White-winged Scoter, 1952-192.257
The process of making “slat-and-canvas” decoys of similar appearance to this scoter is described by George Ross Starr, Jr. in Decoys of the Atlantic Flyway (1974). Ash slats one inch wide by no more than 1/8 inch thick were steamed and bent over interior, removable shaping blocks and attached within notches cut in the baseboard. The attachment of the slats combined with removal of the interior shaping blocks was a very specific and systematic process wherein the blocks were removed in a specific order so that they did not remain within the finished framework. The frame was then covered with a single piece of wet canvas, draped over the frame and anchored down by the attachment of the head with nails. The canvas was pulled taught around the frame and secured to the bottom board with copper nails.
The metal hardware securing the internal frame slats to the base board, the lead weight, and the tacks that attach the canvas to the bottom board and lower tail are clearly visible in the anterior-posterior view. Other features of note visible in this view are the wood grain of the bottom board, the pine spine that runs through the center of the back (wood grain visible in volume rad slice), and the slat ribs (light, curved, parallel bands). Nails corresponding with the edges of these bands secure the lower edges of the bands to the outer edges of the bottom board. Nails also secure the slats to the spine.
In the lateral view of the front end, a wood block is visible under head. The block is secured to spine with many nails and head is nailed to block with five nails: two in the front, two in the back and one from the side. The texture of the canvas is also noted.
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This page references:
- Slat-and-canvas white-wing scoter shown with pattern blocks
- Anterior-Posterior view radiograph (center and back) of White-Winged Scoter 1952-192.257 by Bert Hunt
- Anterior-posterior view (front) of White-winged Scoter, 1952-192.257
- Lateral view radiograph (front), White-winged Scoter, 1952-192.257
- White-winged Scoter Canvas Decoy, 1952-192.257