Over the years I have had some folks make comments about certain woods being too brightly colored with the concern of birds "spooking" at the sight of the call. Others have said that if a bird is in close enough to see your pot call, it's time to shoot, not to call.
With that thought in mind, I have dyed a few calls over the past couple of years. I have dyed some black, some green (deep, bright green) and some olive green. Some like the dyed wood look, some don't. Soooo, here's the question in 3 parts:
Would you buy a dyed pot call?
If so, what color would you be interested in?
What wood would you most likely consider?
I am considering a limited edition run of dyed calls for next year and haven't settled on the wood type yet. I am thinking either curly maple or birdseye maple or possibly pecan. All accept dye readily. The dye seems to really highlight highly figured woods. Pecan takes a dye nicely, but generally has little figure.
Thanks in advance for your input.
Wendell
A curly or Bird's Eye maple call in a darker, non-bright green would be awesome...
I would like more natural colors. Greens, browns, etc.
I have done a few in hot pink and have one in process in dark purple... ;D Little girls -gotta love 'em. :) I'll have to post a picture of the purple call when finished. The daddy who ordered this one had me make a hot pink call for his other daughter a couple of years ago.
I'll have to make up one of the curly maple calls in dark olive and post it here. I made a pecan slate in the dark olive and sold it on ebay. I think the color is just about right.
Wendell,
Considering we shot two nice Toms the first time we took out your Aluminum/Yellowheart pot call with the Dymondwood striker last week, I wouldn't care if you made them in hunter orange! The Tom's were going crazy for your calls. I'll email you the pictures once I get them from my buddies camera.
Please keep me on your mailing list (subliminal message) and make a ltd edition Copper call so I can add one to my arsenal.
Thanks again for the great calls and great service.
Dan Smith
Overland Park, KS
Quote from: Dan Smith on May 21, 2012, 11:34:02 AM
...I wouldn't care if you made them in hunter orange!...
Indeed! :icon_thumright:
Personally I think dyed calls no matter what color are butt ugly.
I saw one somewhere done in blue that looked great!
Green is a definite!
I vote birdseye in a lt brown/tan. The dye seems to pop the figure and the earthtones still give it a "wood" look.
I'd have to see one first in any color. I like the natural look, but if a dyed on caught my eye I'd scoop it up no matter the color.
Glen Marrer makes the Green Meanie call that is sweeettt! Curly maple dyed green. Sweet stuff.
I would rather not dye the wood I like the different woods for what they are.. Plus I never wear gloves when hunting so it would be senseless for me to have a dyed call because I was worried bout them seeing it! Haha
I've had a lot of luck dying the curly maple. Green is popular along with a deep maroon color that I worked up. If its going to be a limited addition, I wouldn't use an off the shelf color. I would mix one up to make it more unique.
Would love to see you make one in deep red and black like a box elder burl wood, we are setting up to dye and stabilize this summer, if I come up with a great piece I will send it your way my friend, pappy
Quote from: DeWayne Knight on May 21, 2012, 10:42:56 AM
A curly or Bird's Eye maple call in a darker, non-bright green would be awesome...
I made one like this a couple of years ago and had several people want them. It lookls awsome in birdseye maple too. That said yea, I like dyed calls, especially the green, and the lighter woods like maple take dye well and allow you to control the depth of the color .
Quote from: AngryBird on May 21, 2012, 12:09:34 PM
Personally I think dyed calls no matter what color are butt ugly.
+1 I much prefer the natural wood.
Quote from: Gobblerstopper on May 21, 2012, 06:02:48 PM
I've had a lot of luck dying the curly maple. Green is popular along with a deep maroon color that I worked up. If its going to be a limited addition, I wouldn't use an off the shelf color. I would mix one up to make it more unique.
The green I have worked up combines 3 stock colors to make a deep olive green. The color looked good on pecan, but I think will really make a more figured wood really pop visually.
Obviously one color or one wood is not going to please everybody... thus the reason multiple woods, both domestic and exotic are available. What interests one guy may completely turn the next guy off.
Baskin Robins would never have made it if they only offered vanilla. That said, some folks love vanilla, so they offer it in multiple varieties. ;)
I ran across this image of a mandolin makers work some time back , it is a dyed or tinted curly Maple - look at the depth and shameless beauty of this work of art - with the right piece of wood and knowledge you can make stuff like this
(http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh220/OldGobbler1/poe_mandolin_quilt_back3.jpg)
That looks like quilted big leaf maple. It is a little soft for a pot call for my taste. I tried some a few years back. It is incredibly beautiful without a doubt. I love how it's combined with the tiger maple sides and neck. The depth of the figure of both woods is enhanced by the dye and the finish.
your right , it is quilted
Use a pc of veneer cut into medallions inlay-ed into the back and stained.
Best of all worlds :drool:
Would anyone care to share how to go about dying wood?
Quote from: Crawdad on May 23, 2012, 09:52:09 AM
Would anyone care to share how to go about dying wood?
I have used both Trans Tint dyes and J.C. Moser analine dyes. You can find them by doing a web search. I like the dyes that you mix with denatured alcohol. It penetrates the grain without raising the grain as much as water based dyes. Trans Tint is a liquid dye, where J.C. Moser dyes are powdered.
I prefer to dip my pieces in the dye solution as opposed to wiping it on. I find this gives better consistency and penetration. Dyes will penetrate end grain more deeply than they will face grain, which will cause face grain to appear darker. Dyes will also highlight any sanding marks left on the wood, so sanding with successive finer grits is important. I wouldn't stop until I got to at least 400 grit.
Here is a great article on using the TransTint dyes:
http://www.joewoodworker.com/transtints.htm (http://www.joewoodworker.com/transtints.htm)
Thank's a lot buddy, so I assume you don't dye until after you turn & sand your call to a finish, right?
Quote from: Crawdad on May 23, 2012, 11:11:04 AM
Thank's a lot buddy, so I assume you don't dye until after you turn & sand your call to a finish, right?
That's right. You want to remove everything that is not going to be a part of the finished product before you dye. This includes drilling out soundholes, final sanding of soundholes, surfaces, guts of the call... I have also found that it best for me to apply a coat of sanding sealer after the dye is dry before I sign the calls. I have yet to find a good white pen to sign on dyed calls. Even after drying, the white seems to bleed into the dye and not show up well. I'll have to keep working on that one...
Thank's again, I really appreciate your help.
I like dyed wood calls just fine, but I agree with those that prefer natural colors like dark green, brown, etc.
I think this dyed green Lights Out is persimmon, but I could be wrong. Call sounds great, not sure the color mattered ;D
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v712/mudhen/2012Turkey257.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v712/mudhen/lo006.jpg)
Butt ugly? 99% of the ugliest calls I have ever seen are regular wood calls :D
mudhen
If you have guys complaining about your calls color, the call has done it's job and they haven't done theirs.
People amaze me these days....
That being said, mudhen's dyed calls look fantastic. The deep red idea and natural earth tones sound like a good start.
Let me know what you end up doing with it, Wendell. I'd like to put my hands one one!
Quote from: lightsoutcalls on May 22, 2012, 11:45:53 PM
That looks like quilted big leaf maple. It is a little soft for a pot call for my taste. I tried some a few years back. It is incredibly beautiful without a doubt. I love how it's combined with the tiger maple sides and neck. The depth of the figure of both woods is enhanced by the dye and the finish.
I wonder how the big leaf maple would work for a pot if it was stabilized?
I'm not sure... I had some curly maple stabilized that was very soft. It definitely made it harder, but it also darkened the wood color a bit. The people that I used to stabilize also do some dying, but I have not looked into that with them... you may just got the wheels turning again... ;)
Wendell, I love that olive green persimmon you did last year. That thing looks awesome with the black anodized aluminum.