I have a couple of glass pot calls. Both seem to be extremely raspy. They are so raspy that you cant hear the high end breaking into the rasp. It starts and finishes sounding like just a single note with no break over. My question is am i over conditioning them or could it be another issue. Both are custom calls from 2 different call makers. I like raspy in all my calls, but i like it to break into the rasp. I have crystal calls from the same makers, and they have a great 2 note yelp. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I would like to hunt with them, but not like they are now. Thanks
Hmmm, weird, I seem to have the exact opposite experience - I can't get my glass calls raspy enough! Try some difference strikers & see if that helps. I tend to like hickory w/my slate calls & acrylic/purpleheart w/my glass & crystal calls. Sometimes, a striker is the "simple" fix.
What are you using to condition the glass? I make and sell small conditioning stones to all my customers who choose glass. I will usually break in the glass for them, so they can see how it's suppose to look. You may not be conditioning it enough. When done, it shouldn't look like scratches, but a solid milky color. I can send you a close up pic of what is should look like, if your interested. Scott.
Scott, i would appreciate you sending me a pic. Can i over condition it. Also i use drywall screen and really bear down on it. If i have cut it too deep can i somehow correct it. I just bought a primos conditioning stick. It has a stone and a diamond pad on it. Any suggestions would be appeciated. Thanks jody
Sorry, meant to pm you but posted accedentally.
I really don't think you can over dress it. under dress it, maybe, but remember, your gonna be redressing it for the rest of it's life to restore the micro grooves in the glass by the stone, to bring the sound back. The area in the center should be milky and not be able to see thru. Around the edges, you'll see some stray scratches, but the center, the area you'll be playing should be milky in color. I'm sure your already proficient on the motions, but just in case, my movements are oval in shape, and no longer than 1/4 or 3/8 inch in length.
(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t62/Mastevt/2014%20calls%20for%20sale/IMG_0494_zps9a06855a.jpg) (http://s157.photobucket.com/user/Mastevt/media/2014%20calls%20for%20sale/IMG_0494_zps9a06855a.jpg.html)
Have you tried squeezing your striker a little tighter?
Recently, I picked up a Woodhaven Cherry Classic glass call; they had their little "test" spot, but I conditioned the entire top of the glass surface with that Primos Stick thing you're talking about -- the sanding stone part, not the diamond pad part. What I did was I went left-and-right with the sand stone, in the direction of the "test" spot -- working it back & forth across the top of the glass, until the entire thing was "scored"... Then, I "touched up" the entire top surface with a rough grit piece of sand paper I've had forever...
Then, I pulled out my "go to" set of 3 strikers - a hickory, purpleheart, and then an acrylic stricker... Turns out, the hickory was my LEAST favorite (which is funny 'cause it's my MOST favorite for my slate pot calls).... To me, the purpleheart & the acrylic sound the best with it...
But, ya, like mastevt is saying, the glass top will have a "milky" look to it vs. just line/scratches on the top... Hitting my glass calls with the rough grit sand paper, before calling (and even in between, during long calling sequences), works like a champ, and brings the call back to that "milky" look... I don't think you can over-condition a call, but I might be wrong...
And, to RaspyD's point, I squeeze my strikers quite a bit, and come in at a fairly steep angle, too...