Painting Decoys?

[mr.ktm95]

Hello,

I just purchased 3 dozen used decoys from craigslist and there are about 6 that are worn out and I need to paint them. They are mallard Flambeau's I need to paint the beaks and bodies. And I was just wondering If I need to buy paint from cabelas or if I could buy some from a craft store or a hardware store. Also do I need to sand them or prime them or and tips you have would be awesome! THANKS 

[sticknstringman]

i bought my paint from cabelas. i think it was herters? and it is really durable. i didnt sand them except to get the flaking paint off and that was 4 or 5 years ago. the body color wasnt what i wanted though. it was really dull. the body was the hardest to get right. i recomend having a testing decoy. one that u can try new ideas or techniques on before u get to far on the rest. made that mistake. costed me a whole night of work before i saw them in the sunlight and didnt like how they turned out.

For the body i did a layer of the gray on the mallards and lightly brushed black on the very top ridges of the feathered parts. it gave it nice depth. i remember i had to get paint on the brush first then wipe almost all of it off so it didnt gob on. that way it is really light. i liked how it turned out. hope it helps

[Crispy]

I've used the Behr outdoor flat latex paint from home depot and they seem to do fine with the proper prep work. I'm going to redo them at some point as I don't really like the body color (too light) .. they also look like a 4th grade art project, but I sure wouldn't feel bad if they caught some stray shot 

[mr.ktm95]

Thanks for the info. I couldnt use satin could I?