How to make a a box call sound better?

[wisconsinteacher]

As mentioned in the past, I lost my father-in-law last summer and was able to inherit his hunting gear.  I would like to use it and not let it just sit around and collect dust.  He had two Lohman box calls (Lil Thunder and Double Thunder)  As of now, they do not sound the best and I would like to try to get them sounding better.  I cleaned off the old chalk and played with the lid screw but it has not helped.  Any ideas as to how to make them sound better than what an old window sounds like when you shut it or are they worthless?  (I can put them on display next to a few other hunting items)

[COssman14]

Not sure how this would work but with my Hooks box call I didn't like the sound the chalk less stuff made, so I sanded that and the rails so there was nothing but wood and chalked it up with fresh chalk and love the sounds it is making now!

[davisd9]

How do the turkeys respond to them?


Sent from the Strut Zone

[WillowRidgeCalls]

When you cleaned the old chalk off, what did you use to clean it off with?

[wisconsinteacher]

I used a brown scotch pad as light as I could rub it on the lid.  I did not remove any wood from the lid. 

I have never hunted with these calls.  I just got them.

[davisd9]

I would not change a thing about it until I knew how the birds responded to it.  I have had calls I thought sounded great that did not do a thing in the woods and others that did not sound very good to me that the birds ate up.

[gaswamp]

you can't make chicken soup out of chicken ....

[hunter22]

I have some box calls I just could not get the sound I wanted and I have inserted wood dowels or match sticks inside the box to put pressure on both sides of the box. This is something Lynch did a long time ago and his calls came with a tuning kit which included a wood dowel. I have a couple boxes I was ready to throw away but this trick turned them into players. I also have a couple boxes that nothing will help their sound. There does not seem to be a magic place to insert the dowel. Try it in different locations in the box to see if it helps.