Mouth Call Tip

[Marc]

For some of you more experienced hunters, this is probably old news...

But at the end of last season, I replaced a couple of my favorite mouth calls, and stored them in the refrigerator without using them.

As I took them out before the season, I was trying to break them in, and could not get them to play very well....  I could still make the basic sounds, but I was not impressed.  Kept them in the cases, and threw them in the vest as spares...

Yesterday being the last day of the season, I got home early, and went to cleaning the calls.  I could not for the life of me, get the plastic wedge (broken plastic fork wedge) between the rubber in the calls that did not work.

Finally I used some dish soap, and got that plastic between the rubber of the diaphragm calls, and worked that wedge all the way to the edges while rinsing under water...

For kicks and giggles, I tried the call, and low & behold...  Much better sound.

So, if you get a call that sounds "not so great," wash and clean it, and separate the rubber on the diaphragm.  Then give it another try.....

[SteelCityArcher]

I always store mine in the fridge also, but I always use reed separators while in storage.

[Upfold99]

I always store mine in the fridge also, but I always use reed separators while in storage.

X2

[Sir-diealot]

I always store mine in the fridge also, but I always use reed separators while in storage.

What do you used to separate them other than toothpicks?

[Marc]

I always store mine in the fridge also, but I always use reed separators while in storage.

What do you used to separate them other than toothpicks?

Broken off tines of a plastic fork....

[Marc]

I always store mine in the fridge also, but I always use reed separators while in storage.

I do the same...

But I do NOT generally clean and separate the latex of a new call.

I always assumed that if a new call did not sound good, it was just a poor sounding call...  Now, before tossing or dismissing a new call that does not play well, I will clean and separate the latex first.

[Sir-diealot]

I always store mine in the fridge also, but I always use reed separators while in storage.

What do you used to separate them other than toothpicks?

Broken off tines of a plastic fork....

Interesting, I do not think those are as sharp as toothpicks and would not puncture the reeds as easily. Thanks.

[eggshell]

soak them in mouthwash then rinse with hot water and dry with separators, when dry remove seperators and store in fridge. When I take them out to use, if they won't play back in the mouthwash for a short soak and they usually play. Sometimes I blow on the real hard after the soak and they are ok. I do not try and separate dry reeds too much danger of a tear or stretch

[TRG3]

My method is very similar to that explained by Eggshell. I soak mine in 50:50 water and mouthwash for a couple of hours before using toothpicks to gently separate the reeds. Blowing between the latex reeds seems to help separate them. I keep mine in a small plastic coin-type squeeze "purse". I return them to the refrigerator after every hunt and at the end of the season I put them in a Ziplock-type bag before leaving them in refrigerator until next year. Believe it or not, I've gotten a decade of use out of some of the diaphragm calls doing this. They tend to get more raspy as time goes on.

[Marc]

I soak and wash mine in dish soap...  I then put a bit of dish soap on the fork tine (which allows that tine to slide in easily between the rubber) and rinse under water till the soap is rinsed off, leave the tine in the call and store in the fridge...  I have yet to taste a soapy call...

Many mouth washes have alcohol, which can degrade the latex in the calls....