Ever get a gift that makes you cry?

[slagmaker]

Went to step out the door yeasterday to go to work. There sitting on my front porch was a package. I was running late so I put it on the couch and would check it out when I got home.

When I got home I thought ok who is this from. It was from our very own Bill from Bills Custom Calls aka Bacon nut. OOOHHH he was gona send me some wood samples so I could handel a couple more knives. Lets see I got some Zebra wood some Hard Locust and some wood not marked but I belive it is some walnut. I was stoked. Complelty stoked but wait whats this? Another package inside this package. HHHMMMM this one is from a Mr. Butcher. Could this be our very own Butcher45? So with care and high expectitations I opened the box and found two bundles of bubble wrap. My heart rate was going up and the excitment was building. I opened the first bubble bundle and I find this.



Oh YES!!! This thing sounds amazing. The glass gives it a really crisp voice. Hard to explain exectally. I will be hitting the woods with it tonight when I come home from work

OH man theres another bubble bundel lets see what we have here



DANG!! Heart break, I wanted to curse, I wanted to cry, I wanted to find me a mail man and throttle him. Something must have happened in shipping. The second mouth piece was stuck inside the broken bits of the call. I dont know what happened but I still had to try giving it a blow. Even broken it sounds good. I bet it would sound even better if it were whole.  

I want to say thank you to both Bill and Chris for there generous gifts.

[Jeb]

Thats awesome !!! 

[Dave]

Slag,
Hate to expose my ignorance, but what is that in the 1st pic, and how is it used?

[FinsnFur]

Awesome gesture on both makers parts Those glass calls are really intriguing, it's too bad one had to come in smashed.

The postal service is really getting to be something in this country. It's almost like they smash crap on purpose. You'd think they'd be a little more conscience about things since they are being threatened with email, alternative online billing and payment methods etc.

[Bills Custom Calls]

Slag I am glad to see the package made it there I would be happier if the one wasn't broke.I never opened the box when it came here so I don't know if it was broke before I sent it on.

Yes the other wood is walnut and I hope you will be able to use the wood for knife handles

[Todd Rahm]

 

[Bills Custom Calls]

  What ya pondering about Todd

[slagmaker]

The first pic is a closed reed distress call, I belive it is voiced cotton tail. It is LOUD and carrys very well. The second call was a howler.

OH by the way the pelt the pics were taken on is Lucky, the coyote I shot in my back yard while wearing my PJ's

[Bills Custom Calls]

OH by the way the pelt the pics were taken on is Lucky, the coyote I shot in my back yard while wearing my PJ's

And eating Lucky Charms  Hence the name Lucky

[Todd Rahm]

Oh, sorry Bill. Nothing to do with the post and the gesture ya made.

I was just pondering that broken call and one of my suspicions of the whole glass like route, that's all. 

[slagmaker]

I belive it broke due to the spare mouth piece being shipped inside the call. With the cold weather we have been having the diffrence in contraction between the glass and plastic may have been enough to cause the glass to fracture. I could be totally wrong on my theory tho. It may have just been and over zelous mail handler.

I belive that they should be plenty tough enough for use in the field.

The wood should work perfefctly for a couple knive's I have in mind. In fact I will most likley start work on a butcher knife this week using the zebra wood. I may look into having the wood stabilized tho just to make them more reselient and able to take more abuse.

[HuntnCarve]

Just venturing a guess, but I learned at a glass company.  That glass needs to be tempered before it can be utilized.  It has to be placed in a high temperature oven, and gradual brought down over a couple days.  Otherwise it cracks.  Might be what happened to your call with the cold temperatures?  Regardless, it is a shame it happened.  That being said.. The real gift is the sentiment and gesture that placed the calls in your hand. 

[FinsnFur]

So THATS WHY I can never save those warped beer bottles after I pull em out of the bon fire without them breaking uh Dave? 

[Bills Custom Calls]

Oh, sorry Bill. Nothing to do with the post and the gesture ya made.

I was just pondering that broken call and one of my suspicions of the whole glass like route, that's all. 

I kinda thought thats what you were pondering

I was thinking on the same lines

[slagmaker]

Even with the broken one I still want to try a glass howler. If ya take care of it you should have no problems. I have friends that have glass pipes and they hold up to some pretty rough handeling. I wouldnt think these would be any diffrent.

[Dave]

Slag,
Hate to expose my ignorance, but what is that in the 1st pic, and how is it used?

The first pic is a closed reed distress call,

Wow, you're probably wondering what's with this idiot?   Well I see it now.   I was looking at it in 2 dimensions.  Damn, I looked at that for several minutes, too, thinking it was a flat piece of glass.  Thought it might be a turkey call, but you said you're going to use it tonight.
No drugs or alcohol involved either - unfortunately.

Too bad about the broken call.  Looks like it was a sweet one.

[alscalls]

  Shame it broke.......  But it still sounds like a great day........ 

[Butcher45]

Aw Crap!

The glass was kilned (tempered) properly.  I think the reason it broke is because I tried shipping it in a $5 flat rate box that was about as wide as the call itself (maybe a little less?).  With the bubble wrap it was stuffed in there a bit.  From the looks of how it broke, it was crushed in shipping.  Totally my fault.....I should have packed packed it better in a bigger box plain and simple.  Putting the other toneboard inside the call itself probably wasn't to bright an idea, either.  PM me your address, so when I make some more I can send you a new barrel, as my good intentions wound-up being more of a slap in the face in a way.... so hold on to those toneboards!

At least that Excruciator survived.....glad you like it.  The Excruciator is my go-to call.  If it has a reed sleeve around the reed (I think it does), that is the proto-type style....my new ones that will be offered for sale from here on out are set a bit further down in the call, and are without the reed sleeve.  The ones I have put together without reed sleeves never lock-up on me like some of the ones using reed sleeves.

Todd I guarantee my calls, and will even pay for return shipping if anyone is unhappy for any reason with any call I make when they open their package.  If that happened to a customers call it would be replaced, or money refunded immediately. They shouldn't break in shipping from here on out though, because I will pack them in boxes that are actually bigger than the calls.  

It either took some serious weight/force to break that call in that fashion, or the glass did not like the delrin toneboard rattling around in there.  Since it didn't break at it's widest part, I'm thinking the latter may be the culprit.  Fortunately, there is no contact between the toneboard, and the glass with my calls as I put surgical tubing between them.

[alscalls]

 

[FozzyBear]

Hay Bill were can I find a couple of sound boards for hower calls? Got quite afue cow & buffalo horn . Would like to try my hand at making my own hower call.