My Version of Thunderdome....

[pappy]

I have been wanting to make one of these for a long time, but i could never figure out how to make the dome. Then I saw a post somewhere that a guy used a soda can bottom. I took a can and cut the bottom off and trimmed it with scissors then I made me a jig to fit the dome inside and pressed the top to flatten the edges. Then I turned the pot and fit the dome.... the hard part was configuring the inside to match the dome, to get that echo "bbbrrrrrrrrrr" but after a time I got it the way I wanted it to be. I turned the pot out of China Berry and had to cut a piece of slate to fit, (roughly) and used a glass soundboard....the trick was to leave enough room for the sound to travel into the dome and return back out without killing it or making it too overpowering.  This is a freebie, headed to Savannah Georgia to Creekrocket, I don't plan on selling these without doing some research......I am going to make me one, but I will inlay the dome into the pot to where the edges are flushed with it....

[captin_hook]

Awsome pappy! I love my original thunderdome. I bet yours sounds even better. I know it looks a heck of a lot better.

[s-s]

i like that i have made them before but i put the dome on the inside for the tone board i found that smaller can like a v8 juice drink worked for me.i turned the dome over so it was closer to the strike surface.i was very surprised at how good it sounded. has a lot of rasp

[West Augusta]

Looks good Pappy.

[outdoors]

DANG. PAPPY HEAR LATELY
U ARE MAKING ME FEAL LIKE
IT'S XMAS , YA JUST DON'T
NO WHAT YOU ARE GONNA
THINK OF AND DO NEXT .......
U GOTS SOME AWESOME IDEAS
KEEP IT UP
NICE LOOKING CALL . . . .
           

[pappy]

i like that i have made them before but i put the dome on the inside for the tone board i found that smaller can like a v8 juice drink worked for me.i turned the dome over so it was closer to the strike surface.i was very surprised at how good it sounded. has a lot of rasp

I thought about moving the can bottom closer to the striking surface, but I lost some of the pitch when I did that and these cans seem to have been on the high pitch end of the spectrum. So I adjusted the pedestal in height and width to accommodate the can. I changed the inner walls from flat to con-vexed and worked that same on the floor, to have the sound waves to roll instead of angle shoot back. Really surprising how much difference it made in the volume and sound range. Of course there are always variables with the striker material used and the wood chosen for the pot, but that is yet to come....

[Steve]

That's pretty cool...neat idea!

[Wingbone]

That's awesome! I have an old crystal thunderdome, and it's always been my go-to call. First one out of the vest, and usually the last back in. I have several custom calls now, that I really love, but I still use that old dome on just about every hunt at some point. Glad somebody is trying bring them back, cuz Lohman doesn't seem to be interested.

[C_W]

I believe Lohman Manufacturing Company, Inc. still owns the patent on this design.


CW

[pappy]

As far as i can find out they had a patent pending....never saw a patent number or date on a package...
"A patentee who makes or sells patented articles, or a person who does so for or under the patentee is required to mark the articles with the word "Patent" and the number of the patent. The penalty for failure to mark is that the patentee may not recover damages from an infringer unless the infringer was duly notified of the infringement and continued to infringe after the notice.

The marking of an article as patented when it is not in fact patented is against the law and subjects the offender to a penalty. Some persons mark articles sold with the terms "Patent Applied For" or "Patent Pending." These phrases have no legal effect, but only give information that an application for patent has been filed in the USPTO. The protection afforded by a patent does not start until the actual grant of the patent. False use of these phrases or their equivalent is prohibited."
I have done research and have seen no such patent date or number on any of the packages so far. But thanks for the heads up .....CW.....

[C_W]

A quick google search got me this for you Jack.

Patent #5562521, for a turkey call.

Inventor:   Butler, et al.
Date Issued:   October 8, 1996
Application:   08/575,126
Filed:   December 19, 1995
Inventors:   Bishop; Ricky J. (Warm Springs, GA)
Butler; Terry L. (Neosho, MO)
Assignee:   Lohman Manufacturing Company, Inc. (Neosho, MO)

As you can see it is patented, from a quick scan of the abstract it is the idea of using a convex metal shape in the call that is covered. Just because the packaging of the Item, or the Item itself that your are copying doesn't say a patent # doesn't mean they don't have one.

CW

[pappy]

wow that was good info. Thanks, that just answered my question didn't it.  how in the world did you find that? I looked all over, shows you how much i know about computers...lol, thanks again.

[VanHelden Game Calls]

Then name your call bottoms up.  Then its a concave metal shape

Need to honor the patents, if not we have no reason to gripe when the big guys steel from us. 

[C_W]

wow that was good info. Thanks, that just answered my question didn't it.  how in the world did you find that? I looked all over, shows you how much i know about computers...lol, thanks again.

Good thing the younger generation watches out for you! Patent Attorneys aren't bad when they are on your side.... but I wouldn't want to sit on the other side of the table.

CW

[pappy]

I hear ya, again, thanks for keeping me in the clear on these things, I think there is hope for this younger generation....lol...lol....