Thanks to its ease of use and realistic sounds, the pot call, also known as the friction call, is a favorite choice for both beginner and novice turkey hunters. Its ability to recreate a hen’s yelps, cuts, clucks and purrs makes it a must-have piece of equipment for the turkey woods.
To maximize the potential of a pot call, not only does the hunter need to know the best techniques for use, but he or she needs to regularly condition and care for the call.
Pot calls have four main parts – the calling surface, sound board, pot and striker/peg. Generally, the calling surface is made of one of four main materials – slate, glass, crystal and aluminum.
The friction created when you rub the striker across the calling surface makes the turkey sound. In order to produce the friction needed to make realistic turkey sounds, the call must maintain a roughened surface. The goal is to have as much friction as possible between the surface of your call and the tip of your striker. Overtime, the moisture and oils from your hands can cause the surface of your call to get slick, which negatively affects the sound it produces. For this reason, you need to regularly condition (roughen up) the calling surface.
Chris Parrish, Knight and Hale pro staffer, recommends conditioning your call frequently to ensure it produces the best sound during each use.
To condition your call, you’ll need to use sandpaper or Scotch Brite pads, depending on the surface material. A Call Conditioning Tool is ideal for preparing surfaces for all friction calls.
“First of all, with any friction call, you don’t want to sand the surface in a circular movement,” Parrish said. “You want to sand across the grain in the same direction or in a back and forth direction. That way, when you run the striker across the surface, you’re running across the grain, which will create realistic turkey sounds. Running with the grain can create skips and misses, which will negatively affect the sound. Sanding the same way each time will keep your calling consistent.”
For slate calls, such as the Long Spur Slate Pot Call, Parrish recommends using a Scotch Brite pad, rather than sandpaper, which can “dig in” and wear out the surface more quickly. You can find Scotch Brite pads at stores such as Walmart or Home Depot.
For aluminum calls, such as the Long Spur Aluminum Pot Call, Parrish recommends using 120-grit sandpaper. “This size sandpaper helps to ensure that you don’t create big grooves on the aluminum surface. You want nice, fine grooves to produce realistic calls.”
To condition a crystal or glass call, such as the Long Spur Glass Pot Call, you’ll first want to prep the call using a glass tool or glass stone, which is essentially just a fine grit whetstone.
“Then take 80- to 100-grit sandpaper and finish prepping it,” Parrish said. “The stone is tough enough to cut the glass; then the sandpaper can roughen it up.”
For ceramic calls, like the Ol’ Yeller Classic Ceramic Turkey Pot Call, Parrish likes to use 220-grit sandpaper.
“You need to use a fine sandpaper because the ceramic surface can wear easily. Scotch Brite isn’t quite enough to cut and take out the striker line. Ceramic usually doesn’t take as much sanding as some of the other call surfaces.”
In addition to conditioning your friction calls, you want to protect them as well. Purchase a case or protective cover for your calls. After prepping them and when you’re not using them, put them in that case.
Parrish said the striker needs prepping as well to remove the particles of aluminum, slate, ceramic, glass or crystal on the tip. To prep the striker, just take a piece of sand paper or Scotch Bright and sand the tip.
“After I condition the tip, I put a drill bit cover on the end,” he said.” It will slide right over the striker tip to protect it.”
With the proper care and conditioning, a good pot call can provide you with years of effective calling in the turkey woods.
For turkey hunters, having the right calling skills and equipment can make the difference between a successful hunt and going home empty-handed Glass turkey calls produce some of the most realistic and enticing sounds for bringing in even the most hesitant gobblers. However, brand new out-of-the-box glass calls require some conditioning before they will sound their best Here is a step-by-step guide on how to properly condition a glass turkey call.
Why Condition a Glass Turkey Call?
Glass turkey calls work by scraping a striker across the call’s surface to emit sound. New from the manufacturer, glass call surfaces are perfectly smooth. This can cause the striker to slip and stick rather than producing a clear sound.
Lightly texturing the surface using a conditioning stone gives the glass microscopic scratches and grooves. These imperfections grab the striker as you draw it across the call, creating the vibrant turkey-like tones you want.
Well-conditioned glass creates friction and resonance to mimic yelps, clucks, purrs and other hen sounds that will call in lovesick gobblers during hunting season.
What You’ll Need to Condition a Glass Call
Conditioning a glass call for turkey hunting takes just a few simple items
- Glass turkey call
- Conditioning stone or sandpaper
- Paper towels or soft cloth
- Isopropyl alcohol
- Plastic gloves
The conditioning stone gently roughens the glass surface, while the alcohol removes any residue before use. Protecting your hands with gloves keeps oil from your skin transferring to the call.
Step-by-Step Glass Turkey Call Conditioning
Follow these steps to properly prepare your glass turkey call to achieve maximum sound performance:
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Clean the call surface – Wipe the glass clean using a paper towel sprayed with isopropyl alcohol to remove any dirt, oil or debris.
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Attach gloves – Put on plastic gloves to keep fingerprints and skin oils off the glass surface during conditioning.
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Inspect for defects – Look over the entire glass surface and edges for any chips, cracks or deep scratches. These can prevent proper sound and require call replacement.
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Ready the stone – Prepare your conditioning stone by spritzing it with alcohol. This prevents transferring grime to the call.
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Lightly texture the surface – Using mild pressure, make consistent strokes back and forth across the call face with the stone. Apply enough to roughen the glass without deep scratches.
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Rub perpendicular to striker direction – Texture the glass at a 90 degree angle to the direction you’ll drag your striker. This gives ideal grip and resonance.
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Maintain rounded edges – Lightly smooth call edges with the stone to avoid sharp corners that can cut your hand during use.
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Remove residue – Wipe away any leftover grit from the stone using alcohol on a soft cotton cloth.
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Test the sound – Do a test run with your striker across conditioned areas to confirm the desired sound is produced before hunting use.
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Store properly – Keep call in protective case away from moisture and damage when not in use to maintain condition.
Tips for Proper Glass Surface Conditioning
To get the longest lasting finish on your glass turkey call:
- Apply minimal pressure with stone to avoid over-texturing the surface
- Check sound frequently as you condition to prevent overdoing it
- Choose a fine grit stone made specifically for glass calls
- Perform additional light conditioning as needed after heavy use
- Keep bare hands off glass surface to prevent oil transfer
- Store call safely in case when not hunting
With the right conditioning techniques, your glass call will produce pure turkey talk that keeps gobblers responding all season long.
When to Condition a New Glass Turkey Call
The ideal times to condition a new glass surface call are:
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Before first using – Conditioning an unused call prepares the virgin glass to generate sound.
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After heavy use – Calls require reconditioning occasionally after extensive hunting use wears down the surface.
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If sound quality declines – Lightly re-texture the glass if the call seems to lose resonance and doesn’t run cleanly.
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Before turkey season – Inspect calls and freshen up conditioning as part of your preseason preparation.
While glass calls can go years before requiring heavy reconditioning, hunters should periodically inspect and touch up their calls to keep friction and sound quality at their peak. Doing so ensures every spring turkey hunt gets off on the right foot.
With proper care and conditioning, a quality glass turkey call will provide hunters with a lifetime of vocalization for attracting even the craftiest old longbeards. Don’t underestimate the conditioning steps required to make glass perform at its best. Follow these tips to get your calls gobbling this turkey season.
How To Condition a Glass Surface Pot Call
FAQ
What grit sandpaper to use on glass turkey call?
How do you make a glass turkey call work?
Why do turkey calls sound like Screeching gates?
Most types of turkey calls including mouth calls, box calls, and friction calls need some Tender-Loving-Care to keep them sounding good. Here are a few tips to help you keep all your calls in tip-top shape. The reason most box calls begin sounding like screeching gates is a lack of friction between the lid/paddle and the sides/rails of the box.
How often do you wash a turkey call?
Instead, I do rinse them off with water fairly often. Most box type turkey calls are built to last a lifetime and they should with a little care. The natural slate and glass/composite calls will wear down over a long period of time because you do removed material each time you sand them.
How do you store a turkey call?
Timothy Oldham Jr., Grand National Callmaking Competition Call Maker of the Year and Earl Mickel Award winner, likes to keep his turkey calls in a temperature-controlled environment during the offseason. “I also store my calls in leather cases to protect them and keep them in good working condition,” Oldham Jr. said.