TT - Cow Horn Tip Calls - Pictorial Progress on this batch
- Thread starter TonyTebbe
- Start date
TonyTebbe
New member
Quote:
I'm right here guys. I'll need to eat dinner before we start.
What you guys watched, last night, was my mass machining of 13 calls. When going from machine to machine, it works out best to do a batch of them. We got all the rough work out of the way. But...we took a good break point, where we left off. Now comes the part where each call has to have personal attention to it. This where the customization of each call comes into play for it to earn a "TT" mark.
I will select 3 calls to finish tonight. The process will go much slower than last night. They will go from rough state to tuned, bored, sanded, polished, re-tuned, etc... I'll make sure I record plenty of before/during/after sound files, so that you can see what goes into each one. The rest of the batch will get worked on next week, as we are leaving to visit the parents in Illinois for the weekend.
We'll finish the following:
Frshwtr's call - raspy cottontail with high pitched squeals on the tip.
SDCoyotecaller's call - black colored jackrabbit with deep raspy squauls and good volume.
Lungpopper's call - red/white striped cottontail with raspy meduim/high pitch and screaming tip.
PS. 10 of the 13 are custom orders, I should have 3 available if they all make the mark.
Well here's the 3 calls that we'll try to finish:
Call 1 - Frshwtr's call - raspy cottontail with high pitched squeals on the tip.
Call 2 - SDCoyotecaller's call - black colored jackrabbit with deep raspy squauls and good volume.
Call 3 - Lungpopper's call - red/white striped cottontail with raspy meduim/high pitch and screaming tip.
I took the dremel and cleaned up the toneboard, where the sanding disk can't reach. Note the bottom/left of each toneboard isn't square. That has to do with using a round sanding disk.
Next, I cut band grooves for the castration band with the dremel and cut reed for each call to begin the tuning process. In addition, I dremeled out the air channel better to make a smoother cleaner look and add volume.
Here is the recordings of each. We've got a bunch of work to do on these. Each one of them has a tip that sticks and not in tune with what each customer requests.
Call 1 Sound File
Call 2 Sound File
Call 3 Sound File
Next, I'll take each to an emery board and start sanding them back and forth to get the toneboard where it needs to be.
Be back....
Tony
I'm right here guys. I'll need to eat dinner before we start.
What you guys watched, last night, was my mass machining of 13 calls. When going from machine to machine, it works out best to do a batch of them. We got all the rough work out of the way. But...we took a good break point, where we left off. Now comes the part where each call has to have personal attention to it. This where the customization of each call comes into play for it to earn a "TT" mark.
I will select 3 calls to finish tonight. The process will go much slower than last night. They will go from rough state to tuned, bored, sanded, polished, re-tuned, etc... I'll make sure I record plenty of before/during/after sound files, so that you can see what goes into each one. The rest of the batch will get worked on next week, as we are leaving to visit the parents in Illinois for the weekend.
We'll finish the following:
Frshwtr's call - raspy cottontail with high pitched squeals on the tip.
SDCoyotecaller's call - black colored jackrabbit with deep raspy squauls and good volume.
Lungpopper's call - red/white striped cottontail with raspy meduim/high pitch and screaming tip.
PS. 10 of the 13 are custom orders, I should have 3 available if they all make the mark.
Well here's the 3 calls that we'll try to finish:
Call 1 - Frshwtr's call - raspy cottontail with high pitched squeals on the tip.
Call 2 - SDCoyotecaller's call - black colored jackrabbit with deep raspy squauls and good volume.
Call 3 - Lungpopper's call - red/white striped cottontail with raspy meduim/high pitch and screaming tip.
I took the dremel and cleaned up the toneboard, where the sanding disk can't reach. Note the bottom/left of each toneboard isn't square. That has to do with using a round sanding disk.
Next, I cut band grooves for the castration band with the dremel and cut reed for each call to begin the tuning process. In addition, I dremeled out the air channel better to make a smoother cleaner look and add volume.
Here is the recordings of each. We've got a bunch of work to do on these. Each one of them has a tip that sticks and not in tune with what each customer requests.
Call 1 Sound File
Call 2 Sound File
Call 3 Sound File
Next, I'll take each to an emery board and start sanding them back and forth to get the toneboard where it needs to be.
Be back....
Tony
TonyTebbe
New member
I went to work on the toneboards and have the flat spots out of the tips. I had to resand and entire different toneboard arc on Call 1, as I couldn't get the pitch to raise with just an emery board mods. All 3 calls are starting to show the signature "TT" rasp to them, but it's time to work on the bell end, before the fine tuning begins.
I'm going to bore out these raw bell ends, by hand with a dremel bit. I'm looking to clean them up, but more importantly, increase volume and give each call the proper back pressure.
Feel free to fire away quetions again guys.
Be right back....
I'm going to bore out these raw bell ends, by hand with a dremel bit. I'm looking to clean them up, but more importantly, increase volume and give each call the proper back pressure.
Feel free to fire away quetions again guys.
Be right back....
littlepig99
New member
Tony,
What do you mean by proper back pressure?
What do you mean by proper back pressure?
SDCoyoteCaller
Active member
I finally made it in, Tony. I am looking forward to the transformation.
TonyTebbe
New member
My definition of proper backpressure, is giving the call the right amount of back pressure that'll give enough resisitance to produce rasp when blowing hard on the call. Too much pressure, and the call will be choked down from it's volume potential. Not enough pressure, and the call sounds like....well, a store bought elk call being passed off as a predator call. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
As far as thinner bell on a distress call, it really doesn't make much of a difference on such a short barrelled call. I choose a wall thickness that's not heavy on the lanyard, but thick enough to resist generations of use.
I have the bells bored out, but two of them have separation rings in them (normal on horns). I had to fill them up with superglue and waiting for them to set, before testing them.
Good questions...
Tony
As far as thinner bell on a distress call, it really doesn't make much of a difference on such a short barrelled call. I choose a wall thickness that's not heavy on the lanyard, but thick enough to resist generations of use.
I have the bells bored out, but two of them have separation rings in them (normal on horns). I had to fill them up with superglue and waiting for them to set, before testing them.
Good questions...
Tony
dustinyotes
New member
Do the separation rings go through the entire wall of the horn or are they not that deep?
And when you glue them do you clamp them or just fill with glue and let dry?
And when you glue them do you clamp them or just fill with glue and let dry?
Last edited:
TonyTebbe
New member
Each seperation ring is different, some don't run deep, some run really deep. In the case of Call 1, it ran very deep. I filled it 1/2 up with thin superglue, then let it set. I filled it the rest of the way up, then filled it with a powder to build a solid bridge. Then covered it again with more thin superglue. In it's case, the powder I used was hippo ivory dust. It'll harden like a rock and be very solid.
I use 10 mil mylar for everything. I had to doublecheck the packing slip on it, as it's been 5 years since I ordered it. I had an 18" x 20 foot roll. I'm glad you asked, because now I see my roll is only 2 feet or so. Time to order a bunch more.
Tony
I use 10 mil mylar for everything. I had to doublecheck the packing slip on it, as it's been 5 years since I ordered it. I had an 18" x 20 foot roll. I'm glad you asked, because now I see my roll is only 2 feet or so. Time to order a bunch more.
Tony
SDCoyoteCaller
Active member
Looking good, Tony. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
dustinyotes
New member
Could you use the dust from sanding the cow horn to fill the seperation or does that not work as well?
Last edited:
TonyTebbe
New member
I did some fine tuning on the toneboard. Part of building a custom call is getting to know your customer. This call is for Mark (SDCoyoteCaller). I know his calling style and the areas he's calling. He needs a call that's easy to blow, can handle a bunch of air, and has really good volume to reach the timbered draws that he calls to from the South Dakota grassy knolls.
Call 2 Sound Test Drive
Tell me what you think Mark. If you like it, I'll give it the "TT" engraving and start buffing.
Tony
Call 2 Sound Test Drive
Tell me what you think Mark. If you like it, I'll give it the "TT" engraving and start buffing.
Tony