Need help with a copper pot

[NoogaVFL]

Hey all, been lurking here for quite a while. I'm not much of a talker on message boards, but I have an issue that I just can't seem to figure out.

I bought a copper pot from a very reputable custom call maker a few weeks ago. I have a bloodwood striker and an ironwood striker. I've conditioned it according to how Mike Yingling mentions in his Youtube video as well as what I read on an old thread on this forum. However, I just can't seem to get it to sound right. I've tried cleaning the striker tips, roughing them up a little bit with 320 grit, Scotchbrite, etc. It just sounds kinda "dead". It's really hard to explain what the issue is. I can't seem to get much rollover on the yelps but the clucks sound great (especially the cackles).

Am I missing something? The only other pot I own is an old Primos Power Crystal.

If you guys have any other questions, I'd be happy to answer. I'm just troubleshooting this so that I'm ready to go for Tennessee's opener on Saturday.

Thanks!

[bbcustomboxcalls]

If you have conditioned the call and the striker properly. Then I have a couple of suggestions, Try finding the sweet spot, by that I mean
a place on the surface where you get the best sound.  Then ease up on the amount of pressure you use on the down stroke.
Also try not squeezing the striker too hard let it vibrate.  To get a good rollover you need to trace small football shaped circles.
Once you get the sound you like increase the size of the circle with a little more pressure to increase the volume.

Hope this helps,
Bill

[Strick9]

Copper pots to me are absolutely gorgeous but just simply not worth their problems. They are probably the hardest to get to run consistently and require the most surface maintenance.. I have owned a couple from different custom guys and though they have a very unique sound and work on birds they will also bugger you up with that high squeel if you are not on your game 100 %. This is just my opinion some guys love them and maybe one day I will find one that does what I want it to , work perfect every time like slate, glass and crystal without worry.

[ridgerunner]

I own one copper call and I've had many come and go , but I own one cocobolo copper, that's the only one I've kept thus far..copper is hard to get right IMO.. The copper call I have you can run it just like a slate call, it runs great and has a consistent sound...as a good call should...many guys say you have to call lightly on a copper....the call I have runs no different than slate, glass. aluminum etc..excellent call...and birds love it..many birds died chasing that copper sound.

[Smooth_Operator]

They can certainly be finicky, that's for sure.  You really have to run a bunch of different strikers to get the right sound.  I've had best results with carbon strikers and Snakewood strikers.  Work the striker around the pot to find the sweet spot, for my current copper pot the sweet spot is a little lower than most other pots I run.  It's right about midway between the middle and the top of the pot.  Of course there may be an issue with the pot itself, if that's the case it's most likely a loose soundboard if you're getting a constant dead sound...

[sixbird]

They can certainly be finicky, that's for sure.  You really have to run a bunch of different strikers to get the right sound.  I've had best results with carbon strikers and Snakewood strikers.  Work the striker around the pot to find the sweet spot, for my current copper pot the sweet spot is a little lower than most other pots I run.  It's right about midway between the middle and the top of the pot.  Of course there may be an issue with the pot itself, if that's the case it's most likely a loose soundboard if you're getting a constant dead sound...

I had pretty much the same issue and like the poster above says, a carbon striker lit that baby UP! It does need more conditioning than my other calls but it's got a really unique loud high pitched yelp...

[Jbird22]

I've found copper to be very user friendly honestly. Conditioning is as easy as occasionally roughing with emory cloth backed sandpaper and more often than that using scotch brite to touch it up. I have noticed that the strikers you use on copper need more conditioning as the copper tends to build up more on the tip than other surfaces will. I absolutely LOVE the sound of the distinct two-note, breaking yelp I get out of my Yingling copper pots!

[West Augusta]

I have 6 different copper pot calls from 3 different makers and the one thing that I've found out about copper pot calls is that they like a harder striker and that you need to run them closer to the center than any other surface.

I only use green scotchbrite on my copper pot calls.  Condition it in one direction and then again at 90 degrees.