I recently posted a dyed ash glass call on ebay. This morning I received the message below...
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::) Interestingly, I was able to find pics and threads I posted here dating back to 2012 about dying pot calls...
Maybe I'm reading into the message... Anyone? I made sure to let mr. leathers know that Glenn Marrer was my inspiration for beginning to use wood dyes some 7-8 years ago, and yes, I did contact him prior to trying to dye a call. His response was to send me a link for where to buy the dyes and some tips on usage. Mr. Marrer is a true wood "artist". Credit where credit is due...
Someone seems a little butt-hurt. Keep up the good work. And by the way, thanks for the black locust and dymondwood strikers you recently sent me. They are perfect and run great as always.
His response...
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Wow...
Wow is right. He acts as if he has a patent on the the creative process of dying wood. I know I won't be buying any of his calls, no matter how good they are.
Several messages later, looks like we are good... Air cleared and moving on...
I know what it is like to see something that you think looks like something you made with someone else's name on it.
The one that's hard to shake for me was the scratch box that I saw in Nashville a few years ago... that was an exact duplicate of ones I sold through Midwest Turkey Call in 2005 or so... I took a picture of it and compared it to an old scratch box that I had tossed in a drawer in my shop. The shape, dimensions and design were exact. The contour of the "lips" of the top of the call and the way the striker inserted inside to retain it... Other than the signature on the bottom of the call, there was nothing different about that scratch box than the ones I had made years before.
Sometimes a similar element of a design can be produced in a "like" product without intent or knowledge that someone else has done something similar. It happens.
This is ridiculous.
You handled it well Wendell. :angry9:
I too sought Glen Marrer's advice when I got a request for a birdseye maple trumpet dyed purple. Glen was very gracious in teaching me how to dye wood. I would consider him to be one of the better wood artists anywhere.
Glen is a great guy as well as a great call maker.
Haha! In my short time in this hobby I've quickly come to the conclusion that if you think you're making something "unique" in pot calls you're gonna be disappointed. I know everyone has slight variations in contour and design, but there is only so much you can do with hole placement, etc. Don't get me wrong, I'm not discouraging anyone for trying to be "unique", but with all the call makers and hobbiests out there, its a long shot to think that it hasn't been done somewhere, sometime. Not to mention that everyone who makes them doesn't post their pictures online, so who knows what all creativity is out there. There are a handful that I've noticed that truly stand out, and I applaud their creativity, because its certainly not easy in such a popular craft. For someone to think they created the dyed pot call (out of ash no less) in the ultra rare color of GREEN this year is laughable. Like mentioned above, you handled it well, keep up the good work!