Making an open reed Call

Christopher,
Concerning the flat spot ahead of air groove, when I drilled the hole in barrel the bit came out about 1/8" higher than I wanted it to and thus the flat spot was eliminated because of my slight goof. Concerning the air groove, most antlers are curved in such a way as to make it impossible to drill that deep. That fact is the reason why I cut the air groove with a dremel tool. When making calls from plastic rod I use a fixture which holds the rod in place while drilling. The plastic rod being staight, also allows me to drill all the way to within 1/4" or so of rod end. The air groove will then be exposed when I saw out the reed bridge portion. One day soon, I will try to show you guys a photo or two of the fixture I use when making voices for killer calls and howlers.
 
Thanks for the great info Rich! I am almost done with my call, and will post a picture of it as soon as it is completed. This isn't the easiest project I have ever done by far!

Where can I find the green bands at? I have one from an old howler that I was planning on using unless I can find a new one.

Thanks again Rich
Ryan

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NV88280.jpg
 
Wow- I almost missed this thread, being a busy feller and all. You can't get a more detailed tutorial on making a call than this. THanks Rich- One question -how much does the length of the call determine characteristics such as pitch, loudness, etc- or is that all determined by the volume of air you put into making a call?

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Your American Heritage- Fur Trapping, Hunting and Fishing
 
trapnman,
The length of a call is one very important part to consider. When making a call with a barrel which is same inside diameter from front to rear, there is a point in which more length actually causes a loss in volume. I found this out by trial and error, and one particular howler on the market suffers from this very phenomenon. A really loud call needs a bigger diameter barrel, which is one reason that you see the plastic funnels on some of the more popular howlers.
 
Rich- so if you would make one call say close to your size in the demo- roughly 4" long, with a barrel of 3". So say I made one 6" long, with a barrel of 4". Would this change the performance (loudness, tone)
significantly? How about on the lower end- how would the tone change with a call 3" long with a barrel of 2" (I realize that this might be too small to be practical, but for theories sake). How does the length of the reed change things? Is the width also critical- does a narrow reed vibrate more, or isn't this even a factor? Hope these questions aren't being to presumptuous, but this is something I could sink my teeth into (pun intended LOL).....trappnman



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Your American Heritage- Fur Trapping, Hunting and Fishing
 
Trappnman,
In order to get a wider variation in pitch, you will likely want to make your reed bridge longer. The distance between reed tip and reed bridge must be greater in order to reproduce the lower notes of say a deer or kid goat bleat. A wider reed will give a lower pitch than a narrow reed but is harder to blow. A wide reed requires larger air groove under it to compensate. In order for a call to be louder, the barrel needs to be of larger diameter. Cut the bottom out of a plastic pop bottle to make a large funnel. Now stick your predtor call in the small end of this funnel and blow. What a large difference in sound you will observe.
 
Rich- got the call today. I like it- I don't like mass produced stuff. After a short practice session, My wife and I went to try it out. We went to two stands, and called and waited fro about 20 minutes on each stand. Well, I won't be one that calls one in on his first stand, but enjoyed myself nevertheless. I like the state of alertness you must be in waiting after each series of calls. I will keep you posted. Calling will be sporadic for me until later this winter. A bit of advice needed. I found that the sound I produced using two hands, seemed fuller and more wavering than trying to do it one handed. Is the prefered method to use two hands, even with experience? Again, thnaks for prompt service......trappnman

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Your American Heritage- Fur Trapping, Hunting and Fishing
 
Trappnman,
Some guys do call with both hands cupped over the barrel, and you do in fact get a bigger sound that way. I usually call with my left hand while my right hand is wrapped around pistol grip of my rifle or shotgun. I keep my weapon pretty much in ready position at all times while calling.
 
I am in process of fixing the photo's in this thread. I was using Webshots when I did the original thread, and photo's were working ok back then. Imagestation is my host for photo's now, and it looks like the photos are working. I still have a few left to fix, so if you only see a red X it only means I am still working on that photo. Please have patience. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Rich great info I wish you had started the thread years ago it would have saved a lot of trial and error.

My hunting partner gave me several pieces of 1.25 inch dia delrin plastic.Have you tried the material?
 
Terry,
Delrin is nice material to work with. I use the 5/8" delrin rod to make voices for my killer calls and some of my howlers. I have also used 3/4" and 7/8" delrin rod to make open reed calls.
 
Rich - When you origionaly started this thread I somehow missed it. I've gotta tell you buddy. This is one of the very best threads that I've EVER seen on one of these boards.

And the information is very timely since I am struggling with making a horn howler and trying to make my own voice. I have a new appreciation for what it takes to find the ..... well ..... feel for the right drop on an open reed call. I have two Tally-ho calls that have died slow and painful deaths while working out the drop/angle for a reliable howler. I'm close, but still working on it.

Thank you Rich!

Michael
 
hey rich could you expand on getting that correct drop or angle on the tip of the mouth piece. can the air channel come to the very end of the mouth piece when using delrin? appreciate any advanced tips that you would be willing to share. thanks in advance. this is the best thread i have ever had the pleasure of reading and participating in.
stump jumper
 
Rich, You have done an excellent job on this thread. Thanks a lot. A ton of info.Now, while I have you here, have you seen open reed bird calls, as in ducks and geese?
Redfrog
 
RedFrog,
It is my understanding that there is an open reed call hiding inside the mouthpiece of most good duck and goose calls. I am about to open the door here for a whole bunch of you younger callers. The very first open reed call that I ever saw with my very own eyes was nothing but an Olt D-2 duck call with mouthpiece removed. Olt used to make a call just like the D-2 only much smaller. This was the call used by many old western coyote men. Most of them just took the mouthpiece off and either lost it or threw it away. I hold the belief that the Tally-ho call was made by slightly changing the appearance of reed assembly on those little Olt calls, and eventually mass producing them. I could be wrong there, but not very much wrong. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Stump jumper,
The endless air groove theory is what Major Boddicker used when designing the Crit'r call line. In my experience with Delrin rod, I like at least 3/4" diameter stock if I am gonna use the endless groove method. Delrin is a little bit rubbery, and I feel that taking the groove all the way to the tip weakens the reed assmbly somewhat. If you have a 3" long piece of delrin rod, you will want to use about half of the length for reed bridge. You will probably want to start by milling a flat spot 1&1/2" long and 3/8" deep for your reed to lay. Then you will want to mill a steady arch or "bridge" from front of the flat spot out to tip of the rod, with bottom of bridge ending up approx 1/8"-1/4" from bottom of your delrin rod. I find it really hard to explain without photo's so I am gonna go get some film and start adding info to this thread. At least I will do so if you folks don't mind. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
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