# Progress on first pot call



## Az Turnings

After seeing @The100road beautiful calls I decided to venture into call making. I messaged him weeks back and pulled all the info and secrets I could from him. I still have to turn the striker and glue the guts in. Wood used is mesquite. Went to hard when turning around the holes and had a nasty chip... oh well part of learning. Laquer finish.

Reactions: Like 6 | EyeCandy! 1 | Way Cool 1


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## The100road

Nice!!! Is that your first one? I don't think my first couple calls made it that far. Good job man. 

Next you'll be addicted to playing with different measurements and sizes to find the exact sound you're after.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## The100road

What are you going to use for a soundboard? 

I think a good starting point is a toothpick gap between the soundboard and call wall. With a soundboard thickness between itself and the friction surface.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Az Turnings

The100road said:


> Nice!!! Is that your first one? I don't think my first couple calls made it that far. Good job man.
> 
> Next you'll be addicted to playing with different measurements and sizes to find the exact sound you're after.


Yes it's my first. I'm thinking of using an ironwood sound board and make the tip of the striker ironwood as well. Yes? No?


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## The100road

Sure would be worth a try! Let me know what you think. I haven't tried any DIW for turkey calls yet.


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## Az Turnings

The100road said:


> Sure would be worth a try! Let me know what you think. I haven't tried any DIW for turkey calls yet.


I will. Don't know Much about sound though so I'll have to look it up


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## Az Turnings

Well here's where it ended up. Something is wrong it doesn't make any sound really besides a super high pitch which is very un pleasing


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## Ray D

The first thing that jumps out is the large diameter striker....I guess that's the striker next to the pot. My strikers pegs are generally 5/16 of an inch...or smaller. Is that a slate surface?


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## The100road

I agree with @Ray D striker is off. Mine are also 5/16 sometimes 1/4" dowel is about 5-6" and the head/weight about 2.5" if it is a two piece striker. 

Also, when preping the surface go in one direction instead of circles. 

Get the right angle on the correct striker and you should get some turkey sound outta that thing.


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## Az Turnings

Ray D said:


> The first thing that jumps out is the large diameter striker....I guess that's the striker next to the pot. My strikers pegs are generally 5/16 of an inch...or smaller. Is that a slate surface?


I will remake it. Thank you. Yes it is a striker


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## Az Turnings

The100road said:


> I agree with @Ray D striker is off. Mine are also 5/16 sometimes 1/4" dowel is about 5-6" and the head/weight about 2.5" if it is a two piece striker.
> 
> Also, when preping the surface go in one direction instead of circles.
> 
> Get the right angle on the correct striker and you should get some turkey sound outta that thing.


Good to know about prepping it. It wouldn't make noise so I get frustrated and tried that. Whoops.


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## Ray D

Az Turnings said:


> Good to know about prepping it. It wouldn't make noise so I get frustrated and tried that. Whoops.


We all started somewhere. Lol. I wish I could let you hear some of my first pot calls. Many were scrapped before I found the sound I was after.


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## CWS

Ray D said:


> We all started somewhere. Lol. I wish I could let you hear some of my first pot calls. Many were scrapped before I found the sound I was after.


There is not a blueprint for making calls. Every dimension makes a different sounding call. Hang in there. One day you will wake up strike a call and turkeys will flock to your door. Turkeys are real easy to find in a thunderstorm.

Reactions: Like 2


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## greenleecustomcalls

It just takes some patience and little more work, my first calls all warped badly so badly they usually cracked slate and glass.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Schroedc

Turn the striker down to about 5/16 and round the end over a bit. Rough up the end (don't put any finish in the tip either) then you should get closer to making the tight kind of sounds.

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 1


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## Az Turnings

Well turned it smaller. Same thing. Not sure if its the ironwood? The dark streaks left on the slate are from the ironwood. It makes more sound but still the very high screech


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## DKMD

Are you scratching with the skinny end or the fat end of the striker?

Reactions: Funny 1


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## bluedot

Here is a link to some information that might help. The side and bottom look fairly thick to me.
http://www.customcalls.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1287169554
Hope this helps.
Dan

Reactions: Like 1


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## The100road

Hey Blake, Im not sure if you're an experienced caller or not so don't take this the wrong way. do you know if you're using the call correctly? It's hard to tell from the picture but are you making small ovals with the striker in the opposite direction from the scuffed surface? 

The video below is aluminum so it should be higher pitched then the slate but will give you an idea if you arnt sure how it's supposed to sound.


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## Az Turnings

DKMD said:


> Are you scratching with the skinny end or the fat end of the striker?


Fatter end. Is that wrong?


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## Az Turnings

The100road said:


> Hey Blake, Im not sure if you're an experienced caller or not so don't take this the wrong way. do you know if you're using the call correctly? It's hard to tell from the picture but are you making small ovals with the striker in the opposite direction from the scuffed surface?
> 
> The video below is aluminum so it should be higher pitched then the slate but will give you an idea if you arnt sure how it's supposed to sound.


Thanks that video is helpful! I am not experienced at all in any way lmao

Reactions: Like 1


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## Az Turnings

So I think I'm going to trash this call and start again. After reading up I think my walls are way too thick. The noise it gives off is a super high squak I'll give it another go and post progress. Thanks for everyone input I'm fresh into this!


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## DKMD

Az Turnings said:


> Fatter end. Is that wrong?



I'm not a hunter, but I'm pretty sure you use the narrow end to scratch the slate.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Ray D

Find a buddy that knows how to use a pot call and let him try it with an appropriate striker. Your striker could be the whole problem

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 2


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## Schroedc

I have to agree, the striker still looks off to me. Do you have any 5/16 or so dowels around? Round up the end of one and try that. Then try putting a handle on the dowel. I wouldn't trash the call yet. I always got really deep sounds with a thick call.

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 1


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## Az Turnings

Schroedc said:


> I have to agree, the striker still looks off to me. Do you have any 5/16 or so dowels around? Round up the end of one and try that. Then try putting a handle on the dowel. I wouldn't trash the call yet. I always got really deep sounds with a thick call.


You were right. I bought a 5/16" birch dowel and now I get that low squak. Too bad I can't let you hear it. Not sure how to upload a video on here

Reactions: Like 1


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## Lou Currier

Az Turnings said:


> You were right. I bought a 5/16" birch dowel and now I get that low squak. Too bad I can't let you hear it. Not sure how to upload a video on here



Post it to YouTube and insert the link to the video on this thread.


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## greenleecustomcalls

Think majority of your issues are in your striker, if you want I can send you one

Reactions: Like 1 | Sincere 1


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## greenleecustomcalls

Another question, what size playing surface and how far was the sound board from the inner walls and how far from the slate is the sound board.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Az Turnings

greenleecustomcalls said:


> Another question, what size playing surface and how far was the sound board from the inner walls and how far from the slate is the sound board.


3" slate surface. Soundboard had about a toothpick cap all around and about a 1/8-3/16 gap.


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## greenleecustomcalls

ok 3 inch surfaces are a little more difficult, 3 1/2 are alot more forgiving, The dimension on the inside sound about right, as long as you used a good goop on the playing surface and sound board and put some weight on it when it glued down, that shouldn't be an issue. Think the call is fine, the iron wood sound board will be fine, I have used Texas Ebony and they are a little high pitched but with slate should be ok. I believe your main issue is your striker. Don't toss your call yet.
jim

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Az Turnings

greenleecustomcalls said:


> ok 3 inch surfaces are a little more difficult, 3 1/2 are alot more forgiving, The dimension on the inside sound about right, as long as you used a good goop on the playing surface and sound board and put some weight on it when it glued down, that shouldn't be an issue. Think the call is fine, the iron wood sound board will be fine, I have used Texas Ebony and they are a little high pitched but with slate should be ok. I believe your main issue is your striker. Don't toss your call yet.
> jim


I used e6000 for to glue it down but didn't keep any weight on it


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## Az Turnings

greenleecustomcalls said:


> ok 3 inch surfaces are a little more difficult, 3 1/2 are alot more forgiving, The dimension on the inside sound about right, as long as you used a good goop on the playing surface and sound board and put some weight on it when it glued down, that shouldn't be an issue. Think the call is fine, the iron wood sound board will be fine, I have used Texas Ebony and they are a little high pitched but with slate should be ok. I believe your main issue is your striker. Don't toss your call yet.
> jim


How do you cut your soundboards out?


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## The100road

Hey Blake, I use one of these types of spring clamps to hold the sound board and friction surface down while the glue drys. 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000...ring+clamp&dpPl=1&dpID=41-oLlQiKPL&ref=plSrch


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## greenleecustomcalls

To weight my sound boards and playing surfaces I usually use canned food, lol and a little 2.5 weight on top of that, I cut my wood sound boards out on the band saw, then usually true them up on the lathe


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## The100road

Never thought about getting the sound boards on the lathe that way Jim. Good idea. I usually cut them out with different size hole saw bits and then sand them smooth.


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## greenleecustomcalls

I have done it that way stan, but don't care much for my hole saw bits I have so I figured out another way, don't really do a lot of wood sound boards anymore, mostly slate, crystal, glass and alum.


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## Az Turnings

greenleecustomcalls said:


> I have done it that way stan, but don't care much for my hole saw bits I have so I figured out another way, don't really do a lot of wood sound boards anymore, mostly slate, crystal, glass and alum.


So is it okay for them to have a hole in the middle then? How else would you mount them


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## greenleecustomcalls

I mount them on the lathe with a drive spur no hole, and when I used a hole saw I remove the drill bit and just used the hole part, if that makes since, If you are talking about mounting them on the lathe, now attaching them to the call I just used glue, Wish you was closer so I could actually see what it going on.
jim


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