Strut10 Posted February 24, 2006 Report Share Posted February 24, 2006 Thought I'd revive & recycle this post I did last year. Hope it helps some. There have been quite a few posts in the past asking “how to condition this call?” or “should I sand that part?” So I’ve thrown together a few pointers on call care and maintenance…………just some things I do to keep my calls sounding good and lasting long. BOXCALLS: The best thing to do to keep your boxcall sounding good is to use it. As you run the boxcall, the lid and sides will establish a wear pattern that mates one to the other. I have had boxcalls that weren’t worth a hoot……..until I ran them for a while. Like fine wine, they improved with age. Mass-produced boxcalls are not always (they usually are not) fine tuned from the factory. A little tinkering with the screw that holds the paddle on may turn a so-so call into a good one. Turn the screw ¼ turn at a time then run the call. Soon you will be able to tell if you are turning the right way or not. Experiment a little. If your call is drilled on both end blocks, you may even try switching the paddle “end-for-end”. You’ll never know if you don’t try. It may pay off for you. Just don’t over-tighten it. You could split the end out of the call. Keep the frictional surfaces well chalked during use……especially when the call is new. Use only chalk specially designed for boxcalls or some type of oil-free chalk. “Dustless” or “chalkboard chalk” will mess up your call. Some calls will eventually need a lot less chalking once they are “run in”. Keep your boxcall dry. If it gats damp, allow it to dry at room temperature. Don’t try to speed up the drying process. Once in a while, the sounding boards will get a shine or glaze to them and chalking will not help. A very light brushing with a fine sandpaper will get it back in working order. Remember……VERY LIGHTLY!!! SLATE & GLASS CALLS: To get the most out of a friction call you need…..well……friction. Keep the playing surface of the call and the striker tip well treated and you’ll be happier with your call’s performance. Slate and slate-like surfaces can be well kept with a simple “scuff pad” of Scotch Brite. I like the brown colored stuff. It seems to have about the right texture. I keep a 1 square inch piece in my vest pocket. That’s all it takes. I’ve never seen an advantage to sanding slate in any type of directional pattern. I just scrub round and round until I’ve got the whole surface roughed up. Then I lightly blow off any dust from the surface and it’s ready to go. Aluminum and copper surfaces do well with a fine sandpaper. Here, keeping your sand marks going one way will help. Run your striker across the sand marks at a 90 angle. Glass and crystal calls need some careful scuffing when you take them out of the package. A diamond call tuner like the Diamond Jim’s tool is perfect here. Run the tool in one direction like on the metal calls. It’s a good idea to start surfacing the call lightly at first and try playing it. Go a little bit at a time so you don’t overdo it. The striking surface on most all friction calls is only 1/8” thick when new. You can’t put it back once you’ve sanded it off. As important as keeping the playing surface of the call roughed is the tip of the striker. Carbon, metal and plastic strikers are pretty maintenance-free. But a wooden striker tip will need to be kept clean. A few times a day while I’m hunting, I’ll LIGHTLY brush the shine off my striker tip with fine sandpaper. Don’t sand any of the contour off the tip or you will be disappointed. DIAPHRAGM CALLS: There are two major things to keeping your mouthcalls happy. The first is……don’t bend them any more than you absolutely gotta. If you put too much of a bend in a diaphragm call you run the risk of changing the tension of the reeds. And the reeds are set at a very specific tension. I try to run all my diaphragms just as they come out of the package. If I absolutely have to put a bend on one, I do it VERY GRADUALLY. Again, here, if you go too far then have to bend the call back…….your reed tension suffers. It may take some getting used to……running a flat call. But you will get used to it. My calling actually improved quite a good bit when I stopped bending the snot out of my calls. The “as little as possible” rule also applies to the trimming of the tape on a diaphragm call. Trim off what you have to, but no more. Here, again, take some time to try running the call just as it comes before pulling out the scissors. The second thing that’s very important is proper storage. Keep your calls clean, keep them cool and keep them in the dark. I have found a pretty decent method. I keep my calls in a small Tupperware container in the fridge. That’s “cool” and “dark”. I cover them in the container with a 50/50 solution of my favorite flavor of Listerine. That keeps the reeds from drying out and it keeps the germs and critters off them. This storage method has kept some of my mouthcalls in good running condition through 4 or 5 years of very hard use. It also helps at 5:30 in the morning to have a moist good-tasting call to put in your “morning mouth”!! I avoid putting toothpicks or reed-spacers in between the call’s reeds. This serves as a good way to loosen the tension on the reeds and could trash your favorite call. That’s just some of the thing I have found work for me. Hopefully they’ll help some of you out, as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbeck Posted February 24, 2006 Report Share Posted February 24, 2006 Re: Thoughts on call care.......... good tips, Although my mother in-law tunes our box calls until she's happy with them. She spend alot of time sanding down the sides to get the tone she wants. To most they all sound good, but she is pretty particular. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowtechTurkeyHunter Posted February 26, 2006 Report Share Posted February 26, 2006 Re: Thoughts on call care.......... Great tips I learned a thing or 2 there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James7xChamp3 Posted March 1, 2006 Report Share Posted March 1, 2006 Re: Thoughts on call care.......... [ QUOTE ] Great tips I learned a thing or 2 there. [/ QUOTE ] Same here. Thanks a bunch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennswamper Posted March 10, 2006 Report Share Posted March 10, 2006 Re: Thoughts on call care.......... Good advice! The big bird I took last year in Alabama was took with a mouth call that was 3 years old. My main calls I don't play around with in the off season. Darn things are to expensive to waste away by playing. lol Like you, I keep them in the fridge and next spring, they are like new. I think I have about a 3-5 call turnover every year, out of 15 mouth calls, give or take a couple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest hookedonhunting Posted March 14, 2006 Report Share Posted March 14, 2006 Re: Thoughts on call care.......... thanks for the advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strut10 Posted March 21, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 Re: Thoughts on call care.......... [ QUOTE ] Don't you find that the alchohol in the mouth wash can damage the laytex and or the tape???? I just keep my diaphrams in the refer . [/ QUOTE ] Nope.Never had a problem. I do dilute the mouthwash 50/50 with water. I've got diaphragms in my box that are well over 5 years old and they're still going strong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kentucky_Hunter Posted April 23, 2006 Report Share Posted April 23, 2006 Re: Thoughts on call care.......... the diamond surface your talking about...is it the one like is on the primos slick stick? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maytom Posted May 3, 2006 Report Share Posted May 3, 2006 Re: Thoughts on call care.......... Good tips!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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