# Varmints Inc. Blackbird



## Lonehowl (Feb 16, 2010)

Not sure if there are any crow ( or turkey) hunters here, but Id like to offer up this crow call for sale.
The *Blackbird *is my hand made crow call. Completly made by me, in my shop.

Its an Osage barrel with Hackberry toneboards (called nibs on a crow call).

The *barrel *is about 3 1/4" long. It has a wide (hair over 1 inch) flared exhaust. It has a 3/16" lanyard groove and Ill throw in the lanyard pictured made from 550 cord. It has an oil and wax finish.

The *toneboards* are my own handmade boards. They are made from a block of dark, dense hackberry with some crazy grain, that I had stashed away. They are made with a morse taper (MT2) and mate up with the taper machined into the barrel.
This is an old school setup, and not many people make them like this, especially with wood toneboards.

The reed is .010 mylar over 5/16" air channels.

Call is very easy to blow, and you can adjust the reed in and out to get more rasp etc.

Cover the tip of the boards, blow thru one side of toneboards and you get a hawk scream. Usually only one side will do it well.(I dont mark it, but you can if you want when you get it.)

Im asking 30 dollars,+2 bucks to ship. (A bit steep, but making wood toneboards is time consuming, and rare nowdays.)

If your interested just holler. I prefer Paypal if possible.
Thanks!
Mark
ps...This call needs one more coat of finish, and wax on it before I will ship it. I just jumped the gun a little and am putting it up for sale now.


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## bones44 (Jan 7, 2011)

Beautiful work !


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## prairiewolf (Feb 19, 2012)

Very nice looking crow call Mark !! All you guys if you didnt know it a crow call is good to use when using distress sounds, it will make then think crows or ravens are there.


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## Rick Howard (Feb 25, 2012)

Stonegod you do know that the paypal account is free..... right? LOL.


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## Rick Howard (Feb 25, 2012)

Mark that is one great looking call. I like the wood toneboard. You do not see that often anymore. May I ask what is the finish? On both the barrel and the toneboard.


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## Rick Howard (Feb 25, 2012)

Ahhhhh.. It is a hassle to retrieve lost passwords.


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## Lonehowl (Feb 16, 2010)

I wet sand to 320 grit with a tung oil mixture to fill pores, let dry a couple days, sand 320 again and finish with 600 grit. Buff with tripoli and white diamond, then apply a couple coats of oil. Let dry. Buff again as above then buff on carnuba wax. 
Same for inside, but I use a paste wax inside the barrel.

Thats my basic method. 
The toneboards are lightly sanded and several coats of oil applied. Then waxed. 
Mark


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## Rick Howard (Feb 25, 2012)

When you say wet sand do you mean wet with tung oil?


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## Lonehowl (Feb 16, 2010)

Yep. I sand dry for, say, 30 seconds to get some dust on the wood, then wet the whole call with tung oil, or what ever you are using, dont matter, then just start sanding through your grits. (Sometimes I just dip the sandpaper into a smal dixie cup full of oil instead of wetting the whole call, whatever works for you) After you get done with each grit though, sand lengthwise with the grain to erase the sanding marks before moving on to the next grit. *Very important.*

I sand with 240,320, then 600. Just those 3 grits. If I really feel I have to I will use 400 but usually dont.
Same on the inside of barrel.

Also, your choice of sandpaper is important. I use shop rolls, Klingspor Gold. The differenc between good paper and cheap chinese crap is very apparrent. Youll be amazed.
Having said that, the call above was done using the cheap stuff as Im out of the good stuff. Took twice as long.
Mark


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## Rick Howard (Feb 25, 2012)

Thanks Mark. I use a similar process with Watco teak oil. I use the Norton paper I get at Rockler. I wet sand with micro mesh, once the finish is dry, instead of buffing and waxing. I don't have a buffing system...... yet


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## Lonehowl (Feb 16, 2010)

That works great. Done that as well. The CA finish is the hot thing, but I gave that up long ago. 
Mark


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## Lonehowl (Feb 16, 2010)

Call is gone. Thanks everyone.
Mark


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## Rick Howard (Feb 25, 2012)

I prefer the oil finish. I can do CA finsihing.... I prefer something that has a little less shine and feels a little more like wood.


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## Lonehowl (Feb 16, 2010)

My feelings exactly. 
Mark


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## Lonehowl (Feb 16, 2010)

Welp. if anyones intersted, the twin to this call is on Ebay. Dont ask me why, I sold a bunch of extra tools and such on there latley so I just threw it on there too.
Mark


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## 220swift (Mar 2, 2011)

Stonegod said:


> yes, I have one but have never used it and don't know my password ect.


there is a password reset link on the sign in page


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