Attaching the Head
Attaching the head is a very important step in the final preparation of the carving.
When viewing the carving, most people look at the head first and a poor joint at the neck
will jump out at the viewer (paint cannot hide a poor joint.)
I always glue the head on with 5-min epoxy and then fill the joint with a putty compound.
This picture shows the joint after it has been sanded.
Here is a view of the same area after it has been textured and burnt.
Once the texturing is finished, I seal the carving using a product called Deft. This helps to waterproof
the carving (necessary if it is to be floated in competition) and makes a good painting surface on the bird.
To keep the eyes clear, I cover them with a liquid rubber product called "frisket". This keeps the Deft
off the eyes. Without this step, the eyes could be scratched removing the waterproofing. The frisket will
just lift off after the Deft is dry, taking the waterproofing with it.