One of my Turning students is going to make several duck calls. Are there woods that produces a better sound than others?
Also what is a good finish?
Also what is a good finish?
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Duck Call
- Thread starter fredturn
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- Dec 19, 2007
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African Blackwood, Cocobolo, and Osage are all favorite woods of us call makers. Dymonwood, acrylics and stabilized woods have become very popular in the last dozen or more years. Between the wetlands and calling process(blowing into the call) , duck calls must survive a very damp environment.
Finishing is an entire other topic. Many calls are finished with a BLO soak, some are lacquered, poly'd, and others use no finish at all with very oily woods.
Check out Greg Keets book on the duck call making.
Finishing is an entire other topic. Many calls are finished with a BLO soak, some are lacquered, poly'd, and others use no finish at all with very oily woods.
Check out Greg Keets book on the duck call making.
Fredturn,
I am not a professional duck call turner. but, I have made a few duck call for the fun of it. Keats book is OK - but kind of leaves out how to make the tone board shape - other than to tell you to purchase a metal jig. For someone who is only going to make a few calls - a metal jig costs too much. Take a look at other calls - Olt D2, or something like that to get a general shape. Then adjust it with a good sharp flat file. There are also plastic tone boards that you can purchase. It is more fun to make the whole thing. Use 10 mil mylar for a reed. Some would say the tone board is the most important part - I think the reed is. Trim the reed a little and the tone changes a bunch.
I purchased drills that were longer than normal from Enco (www.use-enco.com). I made my own mandrel from wood at first then from alum. rod after that. Go to www.customcalls.com and check out their forum on duck calls. Lots of info there. Be careful as some want to sell you tools that you can get by without unless you want to go into production.
For soaking the call in Boiled Linseed Oil - I filled a quart jar about 2/3s full and I put the parts in there and leave for a couple of weeks. Wipe off a few times after you take them out. Get the extra oil out of the small grooves as it will harden and shine much more than the rest of the call. It is easier to get it while it is wet than dry. I also put a small amount of Japan Dryer in the BLO.
Good luck.
Hugh
I am not a professional duck call turner. but, I have made a few duck call for the fun of it. Keats book is OK - but kind of leaves out how to make the tone board shape - other than to tell you to purchase a metal jig. For someone who is only going to make a few calls - a metal jig costs too much. Take a look at other calls - Olt D2, or something like that to get a general shape. Then adjust it with a good sharp flat file. There are also plastic tone boards that you can purchase. It is more fun to make the whole thing. Use 10 mil mylar for a reed. Some would say the tone board is the most important part - I think the reed is. Trim the reed a little and the tone changes a bunch.
I purchased drills that were longer than normal from Enco (www.use-enco.com). I made my own mandrel from wood at first then from alum. rod after that. Go to www.customcalls.com and check out their forum on duck calls. Lots of info there. Be careful as some want to sell you tools that you can get by without unless you want to go into production.
For soaking the call in Boiled Linseed Oil - I filled a quart jar about 2/3s full and I put the parts in there and leave for a couple of weeks. Wipe off a few times after you take them out. Get the extra oil out of the small grooves as it will harden and shine much more than the rest of the call. It is easier to get it while it is wet than dry. I also put a small amount of Japan Dryer in the BLO.
Good luck.
Hugh
Harvey and Hugh, thanks for the info on the duck call. My student has finished his first one and was very impressed with the info you guys provided on the making of duck calls. It looks like our club will have another member.
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fredturn, The really fun part is tuning the call to get that "ducky" sound. Trimming the reed can be tricky. A little trim goes a long way. The shorter the reed, the higher the pitch. The raspiness or "ducky" sound comes from the length of the soundboard and tone channel. I get more rasp with a longer tone channel, but your results will vary with wood choice, etc. This is the dirty little secret that call makers keep to themselves, so don't tell anybody!
H
H