# Northwind winsock information



## goose (Jul 19, 2003)

Hey, i have about 16 dozen northwinds and i store them in 50 gallon rubber tubs. but the problem is the heads always fall off..do any of you guys glue them on or what do you do


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## dcrothers (Oct 6, 2002)

I am now having the same problem and would like to see it addressed. I purchased five dozen new windsocks this year and UNLIKE the northwinds manufactured prior to their bankruptacy, there is not that "click" when you press the head onto the stake. Previously, there was a distinctive "click" when you pressed the head down onto the stake. I have never, and still don't, have a problem with the heads coming off of the old northwinds. We carried the new ones up to Canada with us this year and assembled them in the motel room..............they were falling off as soon as we turned them upside down. We started wrapping electrical (all we had) tape around the tip of the stake............it kind of works, but is not a long term solution. I could type for an hour about this I am so damn mad. As long as I am at it.............do they make "blue goose" northwinds anymore?


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## goose (Jul 19, 2003)

i dont think so...i got the economy windsocks and i am going to paint them myself...i thinkt hat i am just gonna figure a way to glue or calk them all on and be done wiht it..it sux putting them together in the dark and ending up wiht missing heads... also i might just start buying custom northwinds they are 65 a dozen and are way more worth the money then the regular northwinds...


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## Fetch (Mar 1, 2002)

I remember that distinctive click as the heads broke off trying to put them in the ground :lol:

I used to fix 3 or 4 doz sticks a year - I would grind them on a bench grinder to the same shape as the original top part (kind of a three leaf clover shape) then get gallon jug caps or those off sport drinks & drill a hole alittle smaller than the stake end & shove it on (so the windsock does'nt slide down - Never glued the heads on - But had big green canvas bags & left the heads on

I heard some are now using Bamboo for stakes - strong stuff & flexible


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## gandergrinder (Mar 10, 2002)

Hot glue works really good to keep the heads on and if need be you can still pull hard enough to get them off without breaking them.


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## Perry Thorvig (Mar 6, 2002)

First, you only need heads on about 10% of your windsocks. Then, do as Gandergrinder says, hot glue the 10% in the sentinel position. Attach the socks to the stakes without heads using cable ties and homemade washers.


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## duxnbux (Feb 25, 2002)

I am using wooden dowels for the northwinds that I am using....I usually just take off the heads for storage...but I am thinking about glueing them on.....the hot glue sounds like it may be the answer of the best glue to use for that as well...thanks guys.


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## prairie hunter (Mar 13, 2002)

Northwind Quality has almost always sucked egg.

1) stakes break when ground is hard.

2) plastic stakes break where they meet the head.

2) heads break all the time, especially if they are used in the feeder position or decoy bags are tossed/moved around in cold weather

3) tyvec fabric wears through pretty easily. Holes!

These decoys are not hardcore hunter friendly. Still you use them because they work - movement.

*Anybody out there remember the original northwind decoy design?*

An old friend of mine had two dozen original northwind decoys. *They had fabric heads that were secured to a wood dowel. Snow goose only. Tyvec fabric seemed thicker.*

The originals were made in the Devils Lake region and then a company in MN (Fergus Falls) bought the company. That is when the plastic heads and stakes showed up. Pretty sure that is when the "winged" decoys and multiple species also showed up.

We still love our mallard northwinds. Anyone every buy, see, or use the pintail northwinds?


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## Perry Thorvig (Mar 6, 2002)

We have been using our Northwinds for about 15 years. However, that is only about 10 days per year. We don't usually leave em out overnight to avoid them getting too many hours of wind stress.

These decoys do require constant maintenance. However, most of the first Northwinds we bought 15 years ago are still in service. (I have bought and sold many other decoys in that time because they don't work as well or are too much hassle.) The key to preserving Northwinds is to avoid packing them in fabric bags where they can get crushed in transit. I have found that removing most of the heads and storing them in 50 gallon Rubbermaid tubs with the lids on will preserve the decoys very well. Using the cable ties also takes care of the problem of the grommets tearing and the socks falling off the stakes.

Now, if we could just find a way to get all the goose poop and blood stains off them, they would be just as good as new :lol:


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## Fetch (Mar 1, 2002)

I use white ankle wrap (cloth) tape to reinforce the holes on the tyvek material too (at least the top hole) & have put patches on the inside & outside where thin.


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## Perry Thorvig (Mar 6, 2002)

I've used duct tape inside the socks. I like Fetch's use of the training tape. It's white and fairly strong.


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## J.D. (Oct 14, 2002)

Perry I hand washed 400 of my northwinds this summer using Palmolive dish soap - it got everything from blood to goose poop off. It really brightens them up. I only plan on doing this every 3-4 years though. :beer:


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## gandergrinder (Mar 10, 2002)

If you guys really want to clean them fast. Put them in the wash machine on gentle cycle. I did all of mine this summer. Works really good.


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## Perry Thorvig (Mar 6, 2002)

Gander,

Thanks for tip. I have thought about throwing them in the washing machine before. But, I thought they might get wrecked. I will try a few and see what happens. If all is well, I will probably do the whole works.


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## dcrothers (Oct 6, 2002)

Gentlemen:

Two things intrigued me: First, what are "custom" northwinds? I don't believe I have heard of that before.
Second, do the manufactuers have any intention of producing blue geese again?
Thanks.


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## Perry Thorvig (Mar 6, 2002)

"custom Northwinds" are made by a guy (company) that takes the standard Northwind and then custom paints it do show wing and feather detail. He also has stencils that you can buy to do your own. Go to customnorthwinds.com.

I don't think the manufacturers of the Northwinds are planning on doing blues or juveniles anymore. They are just producing the cheapest base windsock in white and dark brown.


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## KEN W (Feb 22, 2002)

Perry...don't you have a bunch of Last Looks?

How did they work in Canada?

Are they better than Northwinds?


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## Perry Thorvig (Mar 6, 2002)

They each have there advantages and disadvantages. See my PM.


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