jplmyers]

Painted my dekes clear matte two days ago, looked great.  Took em out today, and as I bagged them, I noticed they had turned a dull gray.

Anybody have this happen to them?  Is it fixable?  Needless to say I'm way ticked off!

[cliffordingles]

I painted mine last night and used them today, they still look great and brought many ducks my way lol.

[Tealer]

Painted my dekes clear matte two days ago, looked great.  Took em out today, and as I bagged them, I noticed they had turned a dull gray.

Anybody have this happen to them?  Is it fixable?  Needless to say I'm way ticked off!

Were they dry? I ask because it's wet, in wet weather paint takes a lot longer to dry. While the paint is wet it will attract dust, or mud residue out of the bag. I have cleared a TON of decoys over the years and never had a problem. BUT they need to be completely clean or new. Preferably new.

[jplmyers]

They were completely dry when painted and before packing them up.  I think the culprit is going too heavy on the clear.  Pretty sure when the sun came out it clouded up the clear... Making them grayish.  Same deke will be grayish on one side and less so on the other.

Hope I can find a way to remove the clear.  I really didnt want to get involved with painting or buying dekes just yet.

[Kola16]

Pretty sure when the sun came out it clouded up the clear... Making them grayish. 

At least they turned grayish. Ducks actually look grayish from the sky 

[Skagit_Hunter]

Krylon matt will turn yellow with time.

[h2ofowlr]

brids see differently than we do. if theyre cautious supposedly the uv looks like a real bird whereas a non uv deke will look like anything not alive. people have used plastic jugs as decoys so its just another edge to help. my home painted uv dekes drive ducks crazy. my buddies dont. and i set up with nothing but drakes since i didnt wanna pay for 2 kits lol.

How do they really know.  Can a duck talk to confirm this?  I call B.S. on some of this crap.  It is marketing more than science on some of this.  The better the marketing the more money you make.  I never hear them talk about waterfowls night vision or their GPS units in their heads.  They can fly in the wind, rain and pitch black and still find where they want to go.  I kill a lot of birds and have never used UV paints on any decoys I have owned.  It's a gimick.  What helps in the long run is changing your technique up from the next guy.  They get used to seeing the same thing over and over.  Do something different in the area and it can help at times. 

It also may be the fact that your using all drakes vs. UV paint.  I had used about 6 dozen mallard drakes only in my spread.  Easier for the ducks to see as they are colorful and stand out.  I would bet that is making more of a difference than UV paint.

[wraithen]

The UV paint may be a gimmick. It just made the color scheme easy. I'll mix my own paints next time. As for the natural navigation in poor weather, that is explained by a sensitive organ in their heads. Science does talk about this, and their vision. They know how things work by looking at them. Same as they know that all kinds of animals see in varying color spectrums.

I will not say that H2O is incorrect about anything he said, just an experience I had with it. It's not worth the 50 dollars on paint though, I will say that.