Greetings! I have a newer slate call and the dymondwood striker started slipping out of the blue. I did the standard scotch brite touchup and it made no difference at all so I tried some 220 sandpaper and still couldn't even produce a basic yelp as it was slipping so bad. I don't know how it could possibly have gotten wet but just in case I let it sit in the hot sun for about 3 hours and it worked great again. I brought it back inside for 2 days and now it slips like crazy again. I roughed it up with some 150 grit and it made absolutely zero difference. Any thoughts on what's going on here and how to address it?
Thank You!
chalk your striker
X2 on the chalk. When you rough up the surface do not use a circular motion. Go in one direction only.
How dark is the slate after being inside? How dark after drying in the sun? You can dry it with a lighter. Don't get it realy hot, just watch for the difference in shade to see when it is dry.
I hardly ever condition calls. I use chalk on the surface. Scraping on something I paid sixty or a hundred dollars for makes no sense to me.
Quote from: howl on May 18, 2020, 10:24:55 AM
How dark is the slate after being inside? How dark after drying in the sun? You can dry it with a lighter. Don't get it realy hot, just watch for the difference in shade to see when it is dry.
I hardly ever condition calls. I use chalk on the surface. Scraping on something I paid sixty or a hundred dollars for makes no sense to me.
Its not the slate call, it's the striker. I only use the green scotch brite to condition the call.
Quote from: BDeal on May 18, 2020, 10:28:49 AM
Its not the slate call, it's the striker. I only use the green scotch brite to condition the call.
Agreed. Striker too hard...get a softer striker.
Also, hold a bit farther up on the striker.
In fact, try that first...plus don't grip it quite as tight.
Like others said, Green scotchbrite in one direction. Remember when conditioning a slate your goal is to clean it more than remove material. Also use some coarse sand paper on the striker tip.
Just curious how your dymondwood runs on other surfaces and how other strikers run on your slate? I enjoy discovering when I obtain a new pot just how many strikers I already own marry up to it. And the same when I get a couple of new strikers, discovering how many surfaces that ring when I run 'em up. Hey, "variety is the spice of life"! Play on!
I have 2 identical strikers for this call. The other one and all of my others work great on it and the striker in question doesn't work on any of my other calls either. I tried using chalk on it and that seemed to make it worse. I sanded it some more with 150 grit as well. it's not any better at all. As soon as its sunny I will let it sit out again. I just don't understand what happened here.
Sometimes it's the humidity/moisture in the air.
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I would contact the call maker who made the striker. Maybe you got the the striker and slate from the same call maker. In any case, play or attempt to play it for him on the phone.
All call makers I have dealt with are very professional and reputable and they should replace the striker or call & striker or what ever is needed to resolve the issue and make you, their customer, happy and satisfied.
GunRunner
So if I bake the striker in the sun for hours it sounds great but then when it sits in the house overnight it sounds awful again. I have never seen anything like this.