Cork Decoys
According to Joel Barber, the practice of fabricating duck decoys from cork originated in the early part of the 20th century on the Great South Bay, a lagoon located between Fire Island and Long Island, NY (Barber 1934, 72-76). He indicates that these decoys were almost always Black Ducks, constructed from two layers of cork re-used from life preservers, each layer approximately 2 inches in thickness, and held together with wood pegs. The bodies, after being shaped and finished were then charred in order to turn the surface black in color while the heads, fashioned of wood, were painted in the usual fashion.
He goes on to indicate that cork bodied decoys made c. 1930, when Wild Fowl Decoys was published, were fabricated in two halves that were cemented and pegged together. At the time, available natural cork varied between 1 to 2 inches in thickness. Cork bodies could also be made from slabs made from ground cork or cork chips held together with an adhesive binder. These composite cork slabs were about 3 inches thick, and did not require a bottom board or keel since the material was stronger and denser than natural cork.
